I drive a van in the UK (work related). I suspect bringing SUVs into the same rules as vans would be remarkably effective. They are often the same weight already.
Basically, vans have 10mph knocked off national speed limit roads (50 on single, 60 on duel carriageways). Apply the same to SUVs (and enforce it!).
Those who need them can still buy them. They are just required to drive a bit safer and slower. It will put off those who just want a big fast ‘safe’ vehicle.
At least the driver was jailed for 16 years? That’s a plus, I’d love to see that be done more often. We have a guy now brought before a judge who killed 3 school kids and the head teacher, and I’m truly worried that it’ll be the proverbial slap on the wrist again.
Why does the title says cycling accident when it was a car crash?
The victims were on bikes, the perpetrator was in a car
People underestimate the car brainery in the netherlands. Unfortunately.
That though was not directly due to “large car” but driving 130+ where 80 was the maximum
Agreed. I was merely saying that the carbrain was somewhat properly punished.
I got yelled at in a drive-thru in America because they were going too slow on delivering the food and asked me to pull forward, but apparently 20feet forward wasn’t far enough for the 80+ something year old woman behind be in a truck tall enough that the hood was higher than the roof of my car to see where the curb was to safely maneuver around it and me (I could have parallel parked my car in the space she had).
Car sizes are stupid, gas prices are through the roof, but they just keep making gas-powered cars bigger.
A London woman whose parents were killed by the driver of a speeding “monster” SUV has called on the Sadiq Khan to push for tougher regulations of these vehicles and a ban on large-SUV advertising across the Transport for London network.
Claire Corkery, 34, from Dulwich, was out celebrating a friend’s engagement in January 2024 when she received a life-changing call from a police officer.
Her parents, Sue and Tom, had been walking their dog along a country road near their home in Kent when they were struck by a BMW X5 travelling at 87mph.
They were killed instantly.
Scott Gunn, who had bought the SUV just a week earlier, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and jailed for 16 years in 2025.
For Claire, the sheer devastation of the collision meant she was denied even the chance to say goodbye to her parents.
“I never saw my mum and dad again,” she said. “And when I say I never saw them again, I mean I never saw their bodies.
“I was advised not to. They were in a state where I couldn’t really say goodbye, which gives you an idea of the destructive nature of these vehicles and the damage they can cause.”
Now, more than two years on, Claire is campaigning for tighter controls on some of the biggest and most powerful vehicles on Britain’s roads. Claire pictured on her wedding day with her parents Sue and Tom who were both killed by a speeding driver in 2024
Claire pictured on her wedding day with her parents Sue and Tom who were both killed by a speeding driver in 2024
Supplied
She is supporting the Carspreading campaign, which wants tougher safety standards and testing for large SUVs.
Claire is calling on TfL to ban advertising for large SUVs across its network, while urging Lord Khan to press the Government to introduce national limits on the width, length and, in particular, bonnet height of new passenger cars — measures campaigners say could reduce blind spots and save lives.
“If he is really serious about reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads, then he could stop them being advertised,” Claire said. “That is, have an advertising ban.” Read More
When Claire tells the story of what happened to her parents, she says she is often met with the same response: “They could have been killed by a Ford Fiesta travelling at that speed.”
While she accepts that a smaller car travelling at high speed could also have caused a fatal crash, Claire argues that the size and power of “monster” SUVs can make collisions far more devastating for people outside the vehicle.
Claire’s parents Sue and Tom were struck by a BMW X5 in 2024 and killed
Supplied
She also questions whether some of these cars are bought as status symbols – and whether drivers would be as likely to travel at such speeds to ‘show off a Ford Fiesta’.
She also questions why such large vehicles are marketed as “family cars”.
“I feel people are really being missold,” she said. “To me, the description of these cars as ‘family cars’ — well, I think that’s destroyed my family.”
“What family needs a car with a 4.4-litre engine that goes from zero to 60 in four seconds? I mean, they don’t.”
Scott Gunn was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and jailed in 2025
Kent Police
Claire does not blame families for choosing to buy SUVs.
Her anger is aimed instead at manufacturers and at the message she believes they are selling, which is that bigger, heavier and more powerful cars are somehow safer.
“You might feel safer from inside,” she said. “But it isn’t safe for everyone else.”
Speaking about her son, who is sixteen-months-old, Claire added: “I’m really terrified about what happens if he gets into a collision with an SUV because he is three times more likely to be killed if that happens.”
Data from a recent study shows that children aged 0 to 18 who were struck by an SUV had 77% higher odds of a fatal injury than children struck by a passenger car.
The risk was even greater among younger children aged 0–9, who had more than three times the odds of dying when hit by an SUV.
Proportion of cars in urban areas that are SUVs from 2002 to 2023
Clean Cities
The study analysed 359,000 casualties recorded in police-reported road crashes across Britain between 2004 and 2023.
Researchers examined the risk of serious and fatal injuries among pedestrians and cyclists hit by SUVs compared with passenger cars, finding that the increased risk was particularly pronounced among children.
Mother-of-two Katy Heald, from Lambeth, knows all too well the risks an SUV collision can pose.
She says she still has nightmares about what could have happened to her four-year-old son, Ben, after he was knocked off his bike by an SUV a few years ago.
A Clean Cities infographic showing how new SUVs continue to get larger
Clean Cities
The driver, who Katy says was incredibly apologetic, had not seen Ben over the bonnet of her vehicle.
“I screamed. I almost sort of saw it happening in slow motion,” Katy said.
“There was just this car coming towards my tiny child, and so I was absolutely terrified and I still have nightmares about the what ifs.
“The front wheel of the SUV went over the front wheel of Ben’s bike. It crushed the front wheel and the front fork. It somehow missed him,” she told The Standard.
Katie’s son Ben, four, on a bike which is the exact make and model of the one crushed by an SUV
Supplied
“The collision happened purely because of the design of that vehicle.”
Reiterating the same point that Claire made, Katy added: “They (SUVs) might be safe for the people inside them, but they’re absolutely terrifying for the people outside.”
“Your car might keep your children safe while they are in it, but the majority of their lives they’re not in your car.”
Ms Heald is calling for Lord Khan, local authorities and car manufacturers to do everything they can to control the “ever-growing presence of SUVs on the road.”
A Clean Cities infographic showing the visibility of children to some types of SUVs
Clean Cities
Supporting the Carspreading campaign, Elly Baker AM, Labour’s Transport Spokesperson on the London Assembly, said: "London’s roads weren’t designed for these constantly growing vehicles.
“We’ve made real progress on road safety, but the rapid growth of SUVs raises legitimate questions about visibility, road space and, most importantly, the safety of children, many of whom can’t be seen over the bonnet of these vehicles.
“That’s why the Government should introduce a fairer Vehicle Excise Duty system that takes vehicle weight into account. Boroughs should also consider raising parking charges for vehicles that take up more space.
“Larger vehicles can have a bigger impact on our streets, whether that’s space or safety. As vehicles get bigger, policies need to keep pace."
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “The Mayor has asked TfL to undertake detailed analysis of the safety risks posed by large SUVs and their wider impact on London’s roads, which could then inform any future policy proposals in London or recommendations to Government or the sector.”
That is the kind of moment that people should share. More action is needed.
Thanks Obama… no, really this time…
People act like this obama guy didnt watch over the genocide of numerous civillians in Africa and West Asia that HE HIMSELF approved of , sometimes watched, and rarely paid reparations.
People just think ‘bLaCk aMuRicAn PreSideNt MaN! YaAy ! rAcisM dEfeAted! Happy-Go -Lucky’ when they see him lol.
So of course he’s gonna take a bribe fro. these car companies executives and their lobbyists just to allow people to buy heavier gas-guzzling death machines lol.
I drive a minivan, and even I get scared of some of these huge SUVs because I think they may not see me before making an aggressive lane change or something.
How would you crack down on SUVs? How would you legally distinguish between a SUV and a cargo van? If you simply ban “big cars” you will have to also ban vans. If you ban “cars bigger than a sedan but smaller than a van” SUV will get even bigger, like in US. Did any country manage to address this successfully? Genuinely curious.
I know some people propose setting hard limits on hood height which is definitely a good idea but it’s not the same as “SUV ban”.
Bro suvs are already an exception. They would be in a different tax bracket but in mamy countries theyre excluded.
Exception from what based on what? Like… I asked specific questions and you just went “bro, they different”. Why even comment?
Theyre heavier, have different frames, have larger engines, are in a different emissions class, are in a different safety class, they sit differently, do i have to continue the list? Theyre completely different entities to the passenger cars we used to have. How would you determine any other car class? By measurements, this is true for every single class except suvs where they just label a car that belongs in a completely different class as the same to avoid regulations. Theres a reason the car industry loves them, you can sell a gigantic expensive piece of metal to people with no extra downsides while advertising it with it being “safer”. Suvs are safer in the capacity that shooting everyone on the street you see is technically safer than the very small chance of them committing a violent crime against you. As for the regulatory side, many countries already label suvs as suvs when you register them so thats easy.
Oh, so you don’t know what a cargo van is. It’s something like this:
Very popular in Europe. Used by all kinds of tradesman. They weight pretty much same as a very big SUV and have similar engines (up to 3.0L). My question was: how will you ban SUV but not cargo vans? You’re answer seems to be: based on safety class, “how they sit” and what frame they have. Which just means manufacturers would make SUV with better safety ratings (good) and with frames and suspension copied from cargo vans (neutral). It wouldn’t ban them.
I know what a cargo van is, im european and the cargo van just proves my point even more cause in a lot of european countries cargo vans need a different license. So once again youre proving that suvs are the exception and if they followed the rules they would need different licenses. Cargo vans arent inherently safer but theyre a much more usefull class of vehicle and a modern one is actually safer. I dont know what youre trying to prove here but you keep raising arguments against yourself so i think you should just accept that if something looks, drives, and kills pedastrians like an suv, it is an suv.
I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m asking a question. You say that some countries require different license for a cargo van which suggests you know what is that license category and how it’s defined (by size? by weight? by engine?). I’m asking because I don’t know that but I’m curious and would like to find out. Instead of simply answering you’re getting all defensive and shitty. Relax, sometimes people are just curious, not looking for an argument. If you know how SUV can be legally defined in a way that excludes cargo vans just answer. If not, move on.
Bro i dont know, search it up on the internet. Where i am its called a b1 license, depending on how you do your license you either automatically get it or you dont. I think here its defined by weight. Only responding cause apparently my comments contained info usefull to other people, youre clearly ragebaiting.
To my knowledge all SUVs have more than two seats and cargo vans only have two seats. Because one is a work/delivery vehicle and the other is a passenger vehicle.
Seems pretty easy to ban vehicles with more then two seats over a certain size / weight limit.
Ford Transit Crew Van. Those are quite popular for bigger work crews. I think most brands have those. If you can buy a cargo van you can buy it in a crew version. You also have electric vans like this:
Those are heavier than Dodge RAM.
I mean, we could ban all of those as well. It wouldn’t be the end of the world. I just don’t think excluding only SUV would be that simple.
This already happens, vehicles are classified differently due to differing tax calculations and differing driving licence requirements.
Hood height is a good thing to regulate since that’s one of the factors that make SUVs so dangerous to pedestrians
This already happens, vehicles are classified differently due to differing tax calculations and differing driving licence requirements.
I know this happens for tiny cars with tiny motors that don’t require any driving license, for motorbikes which have less wheels than a car, for trucks based on curb weight or for buses based on occupancy. But a SUV and a van require the same driving license (B), have similar size (big SUVs and medium vans are pretty much the same length), similar weight, same occupancy, similar engines. How are they classified differently?
So since you seem to be totally unaware, vans are designed very differently to emotional support vehicles, especially in the fields of pedestrian visibility and minimisation of harm if impact occurs.
So you’re saying that they should ban cars based on pedestrian visibility and harm on impact? Doesn’t this come down to hood height? Which is what I said already.
