To Say Tanks (SUVs) should be banned in cities

[Lovesgood]

www.fastcompany.com/90420280/should-we-ban-suvs

www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/07/a-deadly-problem-should-we-ban-suvs-from-our-cities

They are a pest! I have always disliked them. I know Im not BU by the way. This is something that needs to be looked into properly and where better to start than here on mumsnet where the standard reply about these crap cars is "But I need a tank to drive my kids to school" They are NOT safer than other cars! Its a myth peddled by the car industry and only people who have no clue about cars believe that! (So plenty of people sadly).

Secretspad - yet it is perfectly possible to drive around Cornwall safely without a 4x4/SUV,

You will have to do your own research. The studies I referred to were cited when Top Gear or 5th Gear, I can't remember which, did a piece on 4x4/SUV safety.

Youre the one that offered the claim, so in other words it was a load of old bollocks you decided to spout and not as you claimed a lot of studies (was how you put it I think)

YANBU. I love SUVs...far safer feeling than a wee car. And you're definitely safer in them. My parents were involved in a crash that would have put the engine back into them had they been in a normal car...as it was an SUV, the engine went back under the cab and they walked away with minor injuries rather than life changing ones. Pedestrians are always going to come off worse when hit by a car...doesn't really matter what type it is. Personally, I also feel more attentive to the surroundings when driving an SUV. In a regular car, I have had more moments where I don't see something till the last minute where as in an SUV you are very aware that you are bigger and need to watch around you. Ultimately, it comes down to drivers, not cars. Cars don't kill people...bad drivers kill people.

I have had more moments where I don't see something till the last minute

Cars don't kill people...bad drivers kill people.

I drive a Juke which is an SUV. It’s a micra on anabolics. How am I any more of a danger driving it than any car of similar size which isn’t an SUV?

But please, send me the money and I’ll change to a car of your choice.

People will own whichever car they like.

I live on a farm. I have a big car. Sometimes I need to go into the city. It’s my only car on the road at the moment. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Youre the one that offered the claim, so in other words it was a load of old bollocks you decided to spout and not as you claimed a lot of studies (was how you put it I think)

See here...

www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/2730922/Is-it-better-to-be-hit-by-a-4x4.html

YABU. I love my SUV.

Yabu. I love my 4x4. It's bloody lovely.

@RandomLondoner

I agree with a size limit or tax disincentive for large cars. Maybe a 20% added on to the purchase price of cars that are going to be in the top quartile for height or width. (Length is seldom an issue.)

I think there are too many cars in London anyway. I would extend congestion charging to all major roads inside the M25.

Length of SUVs can certainly be a problem in cramped underground or multi storey car parks where the bays are sized for normal size cars. The presence of an SUV can make the difference between being able to manoeuvre into a space and not being able to.

YABU

Winterwoolies - ok

Have you ever been up close with a real tank? They makes SUVs look like toys. Stupid thing to say.

I'm happy to admit I have an SUV. I'm crippled with arthritis and getting in and out of ordinary cars is impossible for me.

Bella - well that doesn't really count then does it? So the able bodied should just carry on regardless

*?

@HavelockVetinari

I think the folk saying YABU are all failing to address the salient point here - they are far more dangerous for other people. They are far more likely to kill other people.

Saying that it's economical, spacious, a free country, people who complain are "boring" etc. smacks of "I know I'm being a selfish shit but I'm too embarrassed to admit it".

Own it. Admit that it's (for the vast majority) selfish.*

• farmers exempt. Not others who live rurally though, unless you're towing a horse box or transporting livestock.

This with bells on! That is the entire point! Driving these cars is SELFISH and dangerous to other people!

As for the ppl who suggested I was jealous. I can only roll my eyes at you. I have a small japanese car which I love. I live in a pretty, victorian town center where parking is a pain in the a++e, and my small car works so much better in this area than a bigger one ever would. I do not tie my self esteem to the type of car I own though... as some other ppl here seem to do.

Oh and people asking about disabled drivers. Its obvious that there are always exceptions to rules, I thought. But guess I have to point that out, there are a few ppl for who it makes sense to drive these cars. However, at this point, they are in the MINORITY. If these cars ever got banned (as if) Im sure things like disabilites would be taken into consideration.

I've just been out to look at our cars. My SUV is the same width as my hatchback just longer. I have moor boot space and foot room in the back. This means I can get DC, pram, dogs and shopping in the car at the same time. Couldn't do that in my hatchback!

As ppl love to nitpick, I dont live right in the town center, but close to it. Streets here are super narrow and victorian houses dont have garages nor drives (mostly). Most ppl in my area are smart enough to own small cars by the way.

*more not moor

I'm on my third SUV, the first I had because we towed a caravan, the last two because I am disabled & can't get in & out of lower down cars. I had a taxi run in to the side of me after he ran through a set of traffic lights at 45mph, had I been in a smaller car the car would have been flipped over & chances are I would have had severe injuries or died, as it was I walked away & my car only needed a new door & front wing.

A double decker bus smashed into the back of my SUV (whilst I was stationary at a traffic light). We were unharmed, because it was an SUV. My (Hybrid) SUV is fitted with automatic braking to prevent any collision with stationary vehicles or pedestrians. Clearly the bus was not. Shall we ban double decker buses?

My mum’s SUV was hit from behind by a van on the M25 (happened to be carrying Dsis and her newborn to a hospital for an operation on the other side of London). They would have likely been killed if in my sister’s small city car. My mum’s (hybrid) SUV also has the technology to prevent collisions such as these. Shall we ban vans?

(Disclaimer - we are farmers and require these vehicles to tow trailers etc. on a daily basis. However, the above experiences, the only accidents we’ve ever had whilst driving, would make me nervous of a typical “city car” if I had the choice.)

I read that SUVs are safer in a crash - if you’re in the vehicle. You are something like 8 times more likely to survive than the driver of the smaller vehicle. BUT, if you collide with another SUV the results can be catastrophic.

I drive a Land Rover. It’s easy to drive. I also have my own woodland so we need it.

YANBU OP they're a menace and generally their drivers seem to be inconsiderate and dangerous

Well there’s a sweeping and unproven generalisation.

How do you feel about ‘crossovers’ OP? Allowed on alternate days of the week?