Car bonnet heights

[GingerBeverage]

I don't understand how they pass safety tests?

In crashes, high-bonneted SUVs are more likely to strike the vital organs in the core of adults’ bodies and the heads of children. Hitting pedestrians above their centre of gravity means they are more likely to be knocked forward and down and then be driven over. In contrast, low bonnets tend to hit pedestrians’ legs, giving them a greater chance of falling on to the vehicle and being deflected to the side.
The report, by the advocacy group Transport & Environment (T&E), found that the average bonnet height of new cars sold in Europe rose from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024.
The rise matches booming sales of SUVs from 12% to 56% of all cars over the same period, with the increasing size of vehicles being described as “carspreading” or “autobesity”. SUVs are also 20% more polluting on average and this rise in sales is cancelling out the reduction in climate-heating CO2 due to electric vehicles and fuel efficiency improvements.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/11/ever-rising-height-car-bonnets-suv-threat-to-children-report

Round mine, the SUV's speed, it can be clear when look, still clear on double check, and then one comes flying round the corner. Sometimes yes it's the pedestrians fault, sometimes it's the drivers fault, sometimes it's no ones fault, but accidents do and will continue to happen, all that we can do is do as much as possible to ensure that when they do, the results are less rather than more harmful.
And it's not just about the weight, as in OP"'s post, it's also about the height.

Doesn’t really matter, it’s the energy involved in the collision that’s important, especially given the Duster is pretty low. You’d have come off worse if a heavier car hit you, like a 5 series or something. You’d have a point if it was a full size Range Rover.

What car were you in?

I drove a Clio at the time. The size of the other car absolutely does matter in an accident. And yes fully aware the damage would have been even worse if the idiot who hit me had been driving a Range Rover.

Turn it upside down - how many of these journeys aren't actually required?
Yet some more nonsense, it's nothing to do with the size of the car - how many people are run over by a huge lorry? It's the driver, a car is dangerous what ever the size.
Ban people walking looking at their phones, ban hand's free in cars, all cars should be in slience (I've had more near misses with both children fighting in the back!)
Nonsense, take responsibility for your own actions, some people are stupid and unfortunately we are not allowed to ban stupid.

The size matters in some accidents, for example in a side impact where a high bonnet could make contact with your upper torso/head but unlikely to make much difference in a rear impact, the weight is much more important. Obviously a Duster is built on a Clio platform so is actually quite a small car, it’s around 6/7” taller than a Clio so not much in it. I’d take a rear impact from a Duster over a 5 series every single day of the week. (I use a 5 series example as it’s a sensible sized family saloon).

It would also have been worse if it was a Nissan leaf.

50% more more momentum carries into the impact.

As a reminder to many on this thread.

Physics exists. The energy of a moving vehicle is a function of its mass and speed.

The force at the impact point is a function of the pressure and the impact area.

Standing on an upside down plug hurts from than one the right way up becayse your same weight gets pushed into a small area. Standing on an upside down plus hurts a child less than an adult because there’s less weight.

The SUVs bad for other party in an accident thing is bad science. Poor driving is. Insufficient attention from drivers and pedestrian is. When they were the heaviest cars on the road it may have been a factor. These days most small electrics are heavier than standard ic suvs. And interestingly still have the same tyre specs as ic Cars despute a lot more weight.

A pedestrian was killed and a couple of others injured local to me a couple of years ago by a car mounting the pavement on a high street.

The offending vehicle was a Fiat 500.

Ah yes the classic “See, dachshunds are as dangerous as XL bulldogs.”