To think levying additional charges on SUV owners in London is a bad idea?

[FirmNavyCat]

Saw this article in the Guardian yesterday and it's been prominent in my mind since I read it. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/13/suv-drivers-could-face-extra-charges-for-driving-in-london

Sadiq Khan is talking about levying further charges to SUV drivers due to the evidence that they pose a significantly increased risk of fatal injury to pedestrians in collisions, particularly children. While on the face of it this seems like a noble cause, my belief is that policymakers should be focused on beefing up existing laws. Speed limits should be reduced on roads that have the highest number of fatalities, and drivers who cause injury or death should face tougher sentencing by the courts. I know SUVs are popular on MN (and are popular with mums in urban areas generally). They feel so much safer to drive compared to smaller cars. Also, should the worst happen and you are involved in a collision, I would very strongly prefer to be in an SUV than a smaller car. I'd want my loved ones to be in an SUV as well if I had to choose.

Oh ok 😆

I’ve got one 😀

Question: what other options for 7 seater vehicles are there? I just googled and they all seem to be vans or suvs.

Can all the people saying the entire population of London has “no need” for these vehicles explain how we all transport our families?

My green credentials will beat most on here. Living in London it is rare to need a car at all. Day to day my family use public transport. However, when there is no option but driving, I need a 7 seater 🤷‍♀️

That chart 9 is for vehicle type in GB not London

35 deaths by hgv, 16 by bus and 18 by car in London in 2024

even bus and car deaths are only that of HGV,

What is your source?

When is there no other option? How do you think all the families without cars in london manage?

I think they should be banned entirely from cities

Lol

If you loved ones were not in an SUV which kind of vehicle would you prefer hit them?

Completely agree. They’re an unnecessary menace.

Dont worry, its coming somewhere down the line. It has to happen because, as this thread shows, the general public dont give a shit about anyone except themselves.

@FirmNavyCat seriously, the speed limit for most of London is 20mph and you want to reduce it more? SUVs can cause serious damage to pedestrians even at reduced speeds btw

This should be implemented across the whole country - SUVs are too big, too heavy (damage roads) and often driven by people who seem to be unable to drive them or park them without inconveniencing other road users.
People drive them because they feel safer but they're more dangerous for everyone.
I'd love it if people stopped buying them and moved back to proper sized cars.....

I grew up in a national park in southern Africa and have been driving 70 series Toyota Landcruisers for over 30 years. My eight year old DD is about the shoulder height of a zebra or a gemsbok and I can tell you right now through bitter experience that if they are head down within about 2 metres of the front of the bonnet and within about 1.5 metres of the bonnet's nearside I cannot see them. That's an absolutely massive blindspot to have in front of two tonnes of metal on a city street, where young children and pushchairs tend to outnumber zebras, when it is completely unnecessary.

For comparison, there is nowhere my DD can stand in front of either my Skoda Superb or my Dacia Jogger where I cannot see her.

Also, these bloated SUVs aren't just a menace when moving. Even when parked on the street they still create huge blindspots for pedestrians and other motorists.

People who say they 'need' a massive SUV in a city are selfish, self-deluded morons. Need a high seat because of 'back trouble'? Get a Berlingo. Need space? Get an estate. Need seven seats? Get an MPV or a minivan.

If you actually need off-roading capability, you're just not going to get it from a Range Rover with 275/40 R22 road tyres. Stop kidding yourself that you want an SUV for anything other than image.

Brava, @InveterateWineDrinker

Great user name, also

One is a high fronted, potentially heavy vehicle that could kill a child and there are many of them on our roads during the day. The other is an SUV.

Ever looked at the front end of a post office van? Or maybe a supermarket food delivery van. Ford transit? Berlingo?

Bull bars? How many do you see like this on the roads. Exactly, none.
But you would be right about this example we used in the desert from the early 90s.

you seem to think that hgv drivers don't kill more than car drivers - if its London then where are your figures to back that up - there seems to be a lot of hgv opposition due to deaths

i asked the above about London deaths, you have yet to back up your claim

Buses and HGVs do not kill quite a few more pedestrians than cars do

Nationally, HGVs don’t kill as many people as cars, and it’s not even close. Now, it may be that this is not the case in London, but I doubt it. So, if you know this is actually the case, simply provide some evidence.

But people aren't buying a post office van to do the school run and claiming they have to have one because they sometimes send a package and post 40 cards at Christmas. Vans are designed to be commercial vehicles and the vast majority of van drivers have a van for work purposes. The vast majority of SUV drivers are not using them for off roading.

The vast majority of SUV drivers are not using them for off roading.

I think that's a bit unfair, given that so many of them park on the pavement...

And ironic, given how they never move anywhere near a grass verge to allow two vehicles to pass on a country lane...

Just going out of town for us there's a 2 lane road, with a central white line. There are free parking bays and if the cars are inside the lines, it's fine. Some larger SUVs jut out, even if hard against the kerb and it's impossible to pass, which can lead to significant tailbacks to the lights and along the high street.

I've been cheered, on occasion, to see parking tickets on some of them. It's signed to say that they must fit. There was a Jag the other day, which jutted out at an angle, that had a ticket.

They should make that a nationwide regulation. There'd be no need for a charge...

This whole SUV issue raised by Khan is not “why” you want to own a particular vehicle. It’s about safety of high fronted vehicles that could kill a child. All or nothing.

If you are driving, nothing should get within 2 metres without you seeing it first. If you are in a housing estate etc, you should have already been aware of kids playing around your vehicle. Additional safety features of most vehicles include collision sensors which would warn of a child or anything else nearby and many vehicles have pedestrian sensors coupled with autobraking. Even my 8 year old old SUV has that, and if it thinks I’ve missed something, it will stop. Pedestrians, animals, or vehicles.