A new study by Transport and Environment shows for the first time that bonnet heights of new cars in the UK and EU are growing 1cm taller every two years. The average UK bonnet height now stands at 83.7cm, up from 76.9cm in 2010, with surging SUV sales being the primary cause of this rise.

The London Assembly has voted to approve a motion calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to help address the impacts of growing SUV use in the capital. Fourteen assembly members voted for, 8 against.

Towns and cities can play a leading role in reducing the presence of large SUVs on our streets. Asks 3 and 5 in our manifesto relate to powers local councils have to charge SUVs more to park, and to restrict SUV advertising on council-owned advertising sites like bus shelters.

Fear of traffic is regularly cited as a barrier to greater uptake of walking, wheeling and cycling, and the trend towards ever-bigger, ever-heavier SUVs will only make this worse.

A study finds that the likelihood of a pedestrian or cyclist being fatally injured is 44% higher if they are hit by an SUV or light truck compared with smaller cars. 

All motorised traffic poses a risk to vulnerable road users, but it’s bigger, heavier SUVs that epitomise the problem of road danger.

Without action, SUVs will make up three-quarters of new car sales in the UK by 2027. Turning this trajectory around requires urgent action. which is why we took our call for safer, fairer streets to Parliament.

Cars are getting bigger. We’ve all noticed it. Streets once home with hatchbacks are now dominated by large SUVs and 4x4s. 

SUVs have been growing, in size and in number, for two decades now. Policy action to date has been limited, hence the need for the SUV Alliance and our manifesto for safer, fairer streets.