UK SUV Petition

[Jenkins]

The petition is poorly worded or defined as it talks about banning 4x4s and 'heavy cars' but fails to define what a heavy car is . It could theoretically mean banning even some of the smaller BEVs as they can be quite weighty due to the batteries, while this would also be excluded as a 4x4 despite being small

 

[I like Skol]

Yup.. and before PCP it was only a minority of toffs that drove them; and so it will be written that as the cost of borrowing rockets so the grotty chelsea tractor will once more become the sole preserve of our monied overlords.

There is another side to this issue, and one that is destroying the countryside rights-of-way (and not rights-of-way) as a result. All these falsely financed 4x4 SUVs/Chealsea tractors, call them what you like, that have boomed during the late 80s, 90s and 00s are now flooding the market at almost giveaway prices and as a result any red-neck fun seeker can buy one and run it into the ground for a year or two before scrapping it with little or no financial loss and no need to be sensible about how or where the vehicle is used.

Historical unsurfaced roads are being damaged beyond repair and tracks that do not have legal vehicle use status are being abused and damaged on a scale never seen in generations previously because people just don't seem to care as long as they have fun. No wonder the general public in general 'hate' 4x4s.... Responsible users and user groups just cannot get anywhere near communicating loudly enough to get the situation under control (not helped by the lack of enforcement by an under staffed police force).

Another issue I have with the petition is the 'call to arms' after a single event. We all know that knee jerk legislation in reaction to a one-off event will often lead to bad laws. I don't see any calls for a ban on Ford Fiestas after this incident - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66490869

 

[Jameshow]

Aren't a good number of Tesla's 4x4 and definitely heavy?!🤔🤔🤔

 

[Cycleops]

Another issue I have with the petition is the 'call to arms' after a single event. We all know that knee jerk legislation in reaction to a one-off event will often lead to bad laws. I don't see any calls for a ban on Ford Fiestas after this incident - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66490869

That was due as I recall to the campsite being very close to the road with no wall or protection for the campers. If it had been a Range Rover or similar the human damage it did might have been even worse.

 

[Alex321]

If its a Utility vehicle then it wont need the fast lane of the motorway so just stop them using it and the shine will go off them instantly.

There is no such thing as "the fast lane of the motorway:"

There is the main driving lane and one or more overtaking lanes.

And why you think utility vehicles have no need to overtake, I have no idea.

 

[Alex321]

It is, frankly, a ridiculous petition.

I severely dislike the :"status symbol" large SUVs, but there is no good reason for banning them from urban areas (and how do you even define that for this purpose - is it large town centres, or any restricted road, or something in between?), and there is no reasonable definition of what should be banned in the petition.

For those who DO have a need for a large 4x4, it will often be their main or only vehicle. Aren't they allowed to go to town?

Most cattle markets are held in towns, how are the farmers supposed to get their livestock there without something big and heavy to tow the trailer?

Oh, and her assertion that "There is only one 4x4 model currently on the market that scores higher than one star out of five for pedestrian safety in Euro-NCAP crash tests" is just ridiculous. According to the NCAP site, selecting just small SUVs, Large SUVs and pickup trucks, the LOWEST Vulnerable Road user score for vehicles tested in the last 3 years is 63% for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 - and that would still be 3 stars. There are several with ratings over 80%.

 

[Drago]

It perhaps doesn't help that there are all sort sof daft things labelled as SUVs by manufacturers keen to jump on the bandwagon, that are nothing of the sort.

That was due as I recall to the campsite being very close to the road with no wall or protection for the campers. If it had been a Range Rover or similar the human damage it did might have been even worse.

If it had been a modern Rangie there are all sorts of autonomous braking and lane keeping doobreys that may well have mitigated or even prevented the incident. Assuming they work (they are Land Rover products after all.)

 

[markemark]

My electric SUV has a smaller footprint than the saloon car big enough for my kids to have enough space in the back. The internal volume and leg space is achieved by going up rather than extending the footprint. My kids are nearly adult sized (and growing). For them to be seated without squashed legs requires a large saloon or a smaller foot-print SUV.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Can't imagine King Charles ditching his huge Rolls Royce and Range Rover etc.

 

[Bollo]

The car market's direction of travel says otherwise...
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volvo-goes-suv-only-uk-all-saloon-and-estate-cars-axed

 

[Cycleops]

Can't imagine King Charles ditching his huge Rolls Royce and Range Rover etc.

Well he is the King! But as per Monty Python: 'Well I didn't vote for you'.
But I think he'll eventually be forced to go electric.

 

[Alex321]

Well he is the King! But as per Monty Python: 'Well I didn't vote for you'.
But I think he'll eventually be forced to go electric.

I think he would prefer to go electric if suitable vehicles are available. He has always been somebody who promoted "green" issues.

 

[markemark]

I think he would prefer to go electric if suitable vehicles are available. He has always been somebody who promoted "green" issues.

Didn't he convert his Aston to run on wine?

 

[Fab Foodie]

I've signed-it.
It's an issue worth raising IMO despite the petition being poorly worded, I think most people know what's meant by it.
Nudging people to use smaller, less imposing, more efficient, less harmful vehicles can only be a good thing surely? It's not perfect but every little helps. There are plenty reasons why these vehicles are not appropriate, particularly in cities.
There's also this recently.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/26/more-than-150-car-models-too-big-for-regular-uk-parking-spaces#:~:text=More than 150 car models are now too big to,phenomenon known as “autobesity”.
If you want to see this in action, try the business Parking at Heathrow.
Saw on t'internet a distraught W'panzer driver protesting with the Traffic Warden because he'd been given a parking fine as his car didn't fit within the parking space - made me chuckle!
They should be called Sports Futility Vehicles....

 

[Fab Foodie]

The car market's direction of travel says otherwise...
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volvo-goes-suv-only-uk-all-saloon-and-estate-cars-axed

So much for green credentials eh, Volvo. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic, fatter tyred, that's how we save the planet....