Cars are getting bigger!

[Haliotis]

Got an email newsletter from moneysupermarket.com.   Leading topic is about cars increasing in size, referring to Autobesity, or Carbloat.  The heavy type, headline grabber says, “SUVs aren’t inherently safer for their occupants than an estate or saloon: most are two-wheel drive for fuel efficiency, so don’t offer better grip and higher view doesn’t guarantee better protection in a crash.”

The article goes on to list the “anti-environmental”(?) changes in various models, with overloading of bridges and multi-storey car parks as a possible hazard.  Electric vehicles with their hazardous ingredients, weight and acceleration putting more particulates from their tyres onto the roads, get included.  In essence, I think the editors are struggling for something new to say.

My C-HR is classed as a SUV but, IMHO it is not.  It is a conventional hybrid car with a boot and is slightly higher than a normal car, and has SUV-style bodywork.  It was chosen for its car-like qualities, with the extra height giving better ability to get into or out of it.  As for the higher view not guaranteeing more safety in a crash, that better view gives a competent driver assisted ability to avoid involvement in a collision.

All the article does is to give more false information to various governing bodies to further their war on the motorist, and more frivolous information for insurance companies to use as a lever to raise premiums.

To the editors of this spiel I would advise, “Get a real job!”

[Bper]

Car obesity? No problem—they've got a jab for that, it's called Ozempic.😂
 

[ThomasL]

Problem is you need a higher SUV style car in order to safely see and be seen, due to all the other monsters on the road.

Only hope of it changing would be if a government one day dared tax things properly taking into account every external cost

[Mjolinor]

For example a 32 tonner wears the road 64 million times more than a family car. I don't see them paying a corresponding amount of road tax.

 

[Cyker]

My loathing of SUVs is well publicised on here so I don't need to add more   

 

49 minutes ago, Mjolinor said:

For example a 32 tonner wears the road 64 million times more than a family car. I don't see them paying a corresponding amount of road tax.

And I'm glad they don't - Do you really want to be paying £10 for a L of milk or £50 for a pizza?? HGVs do wear the road more but like busses they are infrastructure and provide a service for all and not just the people in them, and if anything should have less of a tax burden as that just gets passed onto us anyway through the products they deliver!!

3 ton SUVs that never go off-road and only carry a single person 99% of the time? Now those deserve some additional tax burden!