Bonnet height rising posing threat to safety, report finds
A report has found that rising bonnet heights in cars poses a “clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children. The height of he front of vehicles can impact the likelihood of killing a pedestrian. In addition to that, drivers of the tallest cars could fail to see a child as old as nine, even when they are directly in front of the vehicle.
An increase in sales of Land Rover and Jeep models, the only brands with an average bonnet height of over 1m, means that the UK has a particularly large amount of cars on the road with tall front ends. Land Rover, in particular, was accused by the researchers of “trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles,” adding that the brand is “ignoring their related dangers.”
In a crash, an SUV is more likely to hit the vital organs in an adult’s body and the head of a child. Hitting pedestrians above their centre of gravity increases the chance of them being knocked forward and down, and this leads to a greater chance of them being driven over. Lower bonnets are more likely to hit a pedestrian in the legs, giving them a chance to fall on the vehicle or being deflected to the side.
The report was conducted by advocacy group Transport & Environment (T&E). It found that he average bonnet height of new cars sold in Europe had risen from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024. A rise in sales of SUVs from 12% to 56% in the same period is being dubbed “carspreading” and “autobesity.” SUVs are 20% more polluting on average, negating the improvements that come from the rise in electric vehicles and other improvements in fuel efficiency.
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