SUV owners could face driving charges in London, after the mayor and transport authorities said they were reviewing the increased danger posed by larger, heavier cars.
Proposals to clamp down on larger vehicles could come later this year, with Transport for London (TfL) also set to increase 20mph zones and reduce speed limits on its fastest roads from 50mph to 40mph to tackle road deaths.
A report published on Wednesday highlighted the danger SUVs pose to other road users and pedestrians, with children at particular risk of fatal injuries in the event of a collision.
While safety concerns around SUVs are highlighted in the Vision Zero report – an update to London’s plan to eliminate fatal road accidents – TfL is also aware of the vehicles’ wider impact.
The plan said TfL would continue to “develop a strong evidence base on the risk posed by large cars and use our powers to address their safety, congestion and environmental impacts”.
Previous research has shown that adults who walk or bike are 14% more likely to die in a collision when the car involved is an SUV; boys are 77% more likely. For children under nine years old, the risk of death is three times greater if they are hit by an SUV than by a smaller car. The size and structure of large cars mean that pedestrians are more likely to be hit in critical organs or at head height and thrown into traffic rather than landing on the hood of a car if they are hit.
SUV sales have soared in the UK compared to other European countries, many of which impose significantly higher taxes on larger and heavier vehicles. According to a recent study by Transport & Environment, more than half of the cars currently sold in the UK are too large for a standard street parking space.
Cardiff recently became the first UK city to vote to implement additional parking charges for SUVs, proposing more expensive permits to offset their additional footprint, road damage and emissions.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said TfL needed to consider the impact of SUVs on other road users, adding: “There is growing evidence about the safety risks of large SUVs, which are becoming more common on London roads. “It is a shocking figure that SUVs are 77% more likely to kill a child if they are involved in a collision.
“The Mayor has asked TfL to carry out a detailed analysis of the safety risks posed by large SUVs and their wider impact on London’s roads. This could then inform any future policy proposals in London or recommendations to government or the sector.”
The Guardian revealed last week that senior Labor politicians across London had expressed concerns to the government that the party was facing a “political earthquake” in the capital at the May election as support for the Greens grew.
“The government needs to show it is not taking the capital’s liberal and progressive voters for granted,” said a senior London Labor figure.
Campaigners welcomed the attention the mayor and TfL have put on SUVs. Oliver Lord, director of Clean Cities UK, said: “Cars are getting bigger every year, but London’s streets aren’t. Large SUVs take up more space and threaten the lives of children, who shouldn’t have to dodge two-ton battering rams just to cross the road.
“Cities across Europe are acting against the proliferation of cars. We need fairer parking rates based on the weight of the car. It is only fair that those with unnecessarily large SUVs pay more for the extra space and danger they bring.”
Meanwhile, the mayor and TfL’s action plan aims to make 20mph the default maximum speed across London, converting another 35 miles of 30mph roads by 2030, although many roads remain under the control of local boroughs. TfL said it would also reduce the default speed limit on the largest strategic roads it controls, which include the Northern Circular, from 50mph to 40mph by 2035.
Road deaths and serious injuries have fallen by almost a quarter in a decade, with London recording its fewest serious casualties in a year in 2024, barring the pandemic years of 2020-21. TfL said statistics showed the capital’s streets had become safer faster than the rest of the country, with half the number of traffic accidents as Greater Manchester.
Jason Killens, chief executive of London Ambulance Service, said: “It is often the vulnerable who are most at risk on the roads – the young and the elderly who are seriously injured or killed. These incidents are particularly tragic because many of them are preventable.”
