Video: Average size and meaning of measurements on some popular car models today.
The European Federation of Transport and Environment (T&E) has planned to organize a campaign asking lawmakers to take measures to set Limit the size of cars new, especially SUVs. According to this unit, the fact that cars are getting bigger and bigger has increased the risk of causing traffic insecurity.
According to a report by Transport & Environment, new passenger vehicles are becoming 1 cm wider every 2 years. The average width of cars increased to 180.3 cm in the first half of 2023, from 177.8 cm in 2018. Data compiled by ICCT confirms that cars have tended to get larger over the two decades calculated until 2020.
| Car sizes will be classified to limit the risk of traffic accidents. |
All new cars in the EU now comply with a maximum width limit of 255 cm. However, T&E believes that lawmakers need to consider setting appropriate limits for each type of vehicle, if they do not want SUVs to become as big as trucks.
James Nix, Director of Media Policy at T&E, said: “The umbrella has been getting wider over the past few decades and this trend will continue until we establish stricter limits. Currently, the law allows it Cars are as wide as trucks. The consequence is the emergence of large SUVs and American-style pickup trucks, endangering pedestrians, cyclists and all road users.”
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| The emergence of large SUVs and American-style pickup trucks, endangers pedestrians, cyclists and all road users. |
T&E research also shows that among the 100 best-selling car models in 2023, 52% of cars sold are too large for the minimum designated on-street parking space (180 cm) in major cities, including London, Paris and Rome. Off-street parking is now tight even for average new cars (180cm wide), while large luxury SUVs are no longer suitable. With a width of about 200 cm, large luxury SUVs leave too little space for passengers to get in and out of the car.
Even though cities are becoming more and more cramped, luxury SUV models are increasingly expanding in size. For example, the Land Rover Defender has grown 20.6 cm compared to the previous version, the BMW X5 has grown 6 cm in just six years and the Volvo EX90 has grown 4.1 cm compared to the XC90. Not only large-sized car models, but the trend of expanding size is also applied by manufacturers to small and medium-sized car models. Therefore, most new generation car models are much larger in size than the old ones.
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| T&E’s research also shows that among the 100 best-selling car models in 2023, 52% of cars sold are too large for on-street parking spaces. |
In most cases, New cars are larger in size than old ones in both width, length and height. According to T&E, this increases the danger when a collision occurs. Recent statistics show that a 10 cm increase in vehicle front height increases the risk of death in collisions with pedestrians and cyclists by 30%. In addition, the increasing size of cars combined with the increasing number of vehicles each year makes moving space increasingly narrow, leading to an increased risk of accidents.
Some European cities have imposed stricter parking regulations for SUVs. In the near future, Parisians will vote on a proposal to triple parking costs for large cars. If passed, the new measure in the French capital would set an important precedent for many other regions considering similar changes.
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| T&E said EU lawmakers should demand a review of the maximum width of new cars when they update the law in the coming months. |
“SUVs are a threat to the urban fabric,” said Barbara Stoll, Clean Cities Campaign Director at T&E. Unless we act now, more and more of our precious public spaces will be taken away from people by ever-larger cars – this is not a cleaner, brighter future and greener that people want.
T&E said EU lawmakers should demand a review of the maximum width of new cars when they update the law in the coming months. Additionally, city governments should regulate parking fees and tolls based on vehicle size and weight, so that large SUVs and luxury pickup trucks pay more for using more space. .