this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
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The increase in the height of car bonnets on SUVs and other luxury models means that this risk has returned. Research carried out for Clean Cities shows that a 10cm increase in bonnet height from 80cm to 90cm results in a 27% greater chance of death for pedestrians run over. For children, the risk of death is increased threefold if they are hit by an SUV rather than a conventional vehicle. They are also more likely to be hit since the driving position is often too high to observe what is in front of the vehicle.

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[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

The children yearn to die in glorious combat with a SUV.

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 32 points 1 day ago (3 children)

For children, the risk of death is increased threefold

And this is not enough reason to ban them?

[–] LwL@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Children only matter when we can push surveillance to ""protect"" them

[–] RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's never about the children.

[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

why were bull bars banned?

[–] Papierkorb@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago

No, who cares about children? As long grandma at 96 can still ""safely"" drive around why not have them drive a tank?

[–] absquatulate@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But "gEtTiNG a bIG sUv KEePs mY FaMiLy sAfEr".

Nobody's gonna be safer until you get those monstrosities off the streets.

[–] botbot@feddit.org 1 points 19 hours ago

Most people don't even use their car to transport more than one person.

[–] radiouser@crazypeople.online 5 points 1 day ago

Have a strong dislike for them myself but more so the selfish bastards that drive them (or rather, how they drive them).

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca -1 points 20 hours ago

But didn't the UK have a referendum deciding children were not the future?

[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

As there is, remarkably, no width restriction for cars

defuq?

[–] Fusselwurm@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That's what you get for leaving the EU.

(afaics, European Union has defined the max width as being 2.55m)

[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago

The article says the max in UK is 2.55 too.

[–] greyscale@lemmy.grey.ooo 2 points 1 day ago

Usually, Reality is the limiting factor that constrains this.

The Americans have a bit of a looser grip on this, and thus their cars belt(line) size.

[–] Tarambor@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Research carried out for Clean Cities shows that a 10cm increase in bonnet height from 80cm to 90cm results in a 27% greater chance of death for pedestrians run over.

Ironically the reason for the increase in bonnet height was actually EU safety regulations which required car makers to increase the gap between the bonnet. This was because when a pedestrian got hit and their head hit the bonnet there was very little gap between that and the solid engine underneath so their head was effectively hitting the solid engine. The idea of increasing the gap was that it allowed the bonnet to deform more, dissipating the energy and reducing the trauma the head experienced.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

I also doubt this, for two reasons. First, this would apply to all cars, and smaller cars seem to be following it just fine without having to increase the bonnet height to this level. Second, and this is more subjective, the bonnet height of SUVs seems to be mainly due to other factors, like their higher ground clearance, rather than EU safety regulations.

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I very much doubt this. If a pedestrian gets hit by an older fla car, his whole torso is above the bonnet and he will slide across it and perhaps hit the windshield, or fall off. Still high danger of serious injury, bit less dangerous than with a SUV.

I survived an accident exactly like that with a big bruise on the tight - as an eleven year old child. I doubt that I would have had any chance with one of these monster cars.

[–] Tango@piefed.ca 6 points 1 day ago

Are you saying that the increase from 80cm to 90cm is definitely the result of EU safety regulations? If I google the date on which the regulation you mention came into force, are you certain that I'm gonna find that EU bonnet sizes before that date were typically 80cm, and bonnet sizes after that date were typically 90cm? Bonnet size has definitely only increased as a result of EU regulation, and not as a result of EU regulation and increasing engine size?

I only ask because you didn't cite any sources so I don't wanna go to the trouble of doing all this research only to be told that I misunderstood you and that you meant something else.