Road safety campaigners have voiced concern over the rising height of vehicles, with research showing that the average bonnet height of new cars is rising by 1cm every single year.
The news comes following a rise in road traffic incidents in the last 12 months and a rise in average passenger vehicle size is being looked at as a potential contributing factor.
It’s not that the vehicles necessarily cause incidents themselves, it’s the fear that larger vehicles can cause more damage when in an incident, and with the average vehicle size rising, that could be a contributing factor to more serious incidents on the road.
Is The Rising Size Of Vehicles A Road Safety Concern?
Concerns over issues caused by an increase in the average size of vehicles isn’t particularly new.
Because if you’ve ever found yourself in a multi-storey car park, wondering why all the corners feel so tight and the bays feel so small, you’re not alone.
Because a study found that over the years, cars have gradually grown by around 1cm every couple of years… all of which means that today, most cars barely fit into parking bays that were first drawn more than 30 years ago.
Drivers have even admitted to having climbed out of windows or even the boot to exit their vehicle having squeezed into a tight spot.
But with the rise in vehicle size accelerating and the SUV becoming the family car of choice rather than a hatchback or a saloon, we’re seeing more and more ‘taller’ cars on the road.
One issue found in road safety testing was that drivers in the highest fronted vehicles were unable to see a nine year old child standing directly in front of their vehicle, an issue that drivers of lower vehicles such as hatchbacks don’t face.
Bonnets in new vehicles in 2024 were 83.8cm tall on average, which has risen significantly since 2010, where the average height was 76.9cm.
That coupled with a rise in SUV sales from 12% of the total market share in Europe in 2010 to 56% in 2024 shows a trend that’s unlikely to go away quickly.
Do New Road Safety Laws Need To Limit Vehicle Bonnet Height?
Under both European and UK rules, there are currently no laws limiting vehicle manufacturers on the maximum height of the bonnet on their vehicles.
Some road safety campaigners are calling for a restriction on the total height, while others are asking for more research to be conducted to see whether additional safety mechanisms could hold the key to future vehicle safety.
With change already on the horizon with both the switch to electric vehicles and the potential introduction of autonomous vehicles to the UK in 2027, the government have a clear opportunity to improve road safety for all at the same time.
In what will be the biggest changes to the way we drive in decades, do you think more needs to be made of road safety when it comes to road users and vehicle configuration? Let us know…
