Tax SUV drivers more to pay for potholes, say campaigners

SUV drivers should be taxed more to pay for potholes, campaigners have said.

Clean Cities, a European lobby group, said that drivers of ‘supersized’ vehicles should have to pay more tax because they also endanger pedestrians and cyclists.

They added that since 2021, 4.6 million cars bigger than a typical parking space have been sold in the UK.

These larger cars – defined as being either more than 1.8m wide or 4.8m long – have surged in popularity despite concerns over their safety.

Last year, a record more than 1.2 million of vehicles wider than 1.8m were sold.

The campaign group are calling for vehicle excise duty to be altered in favour of lighter, smaller cars which are less dangerous, and they suggested parking should be more expensive for SUVs.

Oliver Lord, the UK head of the Clean Cities Campaign, said: “Cars are getting bigger every year, while our streets are not.

“We need carmakers to prioritise normal-sized cars that can be parked more easily and are less dangerous to people walking around.

“It’s only fair if you want to buy a massive SUV that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up.”

Increase in fatal collisions

Recent figures from the Department for Transport suggested the number of fatal collisions would increase if the weight of cars continues to rise.

Ruth Carlson, a civil engineer who examined a number of collisions between pedestrians, cyclists and various car models, concluded: “As car weight increases, the number of fatal collisions rises.

“Lighter cars (500-1000kg) have the lowest fatal collision rates per million cars across all collision types, indicating a lower relative risk compared to heavier cars.”

In July 2023, a Land Rover crashed into a school in Wimbledon and killed two young girls after ploughing through a perimeter fence.