Britain’s cars and SUVs are growing bigger – but there is a way to stop this deadly ‘carspreading’

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.