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Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
SUVs with high bonnets ‘clear threat' to pedestrians, study finds
The height of Irish car bonnets is increasing every year, putting pedestrians' lives at risk, a new study has found. The report by Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels based advocacy group on sustainable transport, found that the average bonnet height of newly-sold cars in Ireland rose from 77.38cm in 2011 to 83.67cm in 2024. Ireland is 'very similar to the European average', which stood at 83.8cm in 2024, a representative from T&E said. When bonnet heights rise from 80cm to 90cm, it raises the risk of death by 27 per cent for road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, the report states, citing 2023 data from a Belgian road safety institute . READ MORE T&E also commissioned tests from Loughborough University in the UK to examine the risks to children from SUVs with high bonnets. It found that a driver of a Land Rover Defender is not able to see a child aged up to 4½, based on average height, at the front of the vehicle. High bonnets also compromise a driver's vision at junctions, which can increase crashes, particularly when turning, the study found. It describes the rising heights as a 'clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children'. Asked about the findings, the director of Ireland's Medical Bureau of Road Safety Denis Cusack said that, while he had yet to consider the report, he was aware of the dangers that vehicles with high bonnets can have. He stressed the importance of having maximum speed limits in residential areas, saying that 'if children are out playing, the driver's up higher, so they've got to be very careful'. [ Sorry, kids. We blew your climate budget - but we really love our SUVs Opens in new window ] Dr Cusack said 'unlike an adult, who may end up being hit somewhere on the leg', a child 'could end up being hit, depending on their height, on the abdomen, the tummy, the chest, or even the head'. T&E has called on European lawmakers to cap bonnet heights by 2035. They are recommending a maximum height of 85cm for bonnets on new cars from 2035, subject to further study. There is no legal limit to bonnet heights in Europe. The organisation has also called on national governments to put higher vehicle and road taxes on bigger cars.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Drivers urged to take extra care ahead of bank holiday weekend
The RSA has advised drivers to take extra care on the roads this weekend, saying bank holidays are usually high-risk periods for collisions. It also called for a "zero tolerance culture" towards drug driving as it launched a campaign aimed at dissuading the action ahead of the bank holiday weekend. The Road Safety Authority said its initiative "puts a spotlight on the serious and life-altering consequences of driving under the influence of drugs". This, it warned, includes "loss of employment, restrictions on international travel, and the impact on personal relationships". The campaign "aims to correct public misconceptions and raise awareness, especially among young people, about the reality and risks of drug-driving", the RSA said. Its Chief Executive Sam Waide said the initiative "is about more than law enforcement, it's about changing mindsets". "Drug driving is a hidden but deadly threat on our roads," he added. The Medical Bureau of Road Safety said it received 4,348 specimens for drug analysis last year - a 12% increase on 2023. "In 73% of positive drug results, the drivers were under 44 years of age and the majority were male," it said, adding "cannabis and cocaine were the top two drugs found". But Director of the bureau Professor Denis Cusack said it is "essential" that people continue taking doctor-prescribed or pharmacist-advised medications. Chief Superintendent of the Garda National Road Traffic Bureau Jane Humphries said for the first quarter of this year, 814 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. An Garda Síochána's Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement said gardaí are "encountering an increased number of people failing roadside drug tests". Since January 2024, Paula Hilman said half of those detected "were aged under 30". The launch of the RSA's campaign coincides with the May Bank Holiday Road Safety Appeal - a joint initiative by the authority and An Garda Síochána. The appeal urges drivers "to slow down, avoid driving under the influence, and to keep mobile phones out of reach while on the road".
