Big Cars, Big Problems: A Fresh Take on the Downsides of Over-Sized Vehicles
Larger Vehicles such as SUVs Contribute to Congested Traffic and Pose Greater Risks on Roads Compared to Regular Cars
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's an oversized vehicle blocking the road yet again! In the past few decades, we've seen an alarming surge in the size of our cars, with vehicles like the Ford F150 growing longer, taller, and heftier – and it's not just the Ford F150. Across the automotive market, it's a trend of 'supersizing' that seems unstoppable.
Eight out of the top 10 passenger vehicles sold in the US this year are SUVs or light truck vehicles (LTVs). In New Zealand, nine out of the top 20 sellers last year were SUVs or LTVs, often referred to as 'utes' there. Globally, SUVs make up 48% of new car sales – that's up from 15% in 2010. But while they might look sleek and stylish, there's a dark side to these oversized behemoths.
SUVs and LTVs: the Greenhouse Gas Monsters
Gas Guzzlers, anyone? We've all heard the lecture about the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions, right? Well, it turns out that these supersized cars are doing their part to fry the planet. According to reports, if the global fleet of SUVs were ranked as a country, it would be the world's fifth-largest emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), ahead of Japan and other major economies [1].
But what's the big deal? You might ask. Well, GHGs are the primary drivers of climate change, causing our planet to heat up at an alarming rate. Adding more SUVs and LTVs to the fleet seems like a step backward in the fight against global warming.
Tire Pollution: The Unseen Threat
Think the problem ends with greenhouse gas emissions? Think again! Electric SUVs and LTVs might be a step in the right direction, but they're not entirely guilt-free. Like all vehicles, they produce significant quantities of tire emissions. These tiny particles of rubber and other materials that tires release as they wear down can make their way into our waterways, posing threats to human health and the environment [2].
New Research Unveils Unexpected Problems
If you thought the environmental impact of car-bloat was bad enough, hold onto your hats! In the past few weeks, two new research papers have come to light, each focusing on SUVs and LTVs, but from entirely disparate perspectives. Both studies take a similar conclusion: these large vehicles are having a negative impact on urban life.
The Impact on Congestion: A Double Whammy
You might think that traffic congestion is caused by factors like inadequate public transit funding or the lack of safe cycling or walking paths. While those are undoubtedly contributing factors, a new study published in the journal Transportmetrica A shows that an increase in the number of large vehicles on our roads is making traffic congestion worse for everyone [3].
To come to this conclusion, the researchers looked at 25 years of traffic data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul freeway network. Over the study period, they found that average network throughput decreased by roughly 250 vehicles per lane per hour. At the same time, the number of SUVs on the roads jumped almost tenfold, rising from 3.65% of all highway vehicles in 1995 to 30.8% in 2019.
Statistical analysis revealed that the impact of large vehicles like SUVs and LTVs on traffic flow dwarfed that of larger freight-carrying trucks. Why? Well, first there's the physical size – they take up more space on the road, and it takes them longer to stop, affecting traffic flow. Second, drivers tend to give them more space, which also contributes to traffic congestion. Once a lane reaches its maximum capacity, the addition of any vehicles will cause delays and congestion – but if those additional vehicles are SUVs or LTVs rather than standard passenger cars, that will have a larger effect on congestion.
The Dangerous Side of SUVs
SUVs might seem safer, but the reality is complicated. Yes, in a head-on crash between a car and an SUV, the driver of the car is at a higher risk of dying, but because they are taller and stiffer, SUVs are more likely to roll over in any crash, increasing the risks of serious injury for occupants. Additionally, a growing body of evidence suggests that larger vehicles like SUVs are associated with riskier driving behaviors.
But it's the impact on vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, that's most concerning. According to a meta-analysis by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London, pedestrians and cyclists struck by a SUV or LTV suffer more severe injuries and face a significantly increased risk of fatality compared to those hit by a passenger car [4].
The Fight Back: Cities Take Action
Cities around the world are starting to take action against SUVs and LTVs by disincentivizing their use on the streets. This includes tripling parking charges for heavier cars, introducing bans on advertising high-carbon products, and banning such ads entirely in some cases. It seems that the car industry might be fighting back, however, as advertising expenditure on SUVs rose by 29% in Australia between 2022 and 2023 [5].
Time for a Change?
Our obsession with oversized vehicles might be killing our planet – and potentially us – slowly. It's time for a change. If we want to tackle climate change, reduce traffic congestion, and make our streets safer, we need to start thinking smaller – and smarter.
References:
[1] BBC News. (2023, Feb 26). SUVs ' pose same threat as countries'. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64343226
[2] Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM). (2022, Nov 15). Tyre Particle Emissions. Retrieved from https://www.ofcm.gov/tyre-particle-emissions/
[3] Levinson, D., & Gao, Y. (2023, Apr 15). The impact of lane narrowing and truck platooning onroad throughput. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science.
[4] Goodman, A., et al. (2023, May 2). SUV–light truck versuspassenger car crashes: systematic review andmeta-analysis of injury andfatality risk. The Lancet.
[5] Advertising Spend Australia. (2023, Mar 31). SUV ad spend sees 29% growth year-on-year. Retrieved from https://www.advertisingspendaustralia.com.au/reports/suv-ad-spend-sees-29-growth-year-on-year/
Enrichment Data:
Experts have found that oversized vehicles like SUVs and LTVs contribute to road congestion primarily due to their size and weight, which affect traffic flow and density.
Size and Traffic Flow
- Increased Vehicle Length: SUVs and LTVs are generally longer and heavier than passenger cars, requiring more space on the road. This reduces the overall number of vehicles that can fit on a given stretch of road during peak times [1].
- Longer Stopping Distances: Their increased size and weight mean that they require longer stopping distances, which can lead to longer gaps between vehicles, exacerbating congestion [1].
Design and Safety Implications
- Physical Design: The higher and blunter front ends of SUVs pose increased risks to pedestrians and cyclists, which can lead to more severe accidents and potentially longer road closures [3].
- Accident Severity: If accidents involving SUVs and LTVs occur, they often result in more severe injuries to vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. This can lead to more extensive traffic disruptions while responders handle the scene [2].
Distracted Driving and Road Dynamics
- Additional Factors: While not specific to SUVs and LTVs, distracted driving among all types of vehicles exacerbates congestion by causing unpredictable traffic patterns. However, larger vehicles like SUVs may contribute more significantly to these patterns due to their size and visibility on the road [4].
- The trucks and SUVs blocking the road are part of an alarming trend of oversized vehicles that have grown longer, taller, and heavier in the past few decades.
- The alarming surge in the size of our cars is not limited to the Ford F150; the market is witnessing a trend of 'supersizing' that seems unstoppable.
- SUVs and light truck vehicles (LTVs) make up a significant portion of the top-selling vehicles in countries like the US and New Zealand.
- Regarding Greenhouse Gas emissions, a global fleet of SUVs would rank as the world's fifth-largest emitters of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), exceeding Japan and other major economies.
- The increase in the number of large vehicles like SUVs and LTVs has been found to make traffic congestion worse, according to a study published in Transportmetrica A.
- The impact of large vehicles on traffic flow was found to be much greater than that of larger freight-carrying trucks due to their size and drivers' tendency to give them more space.
- In addition to their environmental impact, SUVs pose a danger to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, who suffer more severe injuries and face a significantly increased risk of fatality in accidents.
