Large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) Contributing to Traffic Congestion and Increased Road Hazards Compared to Passenger Cars

Large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) Contributing to Traffic Congestion and Increased Road Hazards Compared to Passenger Cars

Our beloved vehicles have ballooned in size over the years. For instance, the Ford F150 truck expanded an astounding 75cm in length, 20 cm in height, and 483 kg in weight between 1991 and 2025. And it's not just Ford that's getting bigger - the identical trend has swept across the automotive industry.

Today, large vehicles like SUVs and light truck vehicles (LTVs) reign supreme in vehicle sales. In the United States, 8 out of the top 10 passenger vehicles sold in 2025 were SUVs or LTVs. In New Zealand, the story was not much different; 9 of the top 2024 sellers were SUVs or LTVs, commonly referred to as 'utes' in the region. The worldwide dominance of SUVs made up a whopping 48% of new car sales in 2023, a significant increase from the 15% in 2010.

But bigger isn't always better, and these colossal vehicles come with a host of disadvantages.

The Environmental Hit

Picture this: a fleet of colossal, fuel-consuming vehicles negatively impacting the environment. Not a pretty sight, is it? Unfortunately, that's exactly what we're dealing with.

Road transport contributes approximately 15% of global CO emissions, and SUVs and LTVs contribute notably to these emissions. According to a report earlier this year by the BBC, "If ranked among countries, the global fleet of SUVs would be the world's fifth largest emitter of CO, exceeding the emissions of Japan and various other major economies." The International Energy Agency has also found that due to weighing 200-300 kg more, an SUV that runs on petrol or diesel emits 20% more CO than an average to medium-sized car. More SUVs on the road means more carbon footprint and a bleaker future for our planet.

Tire TRASH

SUVs and LTVs may not be entirely to blame for emissions, but the bigger they are, the more tires they wear down and produce particulate pollution. Tiny tire particles are known to find their way into our waterways, and the smallest ones can even become airborne, posing numerous threats to human health and the environment.

The Urban Pain

Let's set the environmental concerns aside, if we can, and take a look at the impact these oversized vehicles have on urban life.

Recent research papers from entirely different fields have reached an alarming conclusion: these large vehicles are having a damaging effect on urban life.

Clogging up Roadways

Traffic congestion is a known issue in many cities. A new study published in the journal Transportmetrica A attributes the increase in traffic congestion to the rise in the number of large vehicles like SUVs and LTVs on urban roads.

In a study of 25 years of traffic data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul freeway network, researchers found that the average network throughput decreased from approximately 1850 vehicles per lane per hour to about 1600 over the study period. At the same time, the number of SUVs on these freeways jumped almost tenfold, rising from 3.65% of all highway vehicles in 1995 to 30.8% in 2019.

The increased number of SUVs was the main factor in the reduction of throughput. Their physical size, greater weight, and the behavior of other road users contribute to road congestion.

Dangerous Excursions

In addition to the inconvenience of traffic congestion, SUVs and LTVs come with an increased risk of danger. While they offer the perception of increased safety for their occupants, they are actually more likely to roll over in any crash, leading to serious injuries for the passengers inside.

A new study from researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London found that SUVs and LTVs cause more severe injuries to pedestrians and cyclists in road traffic crashes than passenger cars.

Researchers carried out a meta-analysis of 24 studies representing over 682,000 real-world crash victims to find that victims struck by SUVs had a 44% higher risk of fatality in a crash than those hit by a passenger car. The risk was even higher for children, with a child struck by an SUV showing an 82% higher risk of death compared to a child struck by a passenger car.

Cutting the Carbon

Cities have started taking action to reduce the use of SUVs and LTVs, increasing parking charges for heavier cars, banning advertising for "high-carbon products" like SUVs, and even comparing them to today's tobacco.

But what about the regulatory side? In response to the growing trend of oversized trucks, the EPA has set more stringent emissions and fuel economy standards to reduce carbon pollution. However, meeting these targets will be challenging with the increasing popularity of larger vehicles.

In conclusion, the rising preference for SUVs and LTVs has environmental, traffic congestion, and safety implications that need to be addressed to maintain the long-term sustainability of our transportation systems.

1. The rise in colossal vehicles, such as SUVs and light truck vehicles (LTVs), is a concern for both the environment and urban life, with the worldwide dominance of SUVs accounting for 48% of new car sales in 2023.
2. In terms of their impact on the environment, SUVs and LTVs contribute significantly to emissions, with a global fleet of SUVs ranking among countries as the world's fifth largest emitter of CO, according to a BBC report.
3. Furthermore, larger vehicles, like SUVs and LTVs, wear down tires at a faster rate, leading to increased particulate pollution and potential threats to human health and the environment.
4. In urban settings, these oversized vehicles are contributing to traffic congestion, with study findings suggesting that the increase in the number of large vehicles is a primary cause of reduced network throughput on freeways.
5. The physical size, greater weight, and behavior of other road users associated with SUVs and LTVs are key factors leading to increased road congestion.
6. In addition, these vehicles come with an increased risk of danger, with SUVs and LTVs causing more severe injuries to pedestrians and cyclists in road traffic crashes than passenger cars.
7. Cities are taking action to reduce the use of SUVs and LTVs, and the EPA has set more stringent emissions and fuel economy standards for oversized trucks to help address the environmental, traffic congestion, and safety implications of these vehicles.

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