MPs have proposed new measures that would result in heavier vehicle owners, such as those with 4x4s and SUVs, facing larger fines. Pro-cycling MPs argue that larger vehicles should be considered an “aggravating factor” in serious accidents, potentially leading to stricter penalties for those involved. This could particularly affect owners of popular larger models like Land Rovers or Nissan Qashqai. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking has included this request in a new report.
The report states: “Passenger cars vary significantly in weight, so the aggravating factors should take this into account.” Courts have already been given guidance to acknowledge the increased responsibility of drivers operating heavy transport like HGVs. However, the MPs believe that the new regulations could go even further. According to CAR Magazine, there are reportedly over four million registered SUVs in the UK.
This policy is expected to face opposition from motorists, with activists already raising concerns. Claire Armstrong, spokesperson for the campaign group Safe Speed, doubts that it will have much impact. In an interview with The Telegraph, she said: “Driving a 4×4 does not make you a more dangerous motorist, and driving a smaller car doesn’t guarantee safety. It doesn’t make sense to suggest that causing a fatality with an SUV is worse than doing so with a motorbike.”
The MPs’ proposal comes more than a year after the introduction of a “hierarchy of road users” system in the Highway Code in January 2022. The Code now emphasizes that those road users most vulnerable in accidents should be given priority. Moreover, owners of larger vehicles, which have the potential to cause more harm, bear the greatest responsibility for safe driving. As stated in the Code: “Everyone is affected by road collisions, whether physically injured or not. However, those in control of vehicles that can pose the greatest danger in collisions bear the greatest responsibility to ensure the safety of others. This principle applies particularly to drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles, vans/minibuses, cars/taxis, and motorcycles.”
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