Why do people drive unnecessarily large cars (AKA "SUVS")?

sometimes when you are in a hole its better to stop digging.

If the thread is really spluttering towards the finish line as you both suggest I'd like to add an item to the summary.

6 (a) IMO it's very unlikely that any poster has been influenced in their choice of vehicle by the discussion.

This thread has it all. I was particularly bemused by the "Ford Danger" posts - bit like people who refer to Sky TV as $ky or Sly because they think they're too expensive (hint: just don't get it then!)

The size of the vehicle isn't the issue. It's the competency of the driver. For all the PT fans, look at how many double deck buses roam Dublin's busy streets and suburbs among pedestrians, other vehicles and cyclists without issues. That's driver skill, training and ability.

Similarly a "big" car or SUV isn't a problem in the hands of a competent driver. It's that latter point that can be the danger, not the former.

Some people here would want to burn me at the stake reading this thread - big 3L diesel, wide/long (by Irish standards) car (Audi A7) and I have no intention of trading it for an electric hatchback anytime soon. If anything, the next vehicle I buy will probably be one of these:

Audi A8 - another 3L diesel even bigger than my current car!!

or…

Audi Q7. I'm getting on and SUV's do make more sense when the back starts to give trouble. Still, it also fits the "panzer tank" nonsense I saw earlier in the thread too being a German brand!

Anyway.. all that and jokes aside, choice is good and it strikes me that most of the arguments against on this thread are based on ideology, good ole Irish envy/begrudgery or just contrarianism. Thankfully people still have the choice to buy whatever (size) car they like - or none at all! - and that's a Very Good Thing.

The bigger focus should be on driving standards (test times are again getting to ridiculous levels) and councils recognising that cars (even "big cars!") are here to stay for the forseeable and plan accordingly, especially as so many people are being dragged back into offices (unnecessarily in many cases IMO) which is adding to traffic volumes and public transport isn't always a viable alternative for many of these - especially if commuting from a county or two away as many are nowadays!

Personally though, I can't wait for my next big German Bus to arrive! 😁

No, I'm not suggesting a seperate "SUV test" at all! As per my post, we (again!) aren't even testing regular drivers efficiently right now.

You've hit on my point in your third line though. Bad drivers are bad drivers, regardless of the size of car.

I was coming around (as in a full 180) a motorway overpass roundabout yesterday and in the left lane beside me was an old woman in a hatchback who went the whole way around in the left lane. That's not just bad driving, that's dangerous for those of us who DO drive in the correct lanes in those scenarios. Nothing to do with the size/type of her car though!

Again, that "if" is carrying a lot of weight. Three questions come to mind.

1. Do you have practical Irish data for SUVs? For example, we have all-vehicle fatality statistics, and in this country they're about 3 per billion vehicle-kilometres. Do specific Irish data of this kind for SUVs or just theoretical claims?
2. Where do you draw the line? If you can't show a line between the vehicles you're waging a holy war against vs the ones you're not (realistically against their drivers) then the question must be considered to be insidious, that the campaign against SUVs is just the thin end of a thickening wedge. Andy proved this point by banging on about one random light motorcycle being heavier than another random light motorcycle.
3. Does the "inanimate objects are inherently dangerous" argument apply to other things, e.g. main roads that could be upgraded to motorways? The same arguments that could be made about SUVs could more aptly be made about all-purpose single carriageways, indeed much more aptly considering how Ireland's road safety statistics improved dramatically alongside the motorway building programme of the early 2000s.