{"id":17634,"date":"2026-05-24T20:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T20:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/17634\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T20:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T20:14:22","slug":"major-issue-with-aussie-drivers-obsession-with-overgrown-utes-and-suvs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/17634\/","title":{"rendered":"Major issue with Aussie drivers’ obsession with ‘overgrown utes and SUVs’"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Australia\u2019s road death toll soars<\/a>, and pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly impacted<\/a>, a leading road safety campaigner has urged residents to reconsider whether oversized vehicles<\/a> are truly necessary in urban hubs.<\/p>\n

Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) chief executive, Dr Ingrid Johnston, spoke with Yahoo News Australia this week about what\u2019s needed to reduce road trauma across the country.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s road toll has now risen for five consecutive years, with fatalities increasing both in raw numbers and per capita rates.<\/p>\n

Reducing speed limits<\/a> and a renewed government commitment to a national road safety action plan<\/a> were among the measures she called for.<\/p>\n

But another issue that perhaps gets less attention is Australia\u2019s apparent reliance on large vehicles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the potential factors [contributing to the rise of pedestrian and cyclist trauma] is the rise in the size of vehicles \u2014 these overgrown utes and SUVs<\/a>, enormous RAM trucks and things that people are driving around now,\u201d Dr Johnston told Yahoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got so much more weight behind them, so if there is a collision, it\u2019s doing more physical damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re higher, which means there is a much bigger blind spot for the driver, including when turning corners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a road safety story? Contact joe.attanasio@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Left: A Ford ranger in a parking garage. Right: A Toyoto ute. <\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s obsession with oversized vehicles<\/p>\n

According to official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), SUVs and utes completely dominate the Australian market, accounting for over 83 per cent of all new vehicle sales.<\/p>\n

A consumer preference has pushed large models like the Ford Ranger to the top of the national sales charts.<\/p>\n

The FCAI reports that traditional passenger cars like sedans and hatchbacks are suffering a sharp structural decline as manufacturers pivot to meet this massive demand for larger vehicles.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

SUVs and utes completely dominate the Australian new car market, accounting for over 83 per cent of all new vehicle sales.<\/p>\n

Dr Johnston asked drivers to consider whether the jumbo-sized vehicles were absolutely essential, pointing to the harm they can cause in accidents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so much more damaging to anyone they might hit, be it a pedestrian, a cyclist or someone in a small vehicle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe highest demographic groups in which we\u2019re seeing the increase in trauma numbers are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where do big cars belong?<\/p>\n

Research shows that for every 10 new vehicles hitting Australian roads, roughly six are SUVs, two are utes, and barely more than one is a traditional sedan or hatchback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose [larger] vehicles have a role and a place, but we need to really consider what that is, and it\u2019s not dropping your kid at school and picking up a loaf of bread,\u201d Dr Johnston added.<\/p>\n

Some parents say that bigger cars provide more space for car seats, plus a larger boot for prams, bikes and pets.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/p>\n

But while they\u2019re often seen as safer, the reality is more complicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that everyone should just be in a bigger vehicle so we\u2019re all safer \u2014 that\u2019s a race to the bottom,\u201d Dr Johnston said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool pick-up is a really good example of where all of this stuff comes together.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got way too many kids being driven 600 metres to school because parents don\u2019t feel like it\u2019s safe to let the kids get themselves that very short distance to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why don\u2019t they think it\u2019s safe?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, because there are too many of these enormous vehicles there, and there\u2019s no safe, separated path for them to follow to get themselves to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calls for a national framework on road safety<\/p>\n

All of these things, Dr Johnston argued, come together to unite the problems facing Australia\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I mean about there being lots of reasons why we should be addressing this [with a national road safety action plan] \u2014 it makes a community so much more liveable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her comments come during National Road Safety Week,<\/a> a period used annually to promote safer driving behaviour.<\/p>\n

Dr Johnston warned that without an updated road safety action plan \u2014 with the last one having expired in 2025 \u2014 efforts to reduce road trauma risk would become fragmented, difficult to measure and enforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther countries can do this. We can too. We just need to take it more seriously,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe death rate \u2014 the number of fatalities per 100,000 people \u2014 has increased every year for the last five years as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is a real increase that we\u2019re seeing. It is not just about population growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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