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There may be sound environmental reasons for restricting SUVs in city centres, but all types of motor vehicles are just as capable of harming pedestrians if mis

There may be sound environmental reasons for restricting SUVs in city centres, but all types of motor vehicles are just as capable of harming pedestrians if misused, driven carelessly, or the driver suffers a medical event. This could just have easily been a garbage truck, delivery van, taxi, or private car and the result would have been the same. The solution that will really improve safety is advanced AEB (autonomous emergency braking) which can detect pedestrians and cyclists, lane departure, etc and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision or reduce its severity.

lawlessone 7y ago
>This could just have easily been a garbage truck, delivery van, taxi, or private car and the result would have been the same. If i had to be hit by a vehicle i would rather get hit by mini than hit by a bin truck, i don't know about you?
- tyingq 7y ago
  If you mean as a pedestrian, lots of variables there, so who knows? The bin truck has more room underneath it.
  - Reason077 7y ago
    Trucks in Europe are designed to prevent things going under the truck, with mandatory under-run protection bars. You definitely would not want to end up underneath one! There was a similar tragic incident in Glasgow in 2014 involving a bin truck, where the driver suffered a seizure. Several pedestrians killed and many injured.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- chooseaname 7y ago
  If I get hit by a mini and suffer a few broken bones, then, yeah. But if I get hit by a mini and live in a coma, then no.
t34543 7y ago
I don’t think it’s practical to depend on electronic braking mechanisms. Better to install bollards protecting sidewalks.
IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago
A bottle over the head is just as capable of killing as a nuclear bomb, at least according to your logic. Yet everyone has rather clear preferences when confronted with that choice. You're twice a likely to die when hit by an SUV than average, according to the statistics being quoted here in Germany. Cutting pedestrian casualties in half is about 30 years worth' of other technological progress we've made. And unlike pie-in-the-sky technology, it is an actual, current, option. So let's ban them until such a silver-bullet (plus electric propulsion) are available. If the technology is so obvious, it's just a short hiatus and won't even inconvenience anybody for too long.
odiroot 7y ago
> There may be sound environmental reasons for restricting SUVs in city centres, but all types of motor vehicles are just as capable of harming pedestrians if misused, Yes, indeed. Berlin taxis are in no way big SUVs but are probably the most dangerous vehicles I deal with every day. Some of the drivers seem to have a particular beef with cyclists and scooter drivers (sub-50cc scooters are very popular in here). I had multiple situations where I needed to run away because a taxi driver tried to ram me.

lawlessone 7y ago

>This could just have easily been a garbage truck, delivery van, taxi, or private car and the result would have been the same. If i had to be hit by a vehicle i would rather get hit by mini than hit by a bin truck, i don't know about you?

tyingq 7y ago
If you mean as a pedestrian, lots of variables there, so who knows? The bin truck has more room underneath it.
- Reason077 7y ago
  Trucks in Europe are designed to prevent things going under the truck, with mandatory under-run protection bars. You definitely would not want to end up underneath one! There was a similar tragic incident in Glasgow in 2014 involving a bin truck, where the driver suffered a seizure. Several pedestrians killed and many injured.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
chooseaname 7y ago
If I get hit by a mini and suffer a few broken bones, then, yeah. But if I get hit by a mini and live in a coma, then no.

t34543 7y ago

I don’t think it’s practical to depend on electronic braking mechanisms. Better to install bollards protecting sidewalks.

IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago

A bottle over the head is just as capable of killing as a nuclear bomb, at least according to your logic. Yet everyone has rather clear preferences when confronted with that choice. You're twice a likely to die when hit by an SUV than average, according to the statistics being quoted here in Germany. Cutting pedestrian casualties in half is about 30 years worth' of other technological progress we've made. And unlike pie-in-the-sky technology, it is an actual, current, option. So let's ban them until such a silver-bullet (plus electric propulsion) are available. If the technology is so obvious, it's just a short hiatus and won't even inconvenience anybody for too long.

odiroot 7y ago

> There may be sound environmental reasons for restricting SUVs in city centres, but all types of motor vehicles are just as capable of harming pedestrians if misused, Yes, indeed. Berlin taxis are in no way big SUVs but are probably the most dangerous vehicles I deal with every day. Some of the drivers seem to have a particular beef with cyclists and scooter drivers (sub-50cc scooters are very popular in here). I had multiple situations where I needed to run away because a taxi driver tried to ram me.