Whatcar.com users back 4x4s

17 October 2005

BMJ report slated off-roaders
53% say no health warnings for 4x4s
43% back warnings, 4% undecided

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Off-roaders shouldn’t have to carry health warnings for the danger they may pose to pedestrians, say whatcar.com users.

We asked whether you agreed with researchers from Trinity College in Dublin that 4x4s should carry warnings because of the added risk they might present to pedestrians.

We received hundreds of votes in our poll and you put your backing behind off-roaders – but only just.

In all, 53% of you said they shouldn't have to carry health warnings, while 43% thought they should. The jury's still out with the rest of the voters.

The British Medical Journal claimed the extra height of 4x4s made them more dangerous to pedestrians. ‘If you hit a pedestrian with a 4x4 you increase their chance of dying by two to four times,’ said Desmond O’Neill, co-author of the report.

The study was rubbished by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: 'The researchers appear to have taken a well trodden but misleading path, using American crash test data that is entirely irrelevant to the European market.

‘The fact is that the vast majority of 4x4s sold here are cars, not light trucks, and their safety for occupants and pedestrians is improving all the time.’

The SMMT also points to the latest road accident statistics from the Department for Transport, which show a 35% drop in pedestrian deaths between 1995 and 2004. Sales of 4x4s have more than doubled during the same period.