France has had the guts to crack down on SUV drivers. Why doesn’t Britain?

The article combines some silly biased observations with hyperbole. "Guts to crack down on" means higher parking fees for bigger vehicles. Personally I (as an unapologetic large SUV driver) think that's fine, although it's really just a regressive tax on poor people. The person with the G-Wagon doesn't care that they have to pay a few $ extra. And now someone that dared to have more than two kids and needs a bigger vehicle won't be able to afford coming into town.

I was expecting more than increased parking charges.<p>The high seating position makes people feel superior and that&#x27;s all you need to know. Welcome to the UK.

Toronto&#x27;s Rosedale is a wealthy older inner city neighborhood with mansions and narrow streets populated with SUVs. The trophy wives who typically drive them generally lack the skill to safely maneuver them in tight spaces.<p>SUVs and other large dimension vehicles should require a higher class of license and training to drive in urban areas, same as truck drivers.<p>North America would do well to mandate the same pedestrian protection measures as Europe.

Yes, I&#x27;m an SUV driver. And after decades of denigrating SUV drivers, I find myself being one of them.<p>For myself, I prefer a small, manoeuvrable car. One of my favorite cars in my lifetime was a Leyland Mini (about 1973 vintage).<p>Why would I purposely pick a huge monstrosity with an absolutely maddeningly large turning-circle? It&#x27;s my wife&#x27;s mobility scooter. An SUV is large enough to contain that mobility scooter without its parts overflowing to most of the back seat, and turning a 5-passenger car into a 2-passenger car.<p>What I would prefer to own: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.ytimg.com&#x2F;vi&#x2F;eGNz5rloqi0&#x2F;sddefault.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.ytimg.com&#x2F;vi&#x2F;eGNz5rloqi0&#x2F;sddefault.jpg</a><p>What I am forced to own: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;media.torque.com.sg&#x2F;public&#x2F;2016&#x2F;05&#x2F;mercedes-benz-glc250-1.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;media.torque.com.sg&#x2F;public&#x2F;2016&#x2F;05&#x2F;mercedes-benz-glc...</a>

The high seating position has pros and cons but there have been a couple close calls since I&#x27;ve started driving a SUV. I used to do things old school when reversing and turn my whole upper body to look out the rear window but it&#x27;s next to useless in my car. Now I have a wide angle rear camera right above the license plate that has saved me a couple times from hitting my neighbor and her stroller.<p>I truly believe in urban environments it would be useful to have a wide angle front cam - even just for intersections and crosswalks when stopped.