Calls are growing for SUVs to be banned in German city-centres after a driver lost control and killed four pedestrians in Berlin.
The outcry has prompted a discussion in New Zealand about whether it's time to say goodbye to the large vehicles, but Kiwis don't seem convinced.
A Reddit user posted a link to an article about Germans calling for the popular car to be banned with the caption: Should NZ follow Germany's lead and look to ban SUVs from cities?
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While the ban ruffled some feathers, many people were in support, with one user calling the popular car "obnoxiously large", and questioning whether it was really needed for the "grocery run".
Another said SUVs posed a visibility issue when at intersections and should be banned to avoid unnecessary accidents.
"It'll never happen in NZ, but I'd love it. The number of times I've pulled up to an intersection to turn left and not been able to see past the f**king behemoth beside me, and had to sit there while they wait for a gap and get out of my way so I can see the road is clear."
Another person supported the ban, but said it should also include utes, vans and trucks.
One user said they should be banned because they aren't really needed and only purchased "as a status symbol" and so people "feel safer".
However, not everyone supported the proposed ban, with one Christchurch local saying he needed an SUV to drive on the roads that had been damaged in the earthquakes.
"If you live in Christchurch, an SUV is necessary for driving on the, still f**ked after eight years, roads damaged by the earthquakes."
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Another Kiwi said the ban simply wasn't realistic given the country's rural population.
"I really can't believe people are seriously discussing this like it has merit. What happens when a farmer wants to go into town to load up his ute with something? Too bad get f**ked?
"How would anyone tow boats through or out of cities? What about the various government departments that use utes or SUVs as work vehicles? The cops, DOC (Department of Conservation) and the Defence Force all have utes of some kind."
One user opposed the idea because they felt it was unethical to ban them as it would take away free choice.
Calls for a ban in German cities took off in Septemeber after an SUV driver lost control of their car and killed four pedestrians in Berlin. Among the dead were a 3-year-old boy, his 64-year-old grandmother and two men in their 20s.
The death led to public outcry with politicians and residents calling for a ban on the cars.
Deputy leader of the German Green party Oliver Krischer called for size limits on SUVs that were allowed into cities, according to the Guardian.
Transport and climate change campaigner at Greenpeace Benjamin Stephan told the Guardian Berlin residents were angry about the cars.
"It was no longer a theoretical danger, people were being killed. There was a public outcry. It didn't come from nowhere, people are upset about these cars," he told the Guardian.
AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Newshub an SUV ban hasn't been raised with them.
He said if it was seriously looked at it would require "a lot of thinking through about how it could be done, the practicalities involved and what impacts it would have".
Newshub.
