Cardiff Mum, whose son was hit by car, calls for measures to tackle SUVs
Helen Edwards is calling for the council to “introduce fairer parking charges based on the size of the car to reduce congestion and road danger"
The mother of a teenage boy hit by a car outside their family home in Cardiff is calling for new measures to tackle SUVs in the city.
Helen Edwards presented a petition signed by over 250 residents at a Cardiff council meeting which calls for the council to “introduce fairer parking charges based on the size of the car to reduce congestion and road danger”.
The petition warns that: “the higher the vehicle front the more likely a person will be knocked under the car, rather than pushed to the side. And the risk to children is particularly stark.”
Helen told councillors at the meeting, “my young teenage son was hit by a car last year. We live on a very busy residential road. And my neighbour knocks on my front door to say my son is lying in the road.
"Our children don't enjoy the freedom our parents and grandparents enjoyed."
“In the hospital, the first thing the doctor wanted to know is what size car he was hit by. Our children don't enjoy the freedom our parents and grandparents enjoyed. Children have to navigate dangerous, congested, overcrowded roads, which are becoming dominated by large vehicles.”
Evidence by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine shows that children are three times more likely to be killed in a collision with an SUV than a regular car.
Helen Edwards continued:
“As a parent it’s your worst nightmare to come out of your house and see your child lying in the road. The wait to find out if his internal organs were damaged was painstaking – we felt completely helpless.”
Helen's son has since made a full recovery, but she says the emotional toll has been significant for all the family.
"Everyone’s lives could have been ruined.”
“I feel so lucky he walked away, but that’s because it was an average-sized car. If it had been a bigger car, or going faster – it horrifies me to think it could have happened. Everyone’s lives could have been ruined.”
Clean Cities are one of the founder members of The SUV Alliance, a campaign made up of a coalition of 19 environmental and transport groups.
Oliver Lord, UK Head of Clean Cities, said:
“Families in Cardiff should not have to live in fear of their children being hit by oversized cars on their own streets.
"The evidence is clear – SUVs are more dangerous for people outside the car, take up more space, and pollute more.
"Councils like Cardiff have the power to act by introducing fairer parking charges that reflect the true cost of these vehicles. By doing so, we can reduce road danger, free up space, and make our cities safer and healthier for everyone.””
Clean Cities say around 62% of all new cars sold in the UK are now SUVs and since 2021, around 4.6 million 'oversized car's have been sold in the UK.
Cardiff Council say:
"The Cabinet report which outlines all the proposals for the new city parking plan, including an increased price to park SUVs will be scrutinised by politicians on October 9th, with the report debated at Cabinet on October 16th".