Ireland has SUV problem, says Cuffe

Dublin Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe says Irish consumers should be more aware of the danger of SUVs, after the Financial Times revealed that Irish SUV sales are far outpacingequivalent sales in other EU nations.

The data, provided by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association to the Financial Times, shows that Irish SUV sales were 13% above the EU average in 2022, and two in three cars sold in Ireland were SUVs.

Banning or taxing SUVs has become a policy issue for environmentally aware parties, and a statement from Cuffe’s office noted that global CO2 emissions by SUVs are nearing 1 billion tonnes, according to the International Energy Agency.

Cuffe said “SUVs are frying the planet, and their continued growth has so far cancelled out any gains we have made from rising EV sales.”

“Higher taxes and duties are tempering demand, but we now need to ban the wall-to-wall advertising for such vehicles, as well as restrict their access to town and city centres.”

“Particularly in urban contexts, big and heavy vehicles like SUVs are unnecessary: they are stationary for most of their lifetime and only used for very short trips. They make little to no sense from an environmental, economic, or public space perspective,” he said.

He also emphasised the impact of SUVs as far as road safety is concerned.

“More powerful, heavier vehicles like SUVs are much more likely to cause serious injury or fatalities than lighter cars. In other European cities, SUV drivers face higher fines for traffic violations because they are more dangerous for vulnerable road users. Introducing a similar measure in Ireland has potential,” he noted.

Cuffe, who was recently re-selected by the Greens to be their Dublin candidate for Europe next June, claimed that “the Green Party in government are investing heavily in public transport, particularly in rural areas, and fares are coming down dramatically. We will continue to promote alternatives to dangerous, gas-guzzling monster trucks.”