Kirklees Trader Local Portal

4 x 4 vehicles were intended for off road/agricultural use, they have little place on the streets of our towns and city’s. Even Jeremy Clarkson said, "I do have to say that the drivers of these things in cities must be clinically insane"

Many people buy these as status symbols and to use them for the school run, which is just plain stupid. The height of the vehicle makes it harder for the driver to see children and ensures that if a child is struck, it is the upper body and head that takes the blow that often results in death.

The other great danger is the inexperience of the driver unused to such large vehicles. Many people choose a 4x4 in the belief that their tall, boxy design is a magic formula for passenger safety, and the motor industry gives the impression that they are much safer than other cars. However, neither crash tests nor the real-life safety record of 4x4s supports this.

Four-wheel drive gives you better traction in snow or deep mud, and that's about it. It does not make your car safer, more manoeuvrable, or enable you to stop any quicker.

Data at www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk show that it costs around £100 more per month in petrol costs alone to run a 4-litre Range Rover compared with a 2-litre estate car.

Currently road tax stops increasing at just 225 g/km of carbon dioxide, so drivers of smaller cars are effectively subsidising the 4x4 drivers.

Two-thirds of people support higher taxes for 4x4s and British insurance companies admit that 4x4 drivers are not yet charged premiums that reflect the cost of their claims, so the bottom line could get even worse.

As well as actually being dangerous, 4x4s really look the part. Their aggressive styling and size intimidates other road users, such as drivers of small cars, cyclists and pedestrians. Britain is not a militarised zone and we don't want it to look like one.