Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A TD has called for “SUV-free zones” following a new study that revealed children are 82 per cent more likely to die if they are hit by an SUV than by a regular car. Pedestrians and cyclists are 44 per cent more likely to die if they are hit by an SUV or similar-sized vehicle rather than a traditional car, a study has found. The figure rises to 82 per cent for children, the analysis, produced by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London, showed. Researchers gathered data from over 680,000 road collisions over the past 35 years. They compared the severity of injuries suffered by pedestrians or cyclists struck by standard cars with light truck vehicles, which include SUVs, small vans and pick-up trucks. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy stated that the statistics would be “alarming” for parents, as he called for action on large vehicles. He said: “These massive vehicles are getting bigger and more dangerous. Many of them are built more like trucks than cars, and meant for off-road use, not driving around quiet estates, or past busy schools. “We have some monster vehicles now that are simply not built for our city streets and parking spaces. When used in inappropriate areas, such as urban environments, they can cause damage to our roads, frustration to people parking and endanger people walking and cycling. “We need to do something to tackle this increased risk to our kids. Almost two decades ago, important protections were brought in to stop trucks and HGVs from using roads that they were not suitable [for]. “We need to consider similar steps here, with SUV-free zones, to make sure very large and very dangerous vehicles are kept to appropriate roads and uses. “Not only could [it] make our communities safer and reduce road deaths, it would also make our air cleaner and reduce pollution.” Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.