Why do they call it rush hour, when nothing moves? - Robin Williams
Laissez-faire allows people to buy oversized cars, even when they damage roads, and produce a high social cost.
Remember that speed is a key factor in determining the risk profile of a vehicle. New car buyers have tended to buy a heavier SUV, which give a lower horsepower to weight ratio, hence a lower risk category. With the increase in EVs, DVLA considers speed by kilowatts to weight, not that it makes any difference because a heavier EV will have a lower killowatt to weight ratio, than a lighter EV with the same engine.
This makes it an attractive option for environmentally conscious consumers in the UK. How does it compare to other EVS?
Heavier EVs tend to have a lower kilowatt to weight ratio, which can affect their classification by the DVLA and insurance companies. In fact:
The UK ranks below European average for road condition. Key issues include:
Europe's best roads are found in countries with fewer cars per household, lower vehicle weights and higher public transport use.
In the UK, road damage is a significant concern, particularly with the increasing prevalence of heavier vehicles like SUVs.
Countries with the best roads have lighter, smaller cars, fewer SUVs, and stronger public transport. The UK has gone the opposite direction: SUV proliferation, heavier EVs, and narrow Victorian‑era roads.
The UK could dramatically improve road quality by:
Make infrastructure a visible, long-term national mission.
This page gleans data from The National Travel Survey and relevant statistics , which were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in September 2018. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’.
