Activists from “Tyre Extinguishers” deflated the tires of 194 SUVs parked in Brussels and Ghent, leaving flyers on the cars that read “ATTENTION! Your SUV kills.” The environmental activist collective hopes to draw attention to the health and environmental threat of large, energy-intensive, polluting, and dangerous vehicles. They call for public authorities to regulate their circulation by prohibiting for this type of vehicle, taxing vehicles according to weight, and preventing them from driving in cities. The collective also believes that SUVs pose a serious threat to citizens’ health due to their weight and larger size, resulting in drivers being 10% more likely to have an accident and pedestrians twice as likely to be killed in the event of a collision. Electric and hybrid vehicles are also targeted due to their wider tires, which reject fine particles and endanger the health of local residents. The movement has more than a hundred active groups worldwide and aims to ask SUV owners about their relationship to mobility to encourage the use of alternative solutions.
This morning, some SUV owners woke up to a very unpleasant surprise. “ATTENTION ! Your SUV kills”, they could read on flyers pasted on their cars. In addition to this warning, they may have noticed that their tires were deflated. An act signed and claimed by activists from “Tyre Extinguishers” who, overnight from Thursday to Friday, deflated the tires of 194 SUVs parked in Brussels and Ghent.
Through this action, the activist collective hopes to draw attention to the health and environmental threat of this type of vehicle. “We want to ask SUV owners about their relationship to mobility. While the 6th IPCC report indicates that every half degree counts, it is criminal to use such large, energy-intensive, polluting and dangerous vehicles when many alternative solutions exist”, assures one of the members of the collective in a press release.
The “Tyre Extinguishers” ask the public authorities to prevent their circulation in the cities and to regulate their commercialization by prohibiting the for this type of vehicle and by taxing the vehicles according to their weight.
Several models were targeted last night, including the BMW X1, the Peugeot 3008 or the Mercedes Benz GLE… Vehicles whose popularity rating continues to increase in Belgium, the market share of SUVs having jumped by 25.9% at 41.9% between 2016 and 2020.”This type of vehicle emits 20% more CO2 than a standard car and weighs on average 200 kg more”they recall in the press release.
“You are not our target, it is your vehicle”: when climate activists attack SUVs
health threat
Besides the environmental threat, activists believe that SUVs pose a “serious threat” to the health of citizens. “Due to their weight and large size, these vehicles have greater inertia. Their drivers are thus 10% more likely to have an accident. In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, the pedestrian is twice as likely to be killed”, they assure.
Electric and hybrid vehicles are also targeted by the action. “Because of the additional weight of their on-board battery, they are equipped with wider tires which reject a large quantity of fine particles and thus endanger the health of local residents.explains the collective, also pointing to the resources necessary for the construction of these vehicles.
A similar action had already taken place at the beginning of the month, in Ixelles. In total, the movement claims to have more than a hundred active groups around the world.
The actions of the “Tyre Extinguishers” have sparked a conversation about the impact of SUVs on both the environment and public health. While some may view their actions as extreme, it is important to consider the message they are trying to convey. As the market share of SUVs continues to rise, it is crucial that we examine the consequences of our personal transportation choices. We must ask ourselves if the convenience and luxury of these vehicles are worth the toll they take on our planet and our fellow citizens. It is up to each of us to be responsible and informed consumers, and to demand better from our leaders and the companies that produce these vehicles.