This is the vehicle that killed an 8 year old child at a pedestrian crossing in Macroom, Co. Cork. It is a Ford Ranger Wildtrack and it weighs 3.5 tonnes. The driver was not drunk or on drugs and nor was he speeding- the impact on the child happened at 35kph-37kph in a 50kph zone. Ban them now.
In Carrigaline* , driver was from Macroom, it’s always worth being said he ran a red light so that’s a huge detail missed in the story,I’m not for or against big 4×4 but just want the story straight
For the uninitiated, these SUV type vehicles, especially Jeeps, are far more likely to be lethal versus a pedestrian. Not because of the weight, but because of the height of the bumper/hood/bonnet.
Getting hit by a normal car normally entails getting hit just under your hips and 9 times out of 10 you go up onto the bumper. Not ideal because you can hit your head off the hood or windscreen or when landing. But getting hit by THESE huge yolks means ending up under the damned thing – you get properly ‘run over’. At which point the massive weight does become a factor. Far more dangerous to pedestrians, and especially children.
[https://musgrave.substack.com/p/taller-vehicles-kill-more-pedestrians](https://musgrave.substack.com/p/taller-vehicles-kill-more-pedestrians)
EDIT: Someone below has clarified my point, my explanation was not perfect but the jist of it is correct.
I’ve seen them on the road only in cities and they are enormous. They are not driven by farmers. They are not driven for functionality. They are purely a status symbol and are not necessary whatsoever. I’m all for banning these and similar sized vehicles
Absolute wanker wagon.
Slightly misleading info there, the Ford ranger wild track weighs 2 tonnes, 2.5 possibly in some specs. You’re thinking of the F350 which is a different beast altogether.
Mad thing is these rangers are considered small in the states! In Bray I’ve seen someone driving around in a F350 though, in fairness to them they tow their boat so they have a legitimate use case but still, thing is so ridiculously large that I thought I was hallucinating with how it looked compared to the land rovers it passed.
No idea why people even buy these, half the roads in Ireland are ancient and tight to drive. Yiz aren’t in Texas lads cop on.
I’m sure I’ll be burned at the stake for this but if like most are saying the issue is with the front height/impact on the child why would it be any different to this:
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He ran a red light.
Pretty sure this was the one in Carrigaline, no? The driver was from Macroom.
Absolutely outrageous driving these in a built up area nonetheless. Their use case is so niche in this country that 99% of their owners are buying them for vanity.
Guy in the housing estate down the road from me got a brand new Ford Raptor. Living in a semi D in a huge built up town.
Jesus you’d struggle to even see a kid run out in front of you at close proximity in one of those.
Well, he kinda was speeding – he drove through a red light so he should have been doing 0kph… I understand the sentiment of the title but a child hasn’t a great chance of surviving an impact with anything doing that speed especially when nobody is expecting an impact. But yeah, these things are massive.
You can’t just ban them, we need kids to further our population.
Out of curiosity, only since you mentioned the driver wasn’t speeding nor on drugs or drunk. What is the survivability of an 8 year old child against any normal sized car at 35 to 37 kph?
In this case did they die on impact with the vehicle (so the size of it directly affected where the child’s head was or something), or when they hit the ground?
It doesn’t way 3.5 tonnes, it weighs roughly 2.2 depending on the spec which is no different from most modern SUVs.
Wow these comments are so interesting. My American mind cannot comprehend the perspective although I understand the sentiment. I guess my question is… you have lorries driving your roads so how do you draw the line between trucks for civilians vs large company vehicles being accepted on your roads? (Not meaning this in a confrontational way, just curious) In the US, as you all know, we hand out AR15s like candy (insane right?), never mind our oversized vehicles. The dynamic between the US/EU is so very interesting to me.
If you hit an 8 year-old in a Ford Fiesta at 35ish kph you’re going to kill them. I’d be more wondering why the car didn’t stop at the crossing, regardless of the vehicle type
This is a smalll truck for the USA
Awful story but incompetent driving was responsible. If it had have been a bus or lorry, nobody would be calling for them to be banned.
The standard of driving on our roads is abysmal. That’s where the problem lies.
Next, OP be banning tractors on farms as patriarchal urges overwhelm.
Unnecessary on our roads.
Yeah… but he did run a red light!!
American truck influence is dumb and dangerous.
Also I’m not from Ireland so no idea why this is on my feed but I agree regardless.
Funny thing is that the ranger in the smallest class of pickup trucks in the States. It’s like the real truck’s baby brother
It was the fault of the driver.🙄
Weight of the ranger is around 2200KG depending on spec
I’m jealous of Ireland that this is considered a large truck. I kid you not one bit when I say that this truck is medium sized at most in the US. Lots and LOTS of trucks even in cities much larger than that. I work at a high school, I could go out in my parking lot right now and find 20 student trucks larger than this.
How the fuck does a Ford Ranger weigh 3.5 tons?
It weighs slightly more than 2 tonnes, plus driver & load.
A BMW 5 series weighs the same.
As others have pointed out, you’re missing facts and/or misrepresenting them just to further your point, it doesn’t do you a service.
Definitely more dangerous for pedestrians than a smaller car.
However plenty of people pull trailers and use large vehicles for work. Knee jerk banning of a vehicle type just does not make sense.
It weights 2384kg so over 1000kg off your 3.5 tonnes estimate
Listen, if you’re going to climb up on your soap box at least get your facts straight. They do not weight that much, they’re a good 1.4 tonnes lighter than you’ve stated and the driver ran a red light,
That’s not even that big compared to some pick up trucks you’d see in the US. I do agree though they’re not fit for purpose in Irish roads.
It’s 2.4 tonnes. Same as any other large car or van. Some electric cars are heavier than it.
The simple answer to those who say certain people need it, which they do, is to reclassify it. And require a C licence
it’s more safe to drive tanks around housing estates.
r/fuckcars
At 35 kmh even a small car will probably kill you.
Too many small willys to ban
Had one of these pull up behind me at a set of traffic lights and then follow behind me for a period. Headlights completely blinded me as they are up so high there were shining directly into my wing mirrors making it impossible to use them. Crazy they are allowed on the roads.
Should all SUVs be banned? It’s an awful tragedy, but pulled up outside every primary school in this country are moms/dads/grannies/grandads all driving similar vehicles. All marketed as ideal familiar cars.
I have said this before here and to the Aussies to are starting to see these pop up, but do something about them now before it’s too late.
These huge vehicles are road cancer.
“But I need it for work!”
No. No, you don’t. Work got done just fine before you had to drive a monster truck.
It’s never the vehicle. It’s always the driver.
Expect the unexpected and be vigilant all the time behind the wheels.
Yeah the vehicle isn’t the issue. A Toyota Aygo would kill an 8 year old hit at 35kph, the driver plowed straight into a child due to complete negligence. Don’t make a mockery of a child’s death by making this some sort of vendetta against American vehicles.
A lot of comments in here more concerned with correcting /u/Kloppite16 on the weight of the Ford Ranger than the fact it was involved in the death of a child.
Bit weird tbh.
It weighs 2.25 tonnes, a Range Rover is heavier than that. The best selling car in Ireland last year was a Hyundai Tucson and that is 2 tonnes. It’s the drivers fault