In the news

The only way I could afford to buy our first place as a first time buyer was to mortgage until 70. Pretty sure its a common thing.

Same here, 25 years mortgages.

I didn't know you're 45!

Hah, okay I miscalculated!

Apparently even The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are ready to turn on Johnson
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/theres-bad-news-in-the-mail-for-boris-johnson/

Bloody Cyclists.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-62016636

The new plan would let you take out 50 year term at 55 and borrow almost twice as much money as currently, 8x versus 4.5x

Probably not. I think the mortgage company would expect you to already have children if you wanted to take out one of these 50 year mortgages at 55.

And I was impressed with your youthful looks! :)

https://jalopnik.com/german-court-rules-suv-owners-can-be-fined-more-for-bre-1849128275

Sensible approach to suv drivers in Germany

Sensible approach to suv drivers in Germany

Its a really good idea that makes a lot of sense but only if they base it on Euro NCAP pedestrian safety ratings as opposed to simply being an SUV.

Edit: For example, a Qashqai performs significantly better in pedestrian accidents than a Fiesta according to Euro NCAP. And what about people driving older cars which have the absolute lowest safety ratings for pedestrians?

a Qashqai performs significantly better in pedestrian accidents than a Fiesta according to Euro NCAP

That's when hit. Does that take into account the often poorer driver visibility in an SUV and so increased chance of a collision in the first place?

And what about people driving older cars which have the absolute lowest safety ratings for pedestrians?

Side-note, but it does wind me up that we can't have cars with pop-up headlights these days due to pedestrian safety (it's a fair enough point in isolation). Meanwhile probably about 30% of passenger vehicles I see are 2 ton+ SUVs.

No idea. But I know that it's not true that all SUVs have poorer visibility than other cars.

It's complex I guess. Some cars are safe than others, some cars are more environmentally friendly than others. These differences don't fit perfectly with the type/category of a vehicle.

The other thing that is often overlooked is driving aids and sensors. Loads of SUVs have sensors, cameras and auto collision avoidance which older cars dont. It would be great if people who drive dangerous or more polluting cars pay more in various circumstances, as long as it's judged on facts rather than dodgy generalisations.

Similar to pop up head lights...bull bars. Probably much less safe but are they banned?

I thought (steel) bull bars were banned:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bull-bars

Good. The I my reasons I wasn't sure was that I was sure my neighbours Jeep has bull bars. Maybe I imagined it, will check next time I'm out.

Some very large SUV’s have anti-submarining bars fitted in order to stop a smaller car going underneath in a head on.

I was sure my neighbours Jeep has bull bars

People fit all sorts of illegal modifications to their cars. So called 4D number plates seem one of the latest fashions.

Many 4D number plates are perfectly legal.

https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/tips-and-advice/303812/3d-and-4d-number-plates-are-they-legal-and-whats-the-difference

One of the MOT oversights. Here in Spain (and it's not near as struck as Germany) is if you want to add stuff to your car, it needs to be approved at at MOT centre and you get a certificate. Police stop you and you don't have certificates and you're in trouble. Quite sensible.

The DVLA aren't so sure:

The agency has not seen any evidence to show that number plates
displaying raised plastic, acrylic or Perspex lettering (3D/4D plates)
are able to meet the requirements of either the current or new the
British Standard.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVLA/bulletins/2af0fc9

In Surrey at least the police would seem to unimpressed

https://twitter.com/SurreyRoadCops/status/1480949665608650753

Police stop you and

One of the current problems IMHO is the odds of a police stop are very low

Yeah if they can't stop people driving on the phone, or riding a motorbike without a helmet I doubt bullbars and number plates will get noticed...

Sure.

I'm all for anything that encourages people to buy safer and more fuel efficient cars, as long as it's evidence based.

You hear SUV weight coming up a lot. Heavier cars have worse outcome in accidents....that much we know for sure. Loads of overlap between car classes though. Passats are heavier than most of VW groups mid size SUVs for example. Do it partly based on weight and NCAP ratings rather than category.

anything that encourages people to buy safer

Wouldn't the insurance premiums be lower?

more fuel efficient cars

And the fuel bills?

Probably, but probably not a strong enough effect to deter. I've no idea what a good solution is.

We live in a society where people are happy to go into debt to the tune of a year or three of annual income to drive a fancy car. Not sure a few hundred quid on fuel and insurance here and there is a deterrent.