THE DEPARTMENT OF Transport has said it won’t be taking action against imports of extra-large American SUVs and pickup trucks, as environmental campaigners raise fears that the new popularity of the vehicles in Europe poses a road safety risk.
Nearly 5,000 oversized American SUVs and pickup trucks were imported from the United States into Europe last year, according to new data. It was a 20% increase when compared to the previous year.
Around 60% of these vehicles were the very large Dodge Ram truck, and Revenue has confirmed to The Journal that a handful of such vehicles have also been imported into Ireland.
According to figures from Revenue, two Dodge Ram Pickup trucks were imported from the United States into Ireland last year. Separately, 15 Ford Pick-up Trucks arrived from outside Ireland and the UK.
Some of these Ford trucks may have been imported from elsewhere in the EU. Ford sells pick-up trucks for the EU market that comply with EU safety standards.
Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has claimed that extra large vehicles pose risks to the safety of children and the environment due not only to their size but also to their emission levels.
“Many of these bigger trucks don’t fit in our car parking spaces in Europe, they don’t fit on our rural roads, and they pose a danger to other drivers at a time when Ireland is struggling with high road deaths,” Ní Mhurchú said.
The issue was highlighted in a report by the European Transport Safety Council this summer. It said that a loophole in the EU standards is making it easier for these vehicles to enter the European market.
The back-door clause, named ‘Individual Vehicle Approval’, allows for oversized vehicles to bypass EU environmental and safety regulations and was originally intended for adapted or specialised vehicles, such as emergency vehicles.
More recently, the system has been used to import large pick-ups and SUVs for personal use.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport told The Journal that registering vehicles from non-EU jurisdictions is legal in Ireland once a vehicle registration certificate from the original country is provided.
Most pick-ups on Irish roads are versions of the iconic American vehicle designed for the European market.
Ford launched a version of its ‘Raptor’ high-performance SUV and pick-up line specifically for the European market and complying with EU regulations, with lower speed and horsepower.
The Journal has previously reported that campaigners are already calling for legislation in the size of new vehicles, as cars are expanding by half a centimetre each year.
New cars in Ireland grew 2.4 centimetres wider in five years, with some of the most popular models now so large they have just a few centimetres to spare in many parking spaces.
The Department of Transport said that vehicle standards for the EU market are in line with global vehicle regulations, agreed at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Vehicles imported into Ireland, according to the Department of Transport, are “generally” older models and arrive into the country for resale or personal use by people who have emigrated from abroad.
The European Commission has acknowledged the issue. Ní Murchú — who is also a permanent member of the European Parliament’s transport committee — has called on her colleagues to take action to close the loophole.
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