Why it takes a horrific event to move people to radical action is part of human nature. SUV’s are gas guzzling, environmentally disastrous and a clear and present danger to all in their path. Berlin is a start. Ban them all, worldwide.
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 9.8.2019
Four people were killed in Berlin when a Porsche SUV veered onto a sidewalk. While hundreds of people held a candlelight vigil on Saturday evening, environmental protection organizations called for a ban on SUV vehicles.
A 3-year-old boy, a 64-year-old woman and two men in their late 20s were killed in an apparent road accident in Berlin on Friday evening, Berlin police said Saturday.
A Porsche SUV mounted a footpath full of pedestrians at the corner of Invaliden and Acker streets in central Berlin. The vehicle hit construction fencing and landed in a vacant building plot.
It is “completely irresponsible to produce and drive SUVs,” said Benjamin Stephan, a Greenpeace official, adding that German manufacturers must move away from “climate killers” and produce lighter electronic cars.
“The risk of dying in an accident involving an SUV is much higher than a normal car. Pedestrians have a 50% higher risk of fatal accidents due to the higher bonnet,” according to Greenpeace.
Environmental activists blocked a SUV loading dock after the fatal accident in Berlin
“Given the evidence so far, we assume this was a traffic accident and not a deliberate act,” police spokesman Thilo Cablitz said.
The injured driver was taken to hospital for treatment, where he died. Two other people from the vehicle were also hospitalized.
“Initial indications that a medical emergency involving the driver could have been the cause, as well as all other witness statements, information and evidence, are part of the investigation,” the police said.
Authorities are reconstructing the accident to determine the cause of the accident. Police are also investigating whether the SUV hit pedestrians.
Sorrow and anger
Stephan von Dassel, the district mayor of Berlin-Mitte, said “armor-like SUV cars” don’t belong in the city, as every driving error puts the lives of innocent people at risk.
“These care are also climate killers. They are a threat even without an accident,” Von Dassel said.
Protest against SUVs
Environmental activists protested against SUV vehicles on Saturday. A Greenpeace member told AFP news agency that environmentalists blocked a SUV loading dock for about three hours.
https://www.dw.com/en/berliners-call-for-suv-ban-after-fatal-traffic-accident/a-50342322
