Calls for Australia to introduce a brand new driving licence for heavy-duty utes amid spike in deadly crashes

A rise in vehicle ‘mobesity’ – car-size inflation – has sparked calls for a new licence requirement for drivers of oversized vehicles. 

It comes after British crash data from 2004–2023 revealed larger vehicles pose greater risks to pedestrians. 

The data found that being struck by an SUV slightly raised fatality risk for adults but significantly for children. 

In Australia, 2025 marked the fifth consecutive year of rising road deaths.

‘We already know bigger cars cause greater impacts in collisions,’ University of Melbourne Associate Professor Milad Haghani wrote in The Conversation.

‘Most SUVs and utes from a decade or two ago look small next to today’s models.’

Professor Milad Haghani has suggested changes to licensing policies in Australia, noting that practical tests are often conducted in smaller vehicles. 

‘Many drivers obtain their licence in a small sedan but can legally drive a two-tonne ute the next day,’ he said.

A rise in vehicle ‘mobesity’ – car-size inflation- has sparked calls for a new licence requirement for drivers of oversized vehicles (pictured is a 4WD Mitsubishi Triton)

The data found that being struck by an SUV slightly raised fatality risk for adults but significantly for children (pictured, a Chevrolet ute parked in Australia)

‘Requiring a practical test in a vehicle of comparable size to what the driver intends to drive – or a streamlined licence upgrade for an experienced driver when upsizing – would acknowledge that added responsibility.’

He also called for Australia to adopt a tiered penalty approach where fines or demerit points are scaled according to vehicle size. 

‘A ute or SUV travelling 10km/hour over the limit carries greater kinetic energy and longer stopping distance than a small sedan,’ he explained. 

‘If Australia is serious about reducing road trauma, these are the kinds of targeted, evidence-based adjustments that should be considered.’

Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts for comment.

SUVs now make up 60 per cent of all new vehicle sales in Australia, according to RACV figures from July last year. Medium SUVs were the largest market segment, with 149,167 sold in the first half of 2025.

On Tuesday, Teal MP Monique Ryan announced plans to close a tax loophole she blames for the growing number of larger vehicles on Australian roads.

‘There are twice as many utes as tradies in Australia,’ she said.

In Australia, 2025 marked the fifth consecutive year of rising road deaths (stock)

‘We need to remove the luxury car tax exemption, which incentivises people to buy mega-utes instead of safer, cleaner, smaller cars and SUVs.’

Under Australia’s luxury car tax, 33 per cent levy applies to the portion of a vehicle’s price above roughly $77,000 for most cars, or $89,000 for fuel-efficient models.

Yet many large dual-cab utes escape the tax entirely, even when they cost well over $100,000, because they are classified as commercial vehicles, not passenger cars.

Critics like Dr Ryan argue the rule was designed to help those genuinely using such vehicles for their work, but in practice, it incentivises people to buy oversized, high-emission utes for personal use, while smaller electric cars and hybrids remain subject to the tax