The increase in the height of car bonnets on SUVs and other luxury models means that this risk has returned. Research carried out for Clean Cities shows that a 10cm increase in bonnet height from 80cm to 90cm results in a 27% greater chance of death for pedestrians run over. For children, the risk of death is increased threefold if they are hit by an SUV rather than a conventional vehicle. They are also more likely to be hit since the driving position is often too high to observe what is in front of the vehicle.
Have a strong dislike for them myself but more so the selfish bastards that drive them (or rather, how they drive them).