Anti-SUV projects have actually called for Wimbledon's organisers to stop shuttling tennis gamers and their entourages around London in Range Rovers and rather force the similarity Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu to take television or a bus to take a trip to and from Centre Court.

In an open letter sent out to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) today, the SUV Alliance required the immediate termination of its 10-year collaboration with the British automobile maker and for it to encourage gamers to utilize 'London's world-renowned public transport network'.

The letter says 'hazardous supersized' Range Rover hybrid SUVs deployed for tennis pros throughout the competitors pose a 'big threat for children, pedestrians and bicyclists' in the capital.

The group - in a different declaration - connected its issues to the death of 2 eight-year old-girls, Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad, who were killed outside their main school in July 2023 simply streets far from where the Championships were taking place at the time.

Claire Freemantle, 48, crashed her Land Rover Defender into a crowd collected for an end-of-term tea ceremony at the close-by The Study Preparatory School, costing the lives of the two kids and hurting 10 others. Medical exam had actually originally revealed that she had actually suffered an epileptic seizure, leading to the loss of control of the ₤ 80,000 car and was not charged. However, Freemantle was rearrested in January on suspicion of triggering death by dangerous driving, with a full examination continuous.

The AELTC today reacted to the letter, saying it needs larger vehicles to transfer gamers, their entourages and their 'considerable baggage, kitbag, equipment, and racquets'.

Anti SUV campaigns today wrote to organisers of Wimbledon calling for them to scrap the competitors's 10-year partnership with Range Rover and instantly stop utilizing its 'dangerous supersized' automobiles to shuttle bus gamers to and from the tournament

The SUV Alliance says the All England Club ought to instead force the similarity Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu (pictured) to take the tube or a bus to take a trip to and from the competitors in southwest London

Outdoors letter dealt with to the chair of the AELTC, Ms Deborah Jevans CBE, and Usama Al-Qassab, its marketing and business director, the project group said: 'We the undersigned are once again writing with dismay about using large SUVs as the main vehicle of the Wimbledon Championship, and the broader sponsorship of Wimbledon by Jaguar Land Rover as a leading producer of these automobiles.

' Research has shown that heavy and large SUVs, like the Range Rover, are specifically harmful to kids and individuals walking, wheeling and biking.

' Using these cars stands in direct contradiction to the sport-positive message of the Championship and overlooks the issues of Londoners.'

It referenced a current YouGov survey of 1,000 London grownups (carried out between 5 and 7 April 2025) that found that 61 per cent of parents in the capital are concerned that larger cars make it more unsafe for kids to walk and cycle.

' The probability of someone walking or cycling being eliminated boosts by 44 percent when struck by an SUV compared to a little vehicle, increasing further to 82 percent for children. This is because of the additional weight of an SUV and design functions such as a taller bonnet,' the letter goes on.

' A lot of us are moms and dads and grandparents ourselves and feel the issue of wishing to motivate our children to walk, wheel, cycle and play outdoors - for health, mental health and their own autonomy - but at the same time fearing what could happen if our kids share the streets with supersized SUVs.'

JLR has actually been a main partner for Wimbledon given that 2015 and provides a fleet of plug-in hybrid automobiles to transport gamers throughout the competition

Organisers last year said the plug-in electrical hybrid Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar (visualized) automobiles utilized to shuttle tennis pros are charged at the club 'utilizing 100% sustainable electrical energy for near-silent running throughout The Championships'

The Range Rover Sport PHEV can be driven unique in EV mode for as much as 75 miles, implying the vehicles deployed for gamers and their teams are generally producing no tailpipe emissions

The letter likewise raised issue with the local air pollution impact of AELTC using Range Rover Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) cars and trucks - which can be driven for around 75 miles in electric-only mode if the battery is fully charged - to carry gamers, their entourages and VIPs to and from the event.

Organisers last year said the plug-in electrical hybrid Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar lorries utilized are charged at the club 'using 100 per cent eco-friendly electricity for near-silent running throughout The Championships'.

However, the anti-SUV group said the automobiles will 'still release particle pollution from tire wear, a leading source of pollution in London, which is made more serious by the Range Rover's weight'.

The letter continues: 'We must also be clear that this sponsorship is a type of advertising. The endorsement of large SUVs through partnerships like JLR and the AELTC drives an unneeded aspirational culture for ever bigger cars, at the expenditure of public area and security for others.

' Excessive marketing and marketing has actually added to SUV ownership rising in the UK, from just 19 percent of sales 10 years ago to 62 per cent of brand-new automobile sales last year.'

Electric Range Rover completes Polar circle test as it bids to become the 'world's most capable luxury SUV'

Instead of using Range Rover's supplied fleet of PHEV models, the campaign group recommended organisers make its 'large volumes of gamers and entourages around the tournament' instead use 'London's world-renowned public transportation network' and 'shared transport and active travel options' to 'set an example and to deliver the Championship's fundamental sporting message'.

It includes that 'where cars are essential' the organisers ought to only supply little electric lorries while considering alternative vehicle partners.

In a more declaration, Oliver Lord, head of the Clean Cities project group - which becomes part of the SUV Alliance - said: 'It's amazing how Wimbledon demands releasing large SUVs in our crowded capital regardless of excellent public transport and installing proof of the harmful danger they posture to kids.

' Why can't guests use public transportation like a lot of Londoners, at the extremely least, more normal sized vehicles that do not crowd us off the roadways or threaten individuals strolling and biking?'

Wimbledon organisers respond
JLR (previously Jaguar Land Rover and the parent group of Range Rover) was approached by This is Money to respond to the open letter, with a representative informing us that it 'defers to the All England Lawn Tennis Club for comment'.

This is Money also got in touch with the AELTC for comment.

The All England Club states it utilizes bigger automobiles since it needs to transport players, their teams and 'significant luggage, set bags, devices, and racquets' during the competitors

The 2025 Wimbledon tournament started on Monday, with the anti-SUV campaigners providing their open letter on Wednesday. Pictured: Defending Men's Champion Carlos Alcaraz on Monday

A representative for the All England Club told us: 'JLR has actually been an important partner to The Championships because 2015, particularly with Range Rover this year.

'We have worked closely with them on the addition of a significant variety of lower emission plug-in hybrid vehicles in our fleet which, are being charged on-site with 100 per cent sustainable electricity.

'Given the length of Grand Slam events - 3 weeks from the start of practice to the conclusion of the competitors - players usually prefer to remain in property rather than hotel lodging during their time at Wimbledon.

'This is a fantastic boost for the local area as gamers enter into the regional neighborhood, but it does need an automobile fleet to shuttle players between their accommodation and the grounds.'

SUVs formally become Britain's favourite kind of car for the very first time on record

The representative added: 'Players frequently take a trip with at least three guests, (generally coach, physio, or relative) and frequently arrive straight from other competitions without going home for weeks and even months.

'We work carefully with these elite professional athletes and their teams to ensure suitable area, consisting of head space for them and their entourage, who likewise frequently have considerable luggage, kit bags, equipment, and racquets.

'Our goal is for that reason to accommodate each gamer and their team within one vehicle versus the need for two different cars.

'Our focus this year remains for as lots of journeys as possible to be delivered in EV mode. Trip distances all occur within a seven-mile radius, but the typical trip length is less than 5 miles, implying the majority can be provided on the EV variety of the hybrid Range Rover cars which we are using.'

T&E's analysis of the brand-new automobile market found that the average bonnet height of an automobile offered in the UK has jumped from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024

Analysis brought out by Loughborough University on behalf of T&E said a chauffeur of a RAM TRX truck is unable to see a kid as much as 9 years of ages directly in front of their bumper. For a motorist of a Land Rover Defender, the high bonnet blocks their view of children approximately 4. 5 years, it claimed

The report says higher-fronted SUVs significantly increases the death rate when pedestrians are struck as they are most likely to be pulled under a moving car instead of bounce off them

Large SUVs under the spotlight
The alliance's attack on Range Rover comes weeks after an environmental think tank dubbed SUVs a 'growing threat to public security'.

It declared their higher bonnets indicates chauffeurs are not able to see kids as old as 9 standing straight in front of them. This, it stated, is a specific risk when drivers are leaving a driveway or parking area, or when travelling in stop-start traffic outside schools.

Transport & Environment, which produced the report, said average bonnet heights for newly-sold automobiles in the UK is increasing by half a centimetre a year - reaching 83.8 cm in 2024 - due to the continuous appeal of SUV-style automobiles. It blamed directly at the need for JLR models in Britain for accelerating this increase in bonnet height.

It declared that the front of SUVs usually strike adult pedestrians above the centre of gravity, frequently first striking essential organs in the body's core, with a higher likelihood of knocking them forward and down, and a higher danger of driving over them.

This is deemed even more hazardous than conventional hatchback and saloon cars with lower bonnets, which tend to strike pedestrians' legs, providing them higher chances of falling towards the vehicle, or of being deflected.

However, JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover and the parent company of Range Rover) struck back at that report, saying it fits all its new models with the 'latest in innovative security innovation features' to alleviate such scenarios. This consists of pedestrian detection, 3D surround cameras, and autonomous emergency situation braking.

Transport & Environment previously implicated supersized SUVs - like the Range Rover - of leaving less room for other roadway users along with being too huge for basic parking bays

Claire Freemantle, the driver of the Land Rover Defender that clashed with and caused the death of the two schoolgirls on 6 July 2023, was originally arrested at the scene.

Following an initial examination, the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) stated Ms Freemantle had suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which triggered her to lose control of the vehicle that then drove through a fence and into the school play ground.

As a result this implied she would not be charged, it said.

At the time, her solicitor said her epilepsy had 'never ever previously manifested itself' and Ms Freemantle 'had constantly enjoyed excellent health'.

However, in January, Freemantle was released on bail after being rearrested earlier that month on suspicion of triggering death by unsafe driving.

She was detained for the 2nd time after the Met Police stated it reviewed its investigation following the CPS's decision last June not to charge her.

The Met Police stated a specialist criminal activity evaluation group had 'determined lines of questions which required further evaluation'.

Speaking in action to the tragic occurrence, a JLR spokesperson today informed This is Money: 'Our deepest compassions remain with all those affected.

'The Police examination is still continuous and for that reason it would be unsuitable for us to offer additional remark.'