There is a call for a ban on sport utility vehicles - or SUVs - in urban areas.
Dr Eoin O'Malley is an associate professor in political science at Dublin City University (DCU).
He says the larger vehicles have an impact on other road users, and drivers need to take this into account.
He told Lunchtime Live they are too big for city centres.
"They're far too big for urban areas and suburban areas, they take up a lot more space than other cars do.
"That space that they take up is... taken away from cyclists and pedestrians, and from other cars.
"SUVs are also different from regular cars in that they have much lower visibility - so it's much more difficult to see people around you when you're in an SUV."
He says the bigger vehicles are also more dangerous to pedestrians.
"If you're hit by an SUV at 30 kilometres an hour, you'll be much more likely to be killed or seriously injured then if you're hit by a regular car at 30 kilometres an hour.
"They're kind of like bully boys in urban areas - and the other thing is there's no need for them.
"Nobody needs an SUV in an urban area: if people want seven-seaters, they can get seven-seaters that are more like regular cars.
"They don't need these big, big things".
'Your choice has to be tempered'
Dr O'Malley says a ban in urban centres is not unheard of.
"In Paris, inside their equivalent of the M50, there are no SUVs allowed. We can do it, it's probably not that hard to do".
And he believes other transport options could be used.
"Obviously there will be people who need SUVs who have farms and are pulling trailers and things like that.
"But if you're coming into Dublin city centre, or even into Dublin city, you probably don't need it - and maybe take some other form of transport".
Asked about people's ability to have choice, he says this choice should be tempered.
"Your choice to have an SUV also affects other people, and so you have to think about the impact on other people.
"Because these are big cars that take up a huge amount of space, they probably push cyclists in a bit closer to endangering the lives of cyclists, endangering the lives of pedestrians.
"Your choice has to be tempered by the impact it has on other people.
"Even parking these things - it makes it much more difficult to see when you're crossing the road if you have to cross behind a parked SUV.
"They are the height of a grown person standing up".
