cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/319198
I got a lot of push-back on a comment I made here about how bigger trucks/suvs are the primary cause the increasing pedestrian death-rate in America so apparently more people need to see this video.
I’m a huge NotJustBikes fan, but I hate how this, of all his videos, is the one that gets the traction in forums.
I mean, sure, big trucks suck – but it’s not as if small ones don’t! The fundamental cause of all these deaths (and a bunch of other big problems, to boot) is cities being designed for automobiles to the exclusion of everything else, and quibbling about the size of them is nothing but a distraction.
Presumably by “small trucks” you mean ones that are restricted by the same regulations as cars are. Even if we had very good infrastructure, large trucks would still be less safe than ones with safe bumpers and clearances and less mass. I don’t think someone can say one way or the other that large trucks would not still be a problem. So it’s perfectly reasonable for people to be concerned about large trucks, both in the fantasy world that you’d like this discussion to be taking place in, and here in the real world.
When’s the last time you saw a “small” truck? Even the “small” ones like Rangers and Mavericks outsize the F150 from a couple decades ago.
I continue to maintain that trucks should be restricted to industrial and agricultural use and/or be prohibitively expensive for noncommercial purposes.
Citynerd has a good related video as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIy5uv5-VrE&pp=ygUPY2l0eW5lcmQgdHJ1Y2tz
Ya I have a big ass truck. I need it. It’s not my primary vehicle. I have a couple more efficient cars we use for daily stuff. But I use it for what it’s made for - hauling, business needs, and camping trips etc. But I hate how the front end is designed to make it hard to see what’s directly in front of you below the hood. I am extra cautious about keeping an eye out. But it’s dangerous.
That’s said, many newer vehicles have Pedestrian crash avoidance mitigation (PCAM). Should be required by law to be standard by now.
Pedestrian crash avoidance mitigation (PCAM) sounds great and all, but it still entirely misses one of the main points of the video about how cars have legal standards to follow regarding bumper heights, yet trucks are exempted. This has allowed truck bumper and hood heights to get out of control, which endangers the life of other drivers as bumpers only work if they line up horizontally. Trucks are literally being manufactured to keep the driver safe at the cost of everyone else on the road.
Had this convo a while ago, and afterwards I thought: why do people need these big ass trucks, when for decades we’ve had powerful enough trucks that did the same things newer giant Rams do? Like people gave been hauling work equipment, farm supplies and campers long before they got as big as they are now.
They do it better, and if you were doing it before, and have the means and opportunity to upgrade on quality of vehicle capacity, you take it.
I would love to see a smaller auto company advertise more to the lazy American than the status symbol American. We might get some more quality trucks like old pickups again back in the day.
Best if you target station wagons and small pickups to teens, so when they get olders they’ll adjust again to more practical things when the old gen does out
I would love to be able to get like a little Ford Ranger or like my step-dad’s Datsun. It’s not too much truck, still functional; not flashy and fancy. I’m a millennial, I can remember when trucks were tools, not fashion statements. It boggles my mind that you basically can’t find a truck for less than $50,000 because they’re all tricked out luxury vehicles.
ford has trucks in a trim level they call XL, which have no frills. Best “feature” is that you can power wash the inside… not because it’s made to do that, but because there is nothing you could damage doing it… Ranger XL is at $27k if you take it with no upgrades or addons…
