4 ms·

Here in the US, we don’t care about pedestrian deaths from trucks. Despite absurdly disproportionate deaths from trucks [1], our lawmakers and regulators are t

Here in the US, we don’t care about pedestrian deaths from trucks. Despite absurdly disproportionate deaths from trucks [1], our lawmakers and regulators are too busy jerking off with wads of cash from automotive lobbyists [2] to care about something lame like “dying bicyclists” or “crushed pedestrians.” [1]: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/10/31/why-american-trucks-are-so-deadly-for-pedestrians-and-cyclists/ https://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/10/31/why-american-trucks-a... [2]: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a20879691/heres-how-much-the-major-automakers-spend-on-government-lobbying/ https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a20879691/heres-how-mu...

dillondoyle 6y ago
lol the paper cuts!
CalRobert 6y ago
In the US, you are de facto allowed to kill people with your vehicle, so long as you're sober. If you shoot a kid you probably can't get away with "well I was duck hunting at the playground, it was an accident!", but run them down in your truck and you'll have a sympathetic judge telling you this shouldn't stop you from getting back behind the wheel, and how the kid shouldn't have been there.
- bredren 6y ago
  Run away / spooked carriage horses that trampled were treated in a similar way.
- mandelbrotwurst 6y ago
  This is a bad comparison. "Duck hunting at the playground" is more similar to driving your truck through a playground than it is to hitting a pedestrian who enters a roadway full of active traffic. Why should it be the driver's fault if someone else puts them in a situation where a negative outcome is unavoidable?
  - Symbiote 6y ago
    Because the vehicle driver raised the danger. An adult man running carelessly through the playground is not a significant risk.
  - CalRobert 6y ago
    Because playing in the street used to be normal - so normal it was taken as a given, and drivers stole that.
wilg 6y ago
The first link is about large trucks and buses, not pickup trucks.
GongOfFour 6y ago
1/2 tons and 3/4 tons are not what's being addressed in [1]. These are delivery trucks to restaurants, bars, and retail. Dense urban cities like NYC and Boston should limit the number of roads trucks should be allowed to operate on anyway. Smaller, more energy efficient and more numerous delivery fleets should be deployed and the last mile should be done by hand trucks. Of course this is gonna add costs.
dilap 6y ago
I'd be happy to compromise and keep the trucks if we put in protected (physically separated!) bike lanes everywhere.
astrange 6y ago
Lobbyists don't bribe politicians, the effect more comes from politicians and staff picking up opinions from them because they're people they see a lot. Anyway, you don't need to bribe an elite to support American car culture. Everyone is united in wanting to own an SUV or a lifted pickup and run over bicyclists.

dillondoyle 6y ago

lol the paper cuts!

CalRobert 6y ago

In the US, you are de facto allowed to kill people with your vehicle, so long as you're sober. If you shoot a kid you probably can't get away with "well I was duck hunting at the playground, it was an accident!", but run them down in your truck and you'll have a sympathetic judge telling you this shouldn't stop you from getting back behind the wheel, and how the kid shouldn't have been there.

bredren 6y ago
Run away / spooked carriage horses that trampled were treated in a similar way.
mandelbrotwurst 6y ago
This is a bad comparison. "Duck hunting at the playground" is more similar to driving your truck through a playground than it is to hitting a pedestrian who enters a roadway full of active traffic. Why should it be the driver's fault if someone else puts them in a situation where a negative outcome is unavoidable?
- Symbiote 6y ago
  Because the vehicle driver raised the danger. An adult man running carelessly through the playground is not a significant risk.
- CalRobert 6y ago
  Because playing in the street used to be normal - so normal it was taken as a given, and drivers stole that.

wilg 6y ago

The first link is about large trucks and buses, not pickup trucks.

GongOfFour 6y ago

1/2 tons and 3/4 tons are not what's being addressed in [1]. These are delivery trucks to restaurants, bars, and retail. Dense urban cities like NYC and Boston should limit the number of roads trucks should be allowed to operate on anyway. Smaller, more energy efficient and more numerous delivery fleets should be deployed and the last mile should be done by hand trucks. Of course this is gonna add costs.

dilap 6y ago

I'd be happy to compromise and keep the trucks if we put in protected (physically separated!) bike lanes everywhere.

astrange 6y ago

Lobbyists don't bribe politicians, the effect more comes from politicians and staff picking up opinions from them because they're people they see a lot. Anyway, you don't need to bribe an elite to support American car culture. Everyone is united in wanting to own an SUV or a lifted pickup and run over bicyclists.