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Supersize EVs Are Pushing Road Safety to the Limit

10 points by sohkamyung 4y ago

jaclaz 4y ago
Side question: isn't there a weight limit for driving licenses in the US? In the EU the "normal" driving license is the "B" type for passengers vehicles up to 3,500 kg of weight, fully loaded (and up to 8 passenger). Then there is the "C" series of license, but those are for goods vehicles, so for a 4,000 kg Hummer probably one of the "D" series license would be needed.
- crystaldecanter 4y ago
  that would make sense, so no. it varies by state, but the limit before you need a commercial license is something like 11,000kg
  - njarboe 4y ago
    U-Haul rents 26' trucks to anyone with a normal US driver's license. Quite useful if you need to self-move. Pretty cool that is available to normal people. [1] https://www.uhaul.com/Truck-Rentals/26ft-Moving-Truck/ https://www.uhaul.com/Truck-Rentals/26ft-Moving-Truck/
- yourusername 4y ago
  D type is for busses. You can drive a Hummer on a C1 license (up to 7.5 tons) if you make sure there are only 9 seats.
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    I don't know, but I believe that in that case the car needs to be registered anyway as truck (goods vehicle) or - possibly - as "special uses". Maybe I am reading the info incorrectly, but if something weights (full loaded) more than 3,500 kg is not anymore a "car" but something else, which would probably imply yearly inspections. As a reference the EU list of licenses: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/road-safety-driving-licences.html https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/road-safe...
JoeAltmaier 4y ago
Really? With semi-trailer-trucks everywhere, it's EVs that we're talking about? This sounds like somebody with an agenda.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  Semis are already explicitly banned or de facto excluded from most urban interior streets, where pedestrian and cyclist safety, and so vehicle weight, is a particular concern. The world is not all highway.
- jononomo 4y ago
  I believe trailer trucks require a special license to drive -- and they also tend to drive more slowly, especially in cities. Plus, they don't have incredible acceleration.
- nytesky 4y ago
  Semi trailers rarely mix with pedestrians at any appreciable speed. Your beefy EV SUV will be rolling by school pickup through your nearby crosswalk. But I would expect most of these cars should have automatic breaking and pedestrian detection — perhaps add some external pedestrian airbags and it will be a wash?
- tengbretson 4y ago
  Among the anti-car crowd the reasons seem to continuously shift, but the conclusion tends to remain the same.
jononomo 4y ago
Here are the key sentences from the article: "Vehicle safety standards mostly reflect the safety of people inside a vehicle, not those outside. And despite improvements in safety technology and car design, heavier vehicles have contributed to increasing road deaths in recent years, according to data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—particularly among pedestrians, cyclists, and people driving smaller vehicles. Now EVs are tipping the scales even further. They often combine the beefy dimensions of supersize SUVs with a battery that itself weighs as much as a small sedan. Oh, and also blazing acceleration."

10 points by sohkamyung 4y ago

Side question: isn't there a weight limit for driving licenses in the US? In the EU the "normal" driving license is the "B" type for passengers vehicles up to 3,500 kg of weight, fully loaded (and up to 8 passenger). Then there is the "C" series of license, but those are for goods vehicles, so for a 4,000 kg Hummer probably one of the "D" series license would be needed.

crystaldecanter 4y ago
that would make sense, so no. it varies by state, but the limit before you need a commercial license is something like 11,000kg
- njarboe 4y ago
  U-Haul rents 26' trucks to anyone with a normal US driver's license. Quite useful if you need to self-move. Pretty cool that is available to normal people. [1] https://www.uhaul.com/Truck-Rentals/26ft-Moving-Truck/ https://www.uhaul.com/Truck-Rentals/26ft-Moving-Truck/
yourusername 4y ago
D type is for busses. You can drive a Hummer on a C1 license (up to 7.5 tons) if you make sure there are only 9 seats.
- jaclaz 4y ago
  I don't know, but I believe that in that case the car needs to be registered anyway as truck (goods vehicle) or - possibly - as "special uses". Maybe I am reading the info incorrectly, but if something weights (full loaded) more than 3,500 kg is not anymore a "car" but something else, which would probably imply yearly inspections. As a reference the EU list of licenses: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/road-safety-driving-licences.html https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/road-safe...

JoeAltmaier 4y ago

Really? With semi-trailer-trucks everywhere, it's EVs that we're talking about? This sounds like somebody with an agenda.

giraffe_lady 4y ago
Semis are already explicitly banned or de facto excluded from most urban interior streets, where pedestrian and cyclist safety, and so vehicle weight, is a particular concern. The world is not all highway.
jononomo 4y ago
I believe trailer trucks require a special license to drive -- and they also tend to drive more slowly, especially in cities. Plus, they don't have incredible acceleration.
nytesky 4y ago
Semi trailers rarely mix with pedestrians at any appreciable speed. Your beefy EV SUV will be rolling by school pickup through your nearby crosswalk. But I would expect most of these cars should have automatic breaking and pedestrian detection — perhaps add some external pedestrian airbags and it will be a wash?
tengbretson 4y ago
Among the anti-car crowd the reasons seem to continuously shift, but the conclusion tends to remain the same.

jononomo 4y ago

Here are the key sentences from the article: "Vehicle safety standards mostly reflect the safety of people inside a vehicle, not those outside. And despite improvements in safety technology and car design, heavier vehicles have contributed to increasing road deaths in recent years, according to data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—particularly among pedestrians, cyclists, and people driving smaller vehicles. Now EVs are tipping the scales even further. They often combine the beefy dimensions of supersize SUVs with a battery that itself weighs as much as a small sedan. Oh, and also blazing acceleration."