The biggest thing is that safety standards vary for what the congress defines as a “truck” vs a “car”. Trucks are moneymakers and the big 3 automakers historic

The biggest thing is that safety standards vary for what the congress defines as a “truck” vs a “car”. Trucks are moneymakers and the big 3 automakers historically lobby hard to stop changes. Change = lost margin. Up until the 90s, full size pickups had saddle tanks that were likely to explode in a side collision, for example. Doors didn’t require crash safety reinforcement, etc. A lot of that has been addressed by regulators, but the hood height thing has not. Car hoods are designed to catch and roll pedestrians. A low speed hit will hurt and probably result in injury. With a newer pickup truck, some of which require cameras to even see the road in front, you get knocked down, crack your head on the pavement, and likely get run over.