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Feel? And how do you think your post reads, as fact or sentiment? If a) vehicles cause pollution. b) pollution is bad. c) bigger vehicles cause more polluti
by nso 3y ago
Feel? And how do you think your post reads, as fact or sentiment?
If
a) vehicles cause pollution.
b) pollution is bad.
c) bigger vehicles cause more pollution than smaller vehicles.
than naturally it would follow that
d) if a vehicle is oversized for the owners use cases that is bad.
How can we avoid d? Taxes seem to work as deterrent, just look how angry everyone gets when you add a new one.
Literally this very form of tax is one of the main reasons why in countries where the avg. person is wealthier than the avg. american (norway is a good example) drive significantly smaller (and less polluting) cars.
- avalys 3y agoWho decides if the vehicle is oversized for the owner's use case? Why not leave that decision to the owner? There are lots of small cars you can buy. People don't buy them. They want bigger cars. I would rather make that decision myself, rather than some government bureaucrat deciding he is going to overrule my own preference.
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoAs someone who could potentially get killed by people driving cars, I would rather not let every random moron decide whether or not their vehicle is safe enough to drive on public roads.
- hdhuegau6hfhd 3y agoBut won't those morons just be replaced by morons on bikes, scooters and bicycles? Is that actually better for end user?
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoMy chances of being seriously injured by being hit by a moron in an SUV are astronomically higher than my chances of being seriously injured by being hit by a moron on a bike.
- hdhuegau6hfhd 3y agoStatistically unlikely given that SUV carries more people, which translates into higher moron encounter chance since more morons are now forced onto other mode of transport. You just increased your odds. As for seriously, have you ever seen a bike accident?
- nikanj 3y agoI don’t know lots about physics, but I’d much rather be hit by a 40lbs bike going 12mph than a 5000lbs truck going 45mph
- autokad 3y agoit depends on what you mean. I seen the hospital data (can't share it) and per capita bikes send more pedestrians to the hospital with series injury than cars - however cars have a higher kill rate. One such woman walking down Locust Walk (University of PA) suffered severe brain damage and no longer can move all of her limbs. I can't tell you how many times I was nearly clipped by bikes speeding past me (at car speeds) and missed me by a few inches. Luckily the campus police started to prevent bicyclists from using Locust Walk. but its a stupid argument anyways. we aren't comparing cars to bikes in this conversation. Many people can't use bikes. I'm sure in your bigoted mind (everyone should do as I see fit) that you didn't consider disabled persons, elderly, or even people with say - broken legs, but needless to say bikes are not for everyone. Thats not even taking into account bikes cant satisfy the vast majority of traveling needs of Americans. We aren't Europe. Our cities are bigger and things are further apart. Nor is bikes the one size fits all solution in the EU.
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoMany people can't drive cars either. Making cities less car-centric generally increases accessibility, not reduces it.
- nikanj 3y agoI’d rather be seriously injured than killed, yes. I think most people would pick the same. If you observe the rush hour traffic for an hour, how many of those people have broken legs, severe disabilities or a debilitating case of elderly? The majority of people are not disabled, and the fact some people might need cars is no excuse for everyone driving a massive SUV
- SketchySeaBeast 3y agoCar travel innately has a lot of regulation and concerns around them, and that ship has long sailed. Would you consider the arguments: Who decides the owner can't drive the vehicle? Why not leave that decision to the driver? or Who decides vehicles must have lights? Shouldn't we leave that decision to the owner? As equally valid?
- bryanlarsen 3y agoEven in Norway the owner decides. If you decide you need a massive gasoline vehicle in Norway, you can buy one. It'll just cost you a lot more than a small EV.
- fifilura 3y agoIf your car makes a bigger environmental footprint. Why should you not pay for it? It is not "government telling you what to do", it is you paying for your sh*t.
- nso 3y agoThe tax would be an incentive to give it a good think about what you actually need to be driving. Need and want are not the same thing. We for example need to breathe clean air. You seem to want to drive a big vehicle. If you need to drive a big vehicle then ok, just pay to offset for the added pollution.
- quadrifoliate 3y agoBy this same token you could argue for no licensing being necessary for operating vehicles either. Why not leave that decision to the owner as well? They know best whether they can operate the vehicle or not! As commenters have pointed out, the big problem here is that your car can kill other people. If you want to make decisions without being bound by regulation, choose a different avenue that doesn't harm other people.