4 ms·

american's 4 wheel car shape, while incredibly safe is now an impediment to movility innovation

SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
I don't think it's as simple as "American vehicle trends are very safe" "ongoing pedestrian safety crisis in the US in which fatalities are at a 40-year high and the number of pedestrians killed has increased by 80 percent since hitting a low in 2009." https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/14/23960624/truck-suv-hood-height-pedestrian-death-report-iihs https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/14/23960624/truck-suv-hood-...
- genter 3y ago
  American vehicles are very safe, for the people inside of them.
- frumper 3y ago
  The overall number is quite small. Looking at the number going back to 70s and it's practically flat, while population has grown 50% since 1975. https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedestrians https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedes... This is hardly a crisis.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
    "practically flat" i.e. increasing again, erasing recent gains, is no great victory when the number in other comparable countries is still decreasing.
throwaway4220 3y ago
Also have to consider safety for the pedestrian which I think may be better for a 3 wheeler?
- jajko 3y ago
  Safety of all passengers certainly is not, just look at it. Easy to trip, roll, break necks, crush folks inside.
  - pcthrowaway 3y ago
    Plus no seatbelts in many (all?) that I've ridden in
- pcthrowaway 3y ago
  If we're comparing to the 3-wheel design common in India, I'm not sure about that actually. I saw a video recently that showed how cars with a lower front profile do much less damage in collisions with pedestrians (because the pedestrians roll over the top I guess) compared to higher front profiles (which ensure the pedestrian takes the full force of the impact or even gets knocked in front of the vehicle and then run over) The 3-wheel design wouldn't allow for pedestrians in collisions "rolling over the top" but perhaps it's narrow enough that they could be knocked off to the side more easily? At the very least, being run over by one is probably much less dangerous than being run over by a larger car closer to the typical size in the western world.
- bluGill 3y ago
  Maybe a little, but they are still heavy enough to be deadly if hit at speed.
Zigurd 3y ago
Iin 2023 Mercedes showed a lightweight aero-efficient EV concept with a 620 mile range using a relatively small battery. That kind of thing will eventually feed into a virtuous cycle for EVs: less battery weight means lower cost means more range.
kjs3 3y ago
While it's fashionable to blame us for everything, Gottlieb Daimler beat us to it.

I don't think it's as simple as "American vehicle trends are very safe" "ongoing pedestrian safety crisis in the US in which fatalities are at a 40-year high and the number of pedestrians killed has increased by 80 percent since hitting a low in 2009." https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/14/23960624/truck-suv-hood-height-pedestrian-death-report-iihs https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/14/23960624/truck-suv-hood-...

genter 3y ago
American vehicles are very safe, for the people inside of them.
frumper 3y ago
The overall number is quite small. Looking at the number going back to 70s and it's practically flat, while population has grown 50% since 1975. https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedestrians https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedes... This is hardly a crisis.
- SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
  "practically flat" i.e. increasing again, erasing recent gains, is no great victory when the number in other comparable countries is still decreasing.

throwaway4220 3y ago

Also have to consider safety for the pedestrian which I think may be better for a 3 wheeler?

jajko 3y ago
Safety of all passengers certainly is not, just look at it. Easy to trip, roll, break necks, crush folks inside.
- pcthrowaway 3y ago
  Plus no seatbelts in many (all?) that I've ridden in
pcthrowaway 3y ago
If we're comparing to the 3-wheel design common in India, I'm not sure about that actually. I saw a video recently that showed how cars with a lower front profile do much less damage in collisions with pedestrians (because the pedestrians roll over the top I guess) compared to higher front profiles (which ensure the pedestrian takes the full force of the impact or even gets knocked in front of the vehicle and then run over) The 3-wheel design wouldn't allow for pedestrians in collisions "rolling over the top" but perhaps it's narrow enough that they could be knocked off to the side more easily? At the very least, being run over by one is probably much less dangerous than being run over by a larger car closer to the typical size in the western world.
bluGill 3y ago
Maybe a little, but they are still heavy enough to be deadly if hit at speed.

Zigurd 3y ago

Iin 2023 Mercedes showed a lightweight aero-efficient EV concept with a 620 mile range using a relatively small battery. That kind of thing will eventually feed into a virtuous cycle for EVs: less battery weight means lower cost means more range.

kjs3 3y ago

While it's fashionable to blame us for everything, Gottlieb Daimler beat us to it.