5 ms·

Spending a little time in Japan, it is hard not to see the general difference in size of vehicle compared to what I'm used to seeing in the US. I'm incredibly

by taeric 2y ago

Spending a little time in Japan, it is hard not to see the general difference in size of vehicle compared to what I'm used to seeing in the US. I'm incredibly curious to know if other nations have similarly small cars compared to the states? I'm also very curious on other impacts the vehicle sizes have on things. Easy to think it contributes to so many cyclist with basically no helmets. Curious if data backs that.

KineticLensman 2y ago
(Brit here) Europe in general has smaller cars than the US – here’s an Economist article [0] that claims ours are 20% smaller. I personally find it interesting that to many Brits, ‘truck’ means something like a semi, not a F-150. One factor here in the UK is that many of our cities and towns predate cars (sometimes by centuries) and consequently the roads and streets are much smaller. Such that giant cars are a real nuisance for both the driver and everyone else. But there is a definite trend toward larger vehicles, as can be seen by how difficult it is to get them into older parking infrastructure. [0] https://archive.vn/wusnE https://archive.vn/wusnE
- arethuza 2y ago
  It's not just cities and towns, a lot of rural areas (particularly in Scotland) have single track roads with passing spaces i.e. a single lane, not a single lane in both directions.
YokoZar 2y ago
Japan has vehicle weight taxes, which directly incentivizes what you observed there.
steveBK123 2y ago
These comparisons are always interesting because there are malevolent assumptions one can make about US car size, but there are also Occam's razor convenience aspects / differences in demographics. Compare to Europe and Japan, US has - MUCH lower energy costs, larger family sizes, much further travel distances, and smaller % of population in pre-modern urban areas with pre-automobile sized roads. Add to that a less top-down centralized government in the US and the resulting lack of mass transit, particularly inter-city, and you end up with more people, driving bigger cars, further.
- happosai 2y ago
  Yet most of American traffic is single-occupant commuting. There is no reason why they need big-ass SUV or truck for that. Burn the planet while making fun on of Prius drivers.
  - steveBK123 2y ago
    I drive an EV, I don't make fun of Prius drivers. Unfortunately due to duration / cost of ownership, families over-purchase in terms of vehicle capacity. Yes, dad maybe does most of his driving to work alone in the car. But on weekends he needs to be able to lug the kids around in their giant baby seats, strollers, etc. So most parents I know end up owning 2 vehicles of sufficient size for their overall needs. I know some families that have an extra car for commuting on top of the 2 family sized cars but this itself is something of a luxury.
    - vel0city 2y ago
      > But on weekends he needs to be able to lug the kids around in their giant baby seats, strollers, etc. Sure, but Dad doesn't need 3,000lbs of payload capacity and a 6ft+ bed and wheel spacers and an extra lift kit to carry a stroller. I've got two kids and a two-child stroller. There's more than enough space in something the size of a Mach E or a Model 3/Y to have multiple kids in car seats and all their stuff. In the end pretty much all of that could have fit in my old Accord as well.
      - steveBK123 2y ago
        Kind of a straw man.. yes plenty of people have cars that are too big. But a TON of people have vehicles in the MachE/ModelY crossover footprint. Look at how every brand has 3 cars that size and they all look the same. All of these, including your old accord are bigger than a Prius.
        vel0city 2y ago
        I live in North Texas. If this is a strawman then I live in a city mostly populated by strawmen. Crows don't stand a chance in Dallas.
eleveriven 2y ago
I think the size of vehicles can influence cycling culture
numpad0 2y ago
US cars are notorious for their track widths, more so than in volume in "those obese Americans and stupid pickups" sense. It probably grant cars high speed stability to take full advantage of American freeway network, but it also gives a major market disadvantage to American car exports. Tesla Model S is wider than Mercedes G-Class, a literal military transport. That's something.

by taeric 2y ago

KineticLensman 2y ago

(Brit here) Europe in general has smaller cars than the US – here’s an Economist article [0] that claims ours are 20% smaller. I personally find it interesting that to many Brits, ‘truck’ means something like a semi, not a F-150. One factor here in the UK is that many of our cities and towns predate cars (sometimes by centuries) and consequently the roads and streets are much smaller. Such that giant cars are a real nuisance for both the driver and everyone else. But there is a definite trend toward larger vehicles, as can be seen by how difficult it is to get them into older parking infrastructure. [0] https://archive.vn/wusnE https://archive.vn/wusnE

arethuza 2y ago
It's not just cities and towns, a lot of rural areas (particularly in Scotland) have single track roads with passing spaces i.e. a single lane, not a single lane in both directions.

YokoZar 2y ago

Japan has vehicle weight taxes, which directly incentivizes what you observed there.

steveBK123 2y ago

These comparisons are always interesting because there are malevolent assumptions one can make about US car size, but there are also Occam's razor convenience aspects / differences in demographics. Compare to Europe and Japan, US has - MUCH lower energy costs, larger family sizes, much further travel distances, and smaller % of population in pre-modern urban areas with pre-automobile sized roads. Add to that a less top-down centralized government in the US and the resulting lack of mass transit, particularly inter-city, and you end up with more people, driving bigger cars, further.

happosai 2y ago
Yet most of American traffic is single-occupant commuting. There is no reason why they need big-ass SUV or truck for that. Burn the planet while making fun on of Prius drivers.
- steveBK123 2y ago
  I drive an EV, I don't make fun of Prius drivers. Unfortunately due to duration / cost of ownership, families over-purchase in terms of vehicle capacity. Yes, dad maybe does most of his driving to work alone in the car. But on weekends he needs to be able to lug the kids around in their giant baby seats, strollers, etc. So most parents I know end up owning 2 vehicles of sufficient size for their overall needs. I know some families that have an extra car for commuting on top of the 2 family sized cars but this itself is something of a luxury.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    > But on weekends he needs to be able to lug the kids around in their giant baby seats, strollers, etc. Sure, but Dad doesn't need 3,000lbs of payload capacity and a 6ft+ bed and wheel spacers and an extra lift kit to carry a stroller. I've got two kids and a two-child stroller. There's more than enough space in something the size of a Mach E or a Model 3/Y to have multiple kids in car seats and all their stuff. In the end pretty much all of that could have fit in my old Accord as well.
    - steveBK123 2y ago
      Kind of a straw man.. yes plenty of people have cars that are too big. But a TON of people have vehicles in the MachE/ModelY crossover footprint. Look at how every brand has 3 cars that size and they all look the same. All of these, including your old accord are bigger than a Prius.
      - vel0city 2y ago
        I live in North Texas. If this is a strawman then I live in a city mostly populated by strawmen. Crows don't stand a chance in Dallas.

eleveriven 2y ago

I think the size of vehicles can influence cycling culture

numpad0 2y ago

US cars are notorious for their track widths, more so than in volume in "those obese Americans and stupid pickups" sense. It probably grant cars high speed stability to take full advantage of American freeway network, but it also gives a major market disadvantage to American car exports. Tesla Model S is wider than Mercedes G-Class, a literal military transport. That's something.