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Vehicular elephantiasis is largely the result of perverse incentives from emission regulation. Make something big enough and it fits into different more lax cat
by api 1y ago
Vehicular elephantiasis is largely the result of perverse incentives from emission regulation. Make something big enough and it fits into different more lax categories. The way we do emission and mileage standards might do more harm than good unless you’re an oil company.
- adastra22 1y agoAlso the arms race of collision survivablity. I have no interest in driving a big truck, but with all the other big trucks out there I’m seriously tempted just for my own safety…
- pantalaimon 1y agoThe only logical next step is the mini-tank
- miningape 1y agoJust wait until 2050 when we all have our own killdozers [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer
- masklinn 1y agoI've been looking at the GTK Boxer since it was first announced. The modularity means you can bring the kids to school then swap the rear module for one more suited to transporting raw materials, you just need a garage equipped with a 15t crane to do the swap at home in just a few minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_WblYc4xk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_WblYc4xk
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- Spooky23 1y agoThe big trucks are not evaluated for safety to the same standard as other vehicles. They aren't rigged with exploding gas tanks anymore, but the feeling of safety is mostly psychological.
- adastra22 1y agoThat’s not the safety risk. The safety risk is not being in a big truck and getting hit by one. It’s not so much to do with the vehicle’s safety features as to (1) mass; and (2) height of the cabin.
- Spooky23 1y agoThat’s part of the issue. The safety ratings of a pickup truck do not incorporate the risk of the front end causing fatalities in collisions. The feeling of safety is part of that - drivers think they have better visibility due to seating position. They are also more likely to roll and spin out than other vehicles.
- sneak 1y agoIt isn’t an arms race, as being in those bigger vehicles only feels more safe; it isn’t actually any safer.
- adastra22 1y agoIt is much safer to be in a big truck hitting an another big truck, than in a small sedan hitting a big truck. Physics of momentum beats out safety features. Actual studies do show this: it is safer for the occupant of the truck in a two-vehicle collision. More trucks on the road make the chance of fatalities overall higher. You often find articles saying that fatalities go up when you introduce a truck, and that is true. But that's because trucks are more likely to kill pedestrians or drivers of smaller cars, NOT because of risk to the truck driver. [] It would be better if there were fewer trucks on the road. But if everyone else is buying a truck, it becomes your selfish incentive to do so as well, for the safety of your* family. It is a tragedy of the commons situation. [*] The exception is single-vehicle accidents, e.g. rollovers. Those are riskier and more likely for the driver of a truck, but also less of a concern in suburban driving.
- iambateman 1y agoI think that’s part of it, but also about 30% of men apparently have a nearly-unlimited budget for buying the biggest truck.
- mitthrowaway2 1y agoMaybe, but it's clearly worked it's way into fashions as well. The F-150 lightning doesn't have to worry about emissions categories, but it's just as elephantine as the rest, including a child-killing vision-obstructing front hood and grille whose only purpose is to enclose a frunk.
- dyauspitr 1y agoI like that’s the lightning is giant. I don’t particularly like small, low to the ground vehicles.
- masklinn 1y ago… and that’s why I bought a Marauder MPV to go get groceries.
- cosmic_cheese 1y agoNothing less than a decommissioned Abrams tank will do for taking little Billy to school!
- benregenspan 1y agoBut why is that? Is there any chance it's at least partly to protect yourself from everyone else in giant cars?
- renewiltord 1y agoI have a Subaru Forester. When I drive a sedan everyone shines their headlamps into my face. I parked my Forester behind a sedan and drove back and forth. My lights were not in their cabin. So other people drive in a way that is not compatible with my driving because I don’t want headlamps in my cabin. Occasionally there’s a lifted truck behind me and it brightens my cabin. In those moments I fantasize about placing retroreflectors all over my rear seat headrests but then I pull over and let them past and the moment passes. Besides, a HN truism is “Yield to gross tonnage”. I liked that. It makes sense that HN users who believe that if you’re big others should get out of the way also get large cars. “The cemeteries are full of people with right of way” so smaller vehicles should get out of the way of larger vehicles or risk death. It’s a good lesson. Can’t say it’s false.
- kube-system 1y agoMaybe we’ll see that change if the recent CAFE changes stick. I think the big bill passed recently set CAFE fines to zero.