The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s

kelseyfrog

These are gender-affirming vehicles for a large number of men. Taking them away is a direct attack on their masculinity. When we say, "Men are under attack," it refers to things like this. Regardless of any safety claims, for that reason alone, I don't see it as a politically viable issue.

ortusdux

Does the added risk translate proportionally to increased insurance costs? Or is there an imbalance? When I was a teen getting insurance for the first time, certain vehicle colors were significantly more expensive to insure, and that fact factored into my car buying decisions.

protocolture

I have 360 degree cameras (at toddler height), auto braking, every conceivable safety mechanism. I really think that once these are implemented, any hatred of large vehicles is just jealousy.

adamsb6

No mention of CAFE standards? How can you write this article without mentioning the policy that incentivizes larger vehicles?

avalys

There are many factors driving this: 1. Fuel economy regulations that scale regressively with vehicle size, that incentivize automakers to build and market larger vehicles that are easier to hit regulatory targets. 2. Rollover and crash worthiness regulations that require thicker A-pillars and more robust roof structure. 3. Towing performance. The large pickup manufacturers are in an arms race to beat each other’s power and towing capacity numbers. This requires a large, upright grille to provide adequate cooling for a large engine. 4. Consumer demand. The idea that marketing is telling people what to buy is silly. People are spending $80k+ on massive vehicles because they like them. Simple as that. The industry puts lot of marketing effort behind vehicles that are flops. They can’t make people buy a product they don’t want. Disclaimer: I own a huge diesel pickup, along with a Tesla Model Y and a Porsche 911. Why? They’re fun! I use the pickup to tow an RV, but it’s also just fun to drive. I have definitely noticed the visibility problem though. Forget pedestrians, sometimes entire cars are hiding behind the A-pillar! You have to move your head to the side to clear the blind spot safely.

tasty_freeze

Recent Climate Town video on the move to trucks and SUVs: https://youtu.be/JPm4de6-eTg?si=Eu1y3uQIeCGnkR_2 If you don't know Rollie Williams, Climate Town videos are informative but suffused with a lot of humor to prevent it from being too preachy.

recursivedoubts

all we want are 70-series land cruisers, prados and suzuki jimnys end the idiotic chicken tax and make small trucks and utes legal again while we are on the topic, full size vans make a lot more sense than "suvs" for most families

xnx

Unfortunately, in the car size arms race, bigger and heavier cars are safer for their occupants. "Everyone outside the car be damned" is the expressed preference of US buyers.

RickJWagner

Yes, this is a problem. Look at a typical truck from the 90s or so, they are tiny compared to today’s trucks. The same thing is true of cars. Today’s civic is as big as an accord used to be. There is no Del Sol. We need to turn the incentive knobs that worked so successfully on consumption so we now work on vehicle size. Also, about the center of gravity discussion: I used to have an old friend that spent decades in business running a body shop. I asked him once what was the worst animal for causing vehicle damage. ( This was in rural South Dakota. I was thinking cow, horse, maybe bison. ) Nope. He said most animals would go up and over the hood, just like the people in the article. He said pigs were the worst. They stay low, going right into the car and not bouncing over. Often resulting in a total loss for that car.