And this is on purpose. The manufacturers pushing those huge trucks and SUV, because the required security and safety standards are lower.
Glad I am not living in the USA
And larger vehicles aren’t subject require to be as fuel efficient as smaller ones are.
To be more precise: fuel efficiency standards go down with the physical volume a vehicle takes up.
So every year efficiency requirement goes up, but you just update the body every few years to add a little more sheet metal and stay within your legal mandate.
Larger vehicles don't have lower safety requirements, that's just patently false. They're doing it for emissions compliance reasons as Koala said.
They have the same requirements, and need more much reinforcement to make up for all that added mass. Most of the NHTSA's tests involve either a vehicle of a set size running into the test vehicle, or the vehicle under testing to run into a wall. A heavier vehicle is going to need a lot more reinforcement to reach the same level of protection running into a wall than a lighter one.
They are less safe for pedestrians, but those requirements are all more or less the same regardless of size. Manufacturers aren't deliberately trying to make it less safe for pedestrians. They just don't really put any effort into it other than meeting those requirements, and making the "best" car outside of that.
These regulations weren't even intended for passenger vehicles. It was supposed to constrain actual work trucks.
yesterday I had a cop threatening me with more traffic violations because I asked a question (USA). He ended up never answering the question... ACAB
And that's not even with the "real man" window extensions that stick out another 3 feet to see around all the nothing they're hauling
I just cycle in the middle of the lane in UK. No one seems to mind but the odd (rare) driver but they still overtake on the incoming lane with no issues.
Who really cares if your drive is slowed down 30-90 seconds by waiting for a cyclist. Driving has a strange competitive mindset about making your journey in an "expected time". I've never understood that
There's this weird perception issue that I've noticed while driving. A car is able to cover so much distance so quickly that even small delays in time can equal a huge loss in distance.
Not that it really matters though because having to wait 30 seconds for a bicycle just means that you've lost 30 seconds. The amount of distance you have to make up is irrelevant, you're still only 30 seconds behind where you would have been.
And in any case, those same people will get to the parking lot and will circle around for minutes looking for the perfect spot closest to the front doors so they don't need to waste time walking.
My wife was a "Bikeability" (UK) teacher and this is how they teach people to cycle. Unfortunately there are too many entitled arseholes that can't bear to not be doing the speed limit 100% of the time. And I say this as a car driver.
When drivers break the law, it's to save time. When cyclists break the law, it's too save lives
We need to shrink the legal maximum vehicle width
And mandate this is the only way to add more lanes to a road, by shrink lane widths.
And owning a truck in the the US, I feel, is a status symbol for many that purchase them rather than any need for carrying/towing stuff. So extra pointless.
Edit: And even if so, they don't need to be so big.
It is, because it is marketed as such by manufacturers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKmIp9zQgAY
In this ad, the guy is hauling a total of 1 person (himself) and 0 cargo (unless you count his hat), all to just show off to his friends
I've noticed on facebook, that every anti-EV clown out there seems to think everyone is towing on a daily basis too.
The irony is, that the people who drive these large trucks are actually the people who tend to require the least towing capacity. In fact, I've maybe only ever seen 1 or 2 of those large Utes here in Australia actually tow anything remotely big. And for most tradies, Vans are actually a far better option than Utes anyway (much more secure)
Why are the values all in degrees?
Its a valiant attempt at being a smartass but it falls down since this is clearly produced in the US for an audience in the US.
All these are points for not biking on the road. Much safer just to use shortcuts and sidewalks
many places will ticket for riding bikes on sidewalks (if there are even sidewalks existing), and many people have no choice but to ride on the road for many routes because no alternative exists
not a solution the vast majority of situations
That's ridiculous
Sidewalks where I live are bumpy, interrupted by trees, signposts and trash bins and occupied by pedestrians. Much better (and ultimately safer) is to cycle in the middle of the lane to force cars to give you space. You are also more visible that way to cars from sidelanes.
This is the case with bike lanes at times. They gather debris preventing you from using them. It's frustrating.
