These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us

Here's a video I wish I could make every American watch ▶ this video It provides a deep-dive video into the history of how we got to the situation we're in today with American cars exploding in size. It actually has its origins in Obama-era legislation for emissions standards that made an exception for "light trucks". SUVs are legally classified as light trucks so the industry has massively pushed these tanks onto the consumer promising more safety. It has led to a dramatic decrease in public safety and pedestrian deaths that is unique to the US. One contributor to these deaths is literally parents running over their own children in their own driveways. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY. The video goes over the visibility issues with these trucks, how our safety regulations fail to account for them (light trucks only need to be tested in collision with other light trucks) and also covers how modern trucks have the same carrying capacity as pickup trucks from 30 years ago (the main thing that's increased is the hull and cabin size) while being harder to use for actual work since the bed is higher offer the ground

Just do yourself a favour and watch this video[0], you might learn why SUVs and in general cars with a taller bumper height are more dangerous. .0: ▶ this video

As a European I was really surprised why SUVs are so popular in the US, making biking extremely dangerous. This documentary was quite eye-opening for me: ▶ this video Similarly in Germany we’re building a new Autobahn in the middle of a city (Berlin) under extreme costs, while still neglecting investment in trains, because we’re a car country.

I’m not sure how it relates to passenger safety regulations, but it is true that in the US there is a lower set of fuel efficiency and safety requirements for light trucks. And SUVs are classified as light trucks, hence the push by manufacturers for people to buy SUVs. Not Just Bikes has a pretty extensive video on it: ▶ this video

> That's the first time I hear this argument. SUVs and the like exploit a loophole in various standards like fuel efficiency requirements because they are not "cars" but "Light trucks" and therefore those standards don't apply to them; which makes them cheaper to design and build for automotive companies. The "Light trucks" category was supposed to be used for light commercial vehicles, not personal vehicles but then the law of unintended consequences had a love-child with profit seeking corporations and their linguistic games. Literally the only reason SUVs and trucks became popular is because the automotive manufacturers could make more money doing it that way and convinced the consumers to buy them. NotJustBikes did a good intro video on the subject. * link * ▶ this video

On that note, there's the video essay "These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us" ▶ this video , which includes various statistics and some striking visual examples of the absolutely absurd grill heights of modern production vehicles.

Not Just Bikes, a YouTuber made a video about increasing vehicle sizes in the US and why you may be interested in ▶ this video

These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us [1] explains in detail how "trucks" overtook "cars" as the most popular vehicle in the US, and legislation that lead to that. (Quotes because the words refer to the legal definition of trucks/cars.) [1] ▶ this video

> Article didn't mention CAFE (which is the reason for larger sizes) nor chicken tax (which makes, even if they qualified under CAFE, foreign small trucks economically non-viable). I was pointed to the article from the just-posted Not Just Bikes video "These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us", which does go over those things: * ▶ this video The point of the Axios article, which comes up at the 25m25s point in the NJB video, goes towards the point that the pickup truck has actually become less practical over the decades. And to the idea that most folks would be better served with a station wagon or perhaps a minivan. Trucks have gone from the cargo bed being >60% of the usable length (ignoring the engine), to the (crew) cab being >60% of the useable length. Pickup trucks gone from thing-haulers to people-haulers, in which case, why bother with that form factor?

Not Just Bikes video on the same subject today: ▶ this video It's crazy to see how much trucks have blown up in the last few years. They clog up parking lots, barely fit in parking garages (let alone personal garages), blind me at night with their too-high too-bright headlights, and completely block cross-street vision for anything except other trucks when they park on the street. A complete failure of US govt regulation. At this point I hope gas prices go through the roof and punish these truck owners for their selfish decisionmaking.

Not Just Bikes just released a very relevant video about the very real problems that SUVs and modern trucks have on urban environments. ▶ this video

The Grille Trend that Kills 509 People per Year link video discussed previously link These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us ▶ this video The original designer wanted the truck to feel like you were driving a fist, punching through the air. So we are killing people so that the driver can have an aggressive aesthetic. And the design has spread like a contagious meme, even BMWs have it now.