Outside of the US the kinds of people that drive these stupidly large vehicles are generally speaking entitled pricks or men who need it as an extension of their 'manliness' or a combo of both. So I am always extra vigilant around them because you know they won't be signalling or paying any attention to other road users 90℅ of the time.
my bane are the 30 something women that seem to have a very well earning husband, drive around the SUV to drop off /pick up the kids at school and do groceries when normal people work.Telltale sign is them wearing huge sunglasses no matter the weather and often being distracted on a phone call while driving with one hand.
I had a lot of close calls with thse kind of scummy drivers, more so than men. But it could also be because my way to work goes through the posh quarter and i avoid the main streets. Did i mention in thos that the streets have cars parking on both sides, so there is only 1.5 lanes in the middle, where small cars can pass each other, but big brain big car drivers regularly shout at each other that the other one should make way for them?
Yeh, you are describing exactly the kind of person I meant under the "entitled prick" moniker. Driving their special edition Range Rover supercharged V8 to do the school run each day whilst bitching to Candice on their phone and not paying much attention to the road beyond confirming they are still moving in a vaguely forward direction.
Crossovers are becoming way more popular than sedans in Europe. And crossovers also have a high front end. It’s not just the SUV driven by agro men that are a danger for cyclist.
And I've nearly been hit by a soccer mom in a SUV last week in Germany. I honestly don't care about the driver's gender, aggression level or colour of the car, they are stupid and I don't want to get hit by them.
The term 'SUV' is also used a bit differently in Europe, they usually include smaller vehicles like crossovers.
In the US crossover has always been short for crossover suv as far as I know.
And at least in Germany a SUV usually is a car without a reason s to exist and the other are cars that at least have a purpose in some cases. You might drive to a far off weather station up a steep climb in a Range Rover. You'll only roam your neighbourhood in a Nissan Puke.
Inside the US, too
Outside of the US the kinds of people that drive these stupidly large vehicles are generally speaking entitled pricks or men who need it as an extension of their 'manliness' or a combo of both.
That's weird, it's often true inside the US as well. Generally its an oversized truck/SUV that has had some sort of mods or acceessories put on it (Lift, lights, wheels that stick out, artificial plastic testicles, etc) that are driven by the problem people. A plain, basic F150 or whatever is probably a company truck.
I doubt companies buy F150s because of the reduced carrying capacity (the side walls of the truck slope inwards) and the danger to other road users. Unless the bed of the truck is modded to have toolboxes or a crane or something.
I’d love it if cars in the US got smaller again. People everywhere else in the world get by ok without having a pickup the size of a semi truck. Don’t know why it’s so accepted in the US.
I can tell you: it's CAFE regulations.
I get that but imo anybody who drives a big truck or suv should be shunned by society.
There is a large part of society that has essentially built a parallel society, specifically to support people like this
Yep. Name and shame 'em.
It should be socially embarrassing to be seen driving one. Then only people who need them for their utility will keep using them.
How do we fix those or get rid of them?
Congress passed the bill back in the 70s. They'd have to pass another bill to undo it. With corporate lobbying from the auto manufacturers it's very unlikely. They make bank on SUVs and trucks. Hell, the only model Ford sells that isn't a truck or SUV is the Mustang.
I would love if the US had kei cars. Or a class of smaller cheaper electric cars (the kind you see on Alibaba/amazon) with a top speed of forty mph https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car
They don't need to be cheap or low quality either. There are premium cars like Honda e. And regular all rounders like Nissan Sakura.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhood_Electric_Vehicle
This exists. Not quite 40 but still.
Microcars don't really work in the US because nearly all road development is designed around allowing everyone to get anywhere in a very big very fast car.
What is the benefit to owning a small or slow car in most parts of the US?
That's why I would like it to have a top speed of 40mph. I would like a small car that I can ride the rather short distance to work or a store in all weather and be able to keep up with the average speed limit of 30.
I got hit (T-bone collision) by a work van this summer and it had a slanted nose so that the point of contact was between the bumper and the side of my front wheel. But because of the lever action between the traction of the wheels and the sideways motion at the point of contact, I was thrown sideways onto the ground in the direction the van was moving. If the nose was taller, I probably would've broken my arm or my leg due to a higher impact on the side. But a lot of my bruises (no broken bones yay) were where I touched the ground or where the bike was violently moved between my legs (my body colliding with the bike seat and the frame).
In Denver, a cyclist died in a collision. And then, the bright, white-painted memorial bicycle at the site, surrounded by candles and flowers was crashed into by another vehicle!
My old Honda has a low and slanted front end (kind of like a wedge). At the time, Honda was crowing about enhanced pedestrian safety and how the wedge would scoop the pedestrian (or cyclist) up onto the hood rather than tossing them under the car.
Dunno about that, but I can say it is far easier to see over the nose of that old Honda than over the damn nose of newer cars I’ve driven.
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