The downside of heavy, overpowered trucks and SUVs

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I can't read the article, but I do know that some 7 people here close by have been ran over (most were killed) by big, overpowered SUV's and pickups. I don't know of any that have been ran over by underpowered sedans. This is in a town with a max speed limit of 25mph on all streets except the main drag, which is 35mph (and the 20mph school zone). One was killed in the 15mph town just north of here.

On of the problems with big vehicles is you won't stop for what you cannot see. This is why school buses have cross-over mirrors (halfmoon mirrors) in the front. These should be mandatory on any vehicle that you can't see a toddler in front of you.

https://www.printfriendly.com/ will get you past most paywalls including this one.

You didn't miss much though. The very common sense topics are:

Vehicles are getting larger and heavier and have been for decades
EVs weigh more than regular cars
Larger and heavier vehicles require more resources
Larger and heavier vehicles are less efficient
Heavy vehicles do more damage when they hit something in a crash
Higher hood heights reduce visibility.
People like fast cars
Car buyers only care about their own safety not the safety of other road users.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

https://www.printfriendly.com/ will get you past most paywalls including this one.

You didn't miss much though. The very common sense topics are:

Vehicles are getting larger and heavier and have been for decades
EVs weigh more than regular cars
Larger and heavier vehicles require more resources
Larger and heavier vehicles are less efficient
Heavy vehicles do more damage when they hit something in a crash
Higher hood heights reduce visibility.
People like fast cars
Car buyers only care about their own safety not the safety of other road users.

Thanks!

Sounds exactly like what I had imagined.

It also reminds me of the ride height paradox. People used to say they wanted an SUV or pickup so they could see over everyone else. Well, now that everyone else drives an SUV or pickup, that reasoning doesn't hold water anymore.

Same with safety. People thought being in the bigger vehicle would make them safer than all the small vehicles. Then everyone else got bigger vehicles. ABC news said that every 1,000lbs more a vehicle weighs makes an accident 10% more likely to kill someone and that road safety is actually dropping in recent years (after decades of getting better) due to people opting for bigger vehicles.

[redpoint5]

I never wanted to see over traffic, I wanted to see through it. When all the cars were the same size, I could see through the windshield of the car ahead of me. Now I just see the bumper of the guy ahead.

As Jason pointed out before, some of the size increase is just comfort. People want to sit upright and not extend their legs far forward due to a low seating position.

Bad drivers wanting larger vehicles for safety does annoy me. Why should everyone else be in peril because you're a bad driver AND purchased a more dangerous vehicle? My sister is a horrible driver, and she got a brand new 4runner. Guess it's not as bad as an Escalade.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Thanks!

Sounds exactly like what I had imagined.

It also reminds me of the ride height paradox. People used to say they wanted an SUV or pickup so they could see over everyone else. Well, now that everyone else drives an SUV or pickup, that reasoning doesn't hold water anymore.

Even being level with the rest of traffic is a big improvement over being lower than everyone else. I've noticed this since we got our Acura TSX about a year ago. Not only is it a car but it sits low too - much lower than my Bolt. If even something small like a CRV pulls up next to me I can't see left to turn right on red.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

Even being level with the rest of traffic is a big improvement over being lower than everyone else. I've noticed this since we got our Acura TSX about a year ago. Not only is it a car but it sits low too - much lower than my Bolt. If even something small like a CRV pulls up next to me I can't see left to turn right on red.

True. When I come up to a stop sign with a right turn lane, I know I'll have to wait until all the vehicles going forward or left have cleared out before I can turn right.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I see two problems, one the operator. SUV and pickup drivers seem to be overconfident.

People in my country often say the Toyota Hilux is prone to rollover, but hey, when it's driven like a Golf, any truck might be prone to rollover...

[Should be biking]

On top of the extra weight the bumpers are becoming completely incompatible with normal cars. Especially the lifted trucks make me wonder if I’d be safer in a wedge shaped car. Instead of getting crushed could you make the truck just drive over the hood and roof?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Maybe that would be easier to jump over such a wedge shaped car while riding a dirt-bike too

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Back in '99, Fiat released in Brazil an off-road themed version for the Palio Weekend station-wagon, targetting SUV buyers who didn't use the part-time 4WD so often to justify it. Odd enough, it still has better ground clearance than some modern crossover SUVs, which BTW sometimes don't even feature 4WD or AWD option in the Brazilian market anymore, yet are still bulkier and with a higher center of gravity just like previous generations of SUVs to which the Fiat Palio Adventure was meant to be a contender...

[Nissandriver]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

It also reminds me of the ride height paradox. People used to say they wanted an SUV or pickup so they could see over everyone else. Well, now that everyone else drives an SUV or pickup, that reasoning doesn't hold water anymore.

In the 1980s my brother was so proud he could see over the cars in his tall pickup. The thought that came to my mind was, ¨an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.¨

I lowered my 240SX an inch. There were places it was difficult to cross the highway because the weeds would block my view. I noticed one time at a traffic light that if I looked at the Corvette in front of me that my eye level was lower than the top of his shoulders.