As pedestrian and cyclist deaths rise, the growing size and weight of American vehicles are making streets more dangerous. Here's some solutions: tax oversized vehicles, improve safety ratings and make smaller electric vehicles a more practical option for everyday trips.
It’s the fault of the manufacturers in the same way that sugar consumption or (taken to an extreme) tobacco is the fault of the manufacturers. Advertising. Decades of advertising, showing people doing tough, aspirational, and/or fun activities with their mega-truck.
There’s absolutely a really big component that is individual responsibility but advertising is there.
Also, the dearth of immensely practical station wagons and small cars doesn’t help.
I recently spoke with a local mechanic who bought an earlier CVT USA release. They plan to rebuild the transmission, but said more recent releases perform and last. I’m not particularly impressed with them either, especially for distance. My main gripes: the fluid enters and exits in the same place, they go on a rack to do either, the fluid doesn’t completely drain, and (unless something’s changed) the box is sealed. And trade in value is nil so the dealership can clear a few grand.
I would prefer Trollies, light rail, EV busses with solar, but manufacturers, dealerships, parts wholesalers, tire and petroleum conglomerates apparently go through a lot of avacado toast and Staryucks on their private planes and megayachts. 🤷♀️
They killed it because they could make more money selling larger vehicles, because people would be willing to pay more for larger vehicles. If they wanted to get the same profit margin on a Fiesta, it would never worked because nobody would have bought them.
Anyway, one thing that is definitely true is that our Mad Max roadways push people into bigger and bigger cars just to feel safer from the bigger and bigger cars, and this after decades of being chased off bikes and sneakers because cars make every form of transit worse. That’s a failure of regulation, 100%.
So is it people that are idiots, or corporations and government that are evil for allowing them to be sold? Idk. I’d say 50 50.
I cringe seeing co workers $80k pickups they just bought to haul their 1 kid around (never once towed or touched dirt) .Oh and theyre bankrupt so no fucking clue how theyre affording all this shit.
It’s the fault of the manufacturers in the same way that sugar consumption or (taken to an extreme) tobacco is the fault of the manufacturers. Advertising. Decades of advertising, showing people doing tough, aspirational, and/or fun activities with their mega-truck.
There’s absolutely a really big component that is individual responsibility but advertising is there.
Also, the dearth of immensely practical station wagons and small cars doesn’t help.
Don’t forget they’ve made all the vehicles larger to loophole gas mileage regulations so the available options have all grown in size
They killed the fiesta,focus, and Subaru wagons. Ford doesnt make a car now except the mustang.
You cannot buy a small pickup. The Tacoma is massive now. The Maverick (idiot name) is not a pickup its a fwd car with a box.
The vehicle landscape is idiotic in the US. Sure now you can get a wrx wagon…CVT only 🤮🤮
All the good cars were made pre 2014.
I recently spoke with a local mechanic who bought an earlier CVT USA release. They plan to rebuild the transmission, but said more recent releases perform and last. I’m not particularly impressed with them either, especially for distance. My main gripes: the fluid enters and exits in the same place, they go on a rack to do either, the fluid doesn’t completely drain, and (unless something’s changed) the box is sealed. And trade in value is nil so the dealership can clear a few grand.
I would prefer Trollies, light rail, EV busses with solar, but manufacturers, dealerships, parts wholesalers, tire and petroleum conglomerates apparently go through a lot of avacado toast and Staryucks on their private planes and megayachts. 🤷♀️
They killed it because they could make more money selling larger vehicles, because people would be willing to pay more for larger vehicles. If they wanted to get the same profit margin on a Fiesta, it would never worked because nobody would have bought them.
Anyway, one thing that is definitely true is that our Mad Max roadways push people into bigger and bigger cars just to feel safer from the bigger and bigger cars, and this after decades of being chased off bikes and sneakers because cars make every form of transit worse. That’s a failure of regulation, 100%.
So is it people that are idiots, or corporations and government that are evil for allowing them to be sold? Idk. I’d say 50 50.
I cringe seeing co workers $80k pickups they just bought to haul their 1 kid around (never once towed or touched dirt) .Oh and theyre bankrupt so no fucking clue how theyre affording all this shit.
80? That’s a steal.
Hey my 2017 Bolt is a great car. Too bad they killed it in '23 and their 2026 “relaunch” is super limited and also a crossover SUV for some reason.
Maverick has AWD option though not true 4wd.
Ya they do
The Maverick is a station wagon with part of the roof removed, like a present day El Camino. Change my mind.
These fucking capitalist candy makers making candy so sweet! How dare they!
I just do not share that perspective at all. It is the job of corporations to maximize their profit by exploiting what people want.
And it’s the job of government to regulate them when nessecary