That bumper is eye level with me. He could have probably decapitated me if he reversed with enough determination.
It’s hard out there for small car people when everyone else is in an arms race to be as big as possible.
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You don’t have a small car. You have a normal car.
I have Subaru Crosstrek, it’s like a lifted Impreza (around the size of a VW Golf but a couple inches more suspension and chassis lift, for the parts of the world that don’t have them).
I have trouble reaching the driver thru windows at newer places because they’ve redesigned around these fucking stupidly tall trucks.
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normal size car problems*
My wife said it’s a fine size. After all it’s the driving technique that matters, not the size.
As a euro truck sim addict I can confirm this
Yes. These should be made illegal, or restricted from on-road use. As trucks increase in size and height, there are studies that they become more and more dangerous. They should be banned for safety reasons.
I don’t think banning them but, going the direction the EU did would bd nice, large vehicles require a different class license I’ve been told
Several US states have requirements on a minimum bumper height and restrict things like how far tires can extend from the wheel well.
There is scientific consensus - to the point of being unanimous as far as I know - that these raised vehicles pose a significantly increased danger to pedestrians and to other vehicles. There is entirely a legal precedent to pass laws that say things like bumpers can be no more than six inches from the ground and that driver visibility must be cleared to within a foot of the front bumper.
In the US, these issues are largely handled at the state level, although there are some federal regulations in place. When I was a teenager in Jersey, they required annual inspections that included testing for operational lights, braking efficiency, emissions, and so on. In New Mexico, there were no inspections at all, and you simply had to pay for registration.
As these quasi-monster trucks become more prevalent, there’s an increasing need for legislation. Manufacturers are driven solely by consumer demand unless regulated, and politicians are more worried about upsetting Dodge Ram drivers than they are about public health and safety. I literally could not imagine a nationwide 55MPH law passing today (there were complications with doing it when they did do it, but it was successfully executed when it happened).
What we need is this generation’s Ralph Nader to go after the industry to get the public to support and demand political action.
Manufacturers are driven solely by consumer demand unless regulated
I disagree with you on this. Manufacturers are also driven by what makes them the most money. Affordable compact cars don’t make much profit, but big, expensive, cheaply engineered trucks make them a ton of money. Body-on-frame construction, cheap suspensions and drivetrains, and ancient engine designs lower their costs to develop a lot, and they just throw some leather and a touch screen in it and can mark it up 20% or more because now it’s a “luxury” truck.
Then there’s the advertisements which are designed to influence consumer demand. And the ads for big trucks are targeted squarely at people who want to feel powerful. They put them on every ten minutes during sports programs to prime their market into thinking this is a reasonable vehicle for them to own. When they buy it and realize it’s actually not that fast, not that great as a commuter, and costs them a ton in gas they get angry and then drive like dickweeds.
I fully agree with you on your response. My attempt at being brief (as a perusal of my post history will show I have a really hard time with), I sacrificed accuracy for brevity.
And just in case you’re hitting your weekend and bored, I am also able to have a full scale discussion on the semiotics of pick up trucks and the surrounding culture in general.
I don’t disagree, however I think there’s room for both the state and the consumer to benefit from this by restriction who can use them, this being via a license or certification similar to how non-personnel licenses currently, that would restrict the amount of them on the road as it is and it would also increase the money that can go back into the infrastructure,
Now something that I believe needs to be hard banned would be the halogen lights, we just had a three vehicle pile up in my state where two people died, and the current rolling story is that they believe the car that collided head-on with the vehicle that swerved into their Lane was unable to see whether or not the vehicle was in his lane or the other lane due to the fact that the lights on the vehicle were blinding, and honestly I believe that rumor. Those light bulbs are far more hazardous than any lifted vehicles in my opinion
I don’t think they did, in the Czech Republic, the same license is used up to 3.5 tons and 8 passengers
They banned pop up headlights for safety reasons but not these things.
Exactly. Just like some ‘road legal’ heavy diggers (or in fact regular trucks/lorries/vans/etc) have their separate rules & requirements like heavily limited speed limits, where the can’t drive, if the have to use yellow flashing lights when on public roads etc.
You’re in a regular car, the thing in front of you is a “Light Truck”
An S10 was a light truck. This is macho over-compensation at it’s finest.
There are quite a few classifications of trucks. In the U.S.:
Class 1: 0 - 6000 lbs
Class 2: 6,001 - 10,000 lbs
Class 3: 10,001 - 14,000 lbs
Class 4: 14,001 - 16,000 lbs
Class 5: 16,001 - 19,500 lbs
Class 6: 19,501 - 26,000 lbs
Class 7: 26,001 - 33,000 lbs
Class 8: Over 33,000 lbsClasses 1 through 2 are considered “light” truck, 3/ through 6 is “medium,” and 7 and 8 are “heavy.”
Classes 7 and 8 require a commercial driver’s license.
Generally, Class 3 starts to have 4 wheels on the back axle, and Class 6 generally starts having multiple axles on the back. At a certain point, you’re up to 18 wheels on a tractor and trailer.
OP’s picture is probably of a Class 2 truck, while you’re thinking of Class 1 trucks.
No, this is overcompensation no matter the drivetrain and weight limit. Open your eyes, no one NEEDS a lift package like that. It’s bullshit. Especially when you see what real world offroad vehicles look like - hiluxes and shit that won’t bog down - not this goofy ass bigfoot wannabe.
Thanks for the ‘clarification’ that just excuses their idiocy.
The meaning of words is consensus-based. If you want to make the point you’re making, you probably should avoid making up your own definition of “light truck.”
Also, I don’t think this is a lift package. I think this is literally the factory specs.
keep telling yourself that monstrosity is a light truck - the only way it could be considered light is against the even larger idiot boxes with even larger lift packages. meanwhile, light trucks: kei’s, s10s, hiluxes - not shit with a 6’ hood. fucking idiotic designs unsafe for anyone but the idiot driver.
and yeah, it’s a lift package, jesus h look at the passenger window, it’s ABOVE the drive through lip.
god why is there always some asshole waiting in the wings to say NUH UH HE’S NOT COMPENSATING FOR ANYTHING
I mean, if a “regular sized truck” is a semi trailer, then of course it’s light, because those trucks weight about 5-10 tons, compared to F150 that weights 2-3 tons.
Fuck that car tho, all SUVs and this one in particular. I always giggle when I see it IRL because it’s comically bad-looking scaled up version of a toy truck.
They also ride my ass and are pretty consistently inconsiderate drivers. It’s bad enough needing a car at all due to lack ox public transportation, but these people make it a miserable experience all around.
And those after market LED headlights without aftermarket reflection cones make for a fun time driving blind.
Among all the problems mentioned, this one is probably solved by legislation for decades, just not enforced.
Im Europe cops will stop you if you are blinding people (usually like old cars that dont have auto-levelling lights & they carry something heavy in the trunk, so like not actually intentional). What cops don’t react to is some people constantly using front fog lights (at full brightness if not configurable) because it makes the car look ‘more sporty’. I kinda hate that more than it is actually a problem.
Also yearly-ish state regulated check-ups, where there also verify you light (vertical) alignment & possibly adjust it for you. Other than that they test you ICE exhaust parameters, brakes, first aid kit, undercarriage state, etc (like a 10 minute inspection).
If we’re going to let people drive all these unnecessarily large trucks on our roads, we should create a new license class for them. Something between a Class D and Class B that has its own written/road test, where they’re forced to learn about how these cars have huge blind spots, longer breaking distances, and how they’re not crash compatible with standard sized cars. Hopefully, if a government agency acknowledged how dangerous these trucks are, it might also lead to bigger insurance premiums for the dorks who drive them.
While you’re in what looks like a 90s Honda, for newer sedans that are at the same height I always tell people I’d rather be in my small car in an accident than my giant 2500. Humans are real stupid and think that bigger = safer, but for cars and trucks it’s basically the opposite. The worst vehicle in the states to be in during an accident is a truck. Often SFA trucks have steering columns without much of a shear making for a giant harpoon aimed at your body during a crash. In every category the best these trucks can muster for accident ratings is “poor” and that’s if they’re lucky.
Yes. But the extra systemic problem those ratings don’t show/account for is that moving at same speed these needlessly heavy trucks also carry more momentum, have relatively very shitty brakes for their weight (and the fairly poor tyre quality with ‘design over function’ approach doesn’t help either).
What I’m saying is that if one of this (smoll pp) big trucks crashes into whatever your vehicle is will hurt a lot more compared if an (average pp) nornal car would have crashed into you at the same speed (more energy gets transferred into your mushy internals).
It’s more dangerous for everyone + they actually disregard safety advances bcs box shape.
For the sake of the gene pool I hope you get your wish.
At night this situation is even worse as the trucks headlights shine level with small car windows just right into the side mirrors and through the rear window into the rear view mirror. Without mirror dimming it is hell, rear views have auto or manual dimming but many cars don’t have any for side mirrors. And headlights nowadays are bright white LEDs and coincidentally huge on trucks because of course. Still don’t stop their drivers hitting pedestrians and stuff apparently either lol
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I sometimes try to adjust my side mirror to reflect back at them. I’m positive I fail every time because the limited range of the mirror motors, but it keeps me from getting angrier at least.
When I bought my Prelude, it had bluish white LEDs. I swapped them out for halogens because I’m not a psychopath.
It’s got very dark tint on all the glass except the front. That makes the bright lights one million times more tolerable. Idk if the tint is legal, but I’ve driven by dozens of cops in the thing and have never been stopped so I guess it is lol
Not that this is adding anything but I’ve been hit three times by big trucks that “didn’t see me”.
The first time my wife and I were driving home from a date and he came from behind and just came into my lane and destroyed the left side of my car. He was a good guy and agreed it was his fault and the insurance worked out great.
The second time my wife and I were on our way to a concert and the same thing he came him behind except he also pushed me into a parked car destroying both sides of my car and almost ripped off my front left tire. This fucker lied to his insurance and because we had no witnesses I ended up paying for the rental and deductible. I also installed dash cams after.
The third time I was driving home from seeing one of my kids (they’re all adults) and stopped on the interstate in stop and go traffic. This guy rear ended me. When e pulled over he swore I stopped suddenly for no reason and was driving like an idiot. We called the cops and I showed him the video where I stopped due to traffic and the guy was at least 200 yards away when I did this PLAYING ON HIS DAMN PHONE! Needless to say the cop was on my side.
Note: My small cars are sports cars, so not exactly environmentally as kind as a smart car, but I still am concerned with these giant vehicles that are just begging to hurt people. I think they should follow the same regulations as buses. Put giant ass mirrors on the front on them like school buses and all, require a higher level license just to be able to drive them and so on.
Got nailed twice in one month. Dash cam cleared me on both. 2nd guy also wanted to lie, tell i showed him the camera by my rear view mirror. I ride now, but still have front/rear on my bike. Also on my helmet. Dash cams for life
This is a really good reminder to always have front and rear cameras. Removes all question of fault when people are driving like idiots
I was at a set of train tracks behind a large truck. Well, in front of him, a car was stalled with hazards on. He looks behind him, backs up to go around the guy, and taps my front bumper. Dude’s truck was so large he couldn’t even see me in the rear view, and the side mirrors made me invisible since the wheel wells were so wide.
I don’t even drive a tiny car or anything, just a mid-sized sedan….
I hate driving or riding in large vehicles though. I feel like they’re tall, unwieldy, and I’m short, so I usually can just see high enough to drive but always feel like I’m about to hit everything. Can’t imagine having one as a daily driver.
bump the taxes on petrol to subsidize electromobility which actually necessitates smaller vehicles, problem solved
necessitates smaller vehicles
Does it? People tend to buy ones with large batteries because they “might need the range”. When I first saw a Tesla (Y, I think), I was shocked at everything being 25% larger than a normal European car.
I don’t know about where you live, but I often make 150+ mile trips from where I live. Just to and from work is 190, and there’s nowhere to charge at work. I usually work from home, so that’s not a problem, but I just can’t afford to live anywhere closer.
If I could find one, I’d love to get an old Honda Insighf. Mfers get like 70+ miles to the gallon. With a 10 gallon tank, that could bring you 700 miles! More if you do some mods to it to improve MPG further.
by subsidies I also mean R&D to improve range. Photovoltaics is getting better and better and I imagine being able to get a pretty nice range in sunnier countries, like in these races through the Australian interior where some concept cars were able to drive the entire distance without charging at like 90 km/h average, forgot the name
The situation is even worse for motorcyclists, sadly.
Just remember you have the more fun vehicle. I’d rather be driving a small Honda with a 7500rpm redline rather than a big truck.
I’ve owned a lot of different vehicles over the years.
1998 Ford Taurus, 2002 Ford Mustang, 2012 Honda Civic Coupe, 2016 Honda HRV, 2017 Yamaha FZ-09, 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata, …and finally… 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor
My two favorite vehicles out of that list are the Miata and the F-150. I’ve lived both lives and they’re not comparable.
The Miata was a blast to take out into the country and find a series of twisty corners while banging through gears with the top down. I do miss having the wind in my hair and no particular destination in mind.
The F-150 is great because I’m building a house and need to haul loads of lumber and plywood. It’s also fantastic because I can take it off road and camp in the bed on vacation, getting to places the Miata could never go. It’s also pretty fun to drive with a lot of power.
Admittedly, when you get spirited with the pedal, you can hear the echos and screams of dinosaurs as their remains are incinerated expeditiously by the twin-turbo V6. Not the most environmentally conscious thing I’ve owned, but I disagree that trucks aren’t fun.
Interesting. I admittedly don’t have much experience with driving many types of cars, I’ve only ever driven cars ranging from a hatchback to a small SUV, with the notable exception of C7 Corvette, that was super fun.
But how does the FZ-09 not immediately take the #1 spot over all the cars?
Of course it’s worse for motorbikes. Everything about safety is worse for motorbikes.
Maintenance on those things is such a pain. I’m constantly kicking around a milk crate so that I can see into the engine bay. very annoying.
I grew up on a farm around square body Chevrolets and those things were great to work on. They had the power to tow, the bed to haul, but they weren’t so big that you needed uppies to maintain them. I saw a square body at a car show last year and I was pretty surprised at how small it was compared to today’s trucks.
I’ve always wondered if tall truck size is justified because of deer crashing into cars at high speed. Smaller cars would be screwed in such a scenario, but there aren’t that many deer crashes in urban areas.
Higher bumper heights reduce close range visibility and increase pedestrian mortality and injury in collisions. The reduced visibility has increased risk of running over children and pets hidden in the blind spots.
These tall trucks are also provide bad visibility for people on bikes or bicycles
It isn’t justified, in my opinion. Cars at any size have safety requirements for protecting passengers in an impact.
This is unironically a consideration in Alberta but I will still never have one (unless I were to need one for a job). The stopping distance is so much better in small cars. I can even feel it just driving around, if I have stop fast I REALLY feel it in a minivan even with 4 nice disc brakes, don’t feel it nearly as much in a sedan.
If that would have been a problem someone wanted solved there are many better solutions available, like wildlife overpasses, heavier windshields (the polymer between the glass panels) that dont buckle-in, even plough like fenders.
Overall all cheaper, than decades of lifting trucks higher and higher. We have to face it that this is just a design choice, but one that affects everyone and not just the buyer.
