The truck being a pavement princess isn’t so much a problem itself. It’s the massive amount of external damage pick up trucks (and large suv) cause due to their design and appeal. (The appeal is in part because the big 3 can’t make cars, so they push trucks down consumers throat).
We had been trending downwards in vehicle fatality but we are now trending upwards and a large part of that are large trucks and SUVs designed with high hoods that hit pedestrians in the chest and horrible visibility that causes frontovers. We also have a big culture of excess where 1 in 4 truck owners add a lift and large tires so they can now hit pedestrians in the head instead of the chest.
Large trucks and SUVs also cause an arm race, since they are highly crash incompatible with smaller cars, making drivers who prefer more efficient compact vehicles choose larger cars than they would have.
You’re a responsible driver who takes into the consideration of the vehicle you drive. The general public does not, and we can do a lot to reduce motor vehicle fatalities by requiring crash capability and pedestrian safety. We can design a large cabin, with excellent visibility and, easy ingress and egress, and good utility. All those things aren’t mutually exclusive.
The truck being a pavement princess isn’t so much a problem itself. It’s the massive amount of external damage pick up trucks (and large suv) cause due to their design and appeal. (The appeal is in part because the big 3 can’t make cars, so they push trucks down consumers throat).
We had been trending downwards in vehicle fatality but we are now trending upwards and a large part of that are large trucks and SUVs designed with high hoods that hit pedestrians in the chest and horrible visibility that causes frontovers. We also have a big culture of excess where 1 in 4 truck owners add a lift and large tires so they can now hit pedestrians in the head instead of the chest.
Large trucks and SUVs also cause an arm race, since they are highly crash incompatible with smaller cars, making drivers who prefer more efficient compact vehicles choose larger cars than they would have.
You’re a responsible driver who takes into the consideration of the vehicle you drive. The general public does not, and we can do a lot to reduce motor vehicle fatalities by requiring crash capability and pedestrian safety. We can design a large cabin, with excellent visibility and, easy ingress and egress, and good utility. All those things aren’t mutually exclusive.