this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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I think everybody agrees that there's nothing wrong with owning a large truck to use regularly for things that need a large truck. It's when people buy a large truck to haul a 5th-wheel RV for vacation for 2 weeks a year, and then use it as a daily-driver for the other 50 weeks that we mock them.
I still don't see a problem with that. Most sportscars are worse for fuel economy and utility but because they're not trucks they get a pass. In the end, what's the problem with letting people drive what they want without judging them? It's just a weird.
Trucks are far more dangerous to other road users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists, especially those with the 5 foot tall, blunt front end that's fashionable these days. But the high bumper height makes them much more dangerous to other drivers, as well.
That's a weak argument. All vehicles are dangerous. What about Semi's? UPS/Amazon vans? You can make anything dangerous and the height is hardly an issue. If it were, they would be banned from being on public roads or mandated to have a bumper that's not too high. Height of bumper is such a stupid argument to make.
Well, you're wrong. There's no nice way to phrase it. Bumper height is definitely an issue, blunt front ends are a visibility and impact danger, and bumper height regulations do exist for various classes of vehicle, and in various jurisdictions. Not Just Bikes covers it pretty comprehensively.
Yet the height of the back of a Semi trailer is higher than any truck's bumper. Do you think really think all vehicles should have the same bumper height? Oh dear.
Are semi trucks regularly driving down residential roads backwards?
How is the front height of a truck (not even specifically the bumper, you could have a low bumper but a giant hood that makes seeing a small child or animal almost impossible) and the rear height of a semi even comparable?
You realize car safety is about more than the height of the bumper right?
Also, YES all cars should have the same bumper height so cars who hit each other are less likely to do fatal damage to the occupants. Bumpers reduce the total impact felt by the occupants and decrease the damage done to the vehicle itself. You can make the bumper any height and still have the rest of the car as tall or short as you want. Do you even know why semi trucks have the lower bumper on them?
They haven't been banned yet because the American auto industry has a really strong lobbying arm that both parties bow to. Why do you think Biden just announced a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs while specifically saying it was to protect the US auto industry?
That's why every semi trailer has a back bumper below the deck height. Those bumpers are mandated by law for safety. Also, the EU mandates those skirts underneath the sides, to prevent other road users from going under the wheels, and the skirts are becoming more common on U.S. trucks, too.
And, yes, the regulations for cars mandate compatible bumper heights, so it's not just me that thinks so. It's just that pickup trucks don't have the same regulations, for stupid political reasons.
https://images.app.goo.gl/QuodHJafoq72JDPe6
Back bumper on semi's is still higher than a truck's bumper.
Car bumpers are rarely ever at the same height so the bumper height argument is bullshit.
Incorrect. The regulations on car bumpers require that they be between 16" and 20" off the ground. The rear guard on a semi trailer must be no more than 22" off the ground. True, that's not exactly lined up with a car bumper, but it's enough to prevent underride crashes.
This is kind of far afield from my point, though, that what somebody else chooses to drive is my business, because they're on the road with me. Pickup trucks are much, much more dangerous to me, because they're much more likely to cause head and chest injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists, and much more likely to push them under the wheels instead of onto the hood. The traffic casualty rates in the past couple of years prove this empirically.