A rising road toll in the US. A rising road toll in Australia. Journalists give 1000 reasons why it could be happening.
And they studiously avoid mentioning the growing proportion of massive SUVs and pickup trucks on the roads. If they mention it at all, it’s only in passing: https://youtu.be/Hb5_RUNeC0g?si=uuns6D1I6fGINdpU
But.
If you have larger and heavier cars, with larger blind spots, of course you’re going to have more fatalities!
Remember kids: Every 10cm a vehicle’s hood height increases, the risk of fatalities grows by 22%: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212012224000017
@fuck_cars @ajsadauskas I’m sure that’s all true in the cities but out in the bush the big problem is that drivers are usually morons. Most crashes are single vehicle. Drivers get bored. Drivers use their phones. Learners often pass me doing way over 100 km/h. Oh, and the roads are so much worse than in the city. These people wouldn’t survive five minutes in a busy conurbation.
@Jawaka @fuck_cars That’s true, but then there were people racing on country highways 20 or 30 years ago too.
The difference now is they’re more likely to be doing it in massive American SUV, rather than a (often Australian made) ute or a sedan.
@ajsadauskas @fuck_cars True enough. I’ve noticed a boom in those silly and huge Dodge Ram pickups around here of late. Also noticed that they have the same amount of seats and less inside storage than my tiny Honda Jazz.
@Jawaka
@fuck_cars @ajsadauskas worse, they hake much less room outside. Give me a full size bed, I have a truck to haul stuff, when I have people to moheei hane a van or car.