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Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

economist.com

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Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#351

Post by shiroiushi »

ericjmorey wrote: post #104
sheepdestroyer wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the added value of dealerships? They feel like parasites. The mere idea of having to negotiate prices like in an flea market is disturbing and disgusting to me. I want to be treated fairly and as well as the next guy. Fixed & open construtor prices and warranties, online customisation and ordering should be the only norm.

Warranty repair is the only advantage.

That's not an advantage: in countries where the manufacturers own the dealerships (i.e., every country not named "USA"), they do warranty repair there too.

There really is no advantage to independently-owned dealerships, except maybe in bribes to local politicians.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#352

Post by t0bia_s »

WheatMillington wrote: post #287
xwall wrote: post #15

Key Ideas: Heavier vehicles are safer for their occupants but more dangerous for others: The weight of a vehicle is a critical factor in car crashes, with heavier vehicles causing more fatalities in other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. The heaviest vehicles kill more people than they save: Analysis of crash data shows that for every life saved by the heaviest 1% of SUVs and trucks, more than a dozen lives are lost…

Is this a tragedy of the commons, or am I misapplying this term? At an individual level it makes complete sense to put your family into the safest car possible - your thoughts are with you and your family, not the strangers around you.

You still increase death risk of your children simple by sitting them in car. Car accidents are leading cause of death of children in wealth countries.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#353

Post by t0bia_s »

dionian wrote: post #34
xwall wrote: post #15

Key Ideas: Heavier vehicles are safer for their occupants but more dangerous for others: The weight of a vehicle is a critical factor in car crashes, with heavier vehicles causing more fatalities in other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. The heaviest vehicles kill more people than they save: Analysis of crash data shows that for every life saved by the heaviest 1% of SUVs and trucks, more than a dozen lives are lost…

Sounds like a heavier car is actually safer to put me and my loved ones inside, at least for now.

Basic arguments for hypocrisy about actual care about environment. Trend of making cars bigger and "safer" proofs, that consumers and car manufacturers dont care about fuel consumption and increasing pollution.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#354

Post by globular-toast »

dgfitz wrote: post #190
globular-toast wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you think most people are incapable of walking or cycling? And you're saying I'm out of touch?! As for cold, dark, raining. Boo fucking hoo. If you had to go somewhere you'd deal with it. Cars have made people into weak, incapable little creatures. It's honestly pathetic. I cycle with food and supplies in my panniers all the time. What exactly are you buying every week that can't be transported back without fossil…

> As for cold, dark, raining. Boo fucking hoo. If you had to go somewhere you'd deal with it. Cars have made people into weak, incapable little creatures. It's honestly pathetic. You clearly have no respect for Mother Nature if this is your stance. Take care.

I do, so when I'm in the mountains I check the forecast and keep an eye on the weather. But when I'm in town? You think people are getting caught out by the weather and stranded in town? Where exactly is this "town" you speak of?

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#355

Post by globular-toast »

dgfitz wrote: post #319
jeffbee wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Not every person is able-bodied enough to walk and bike This is true, but it also true that not every person is able to drive a car. In fact the inability to drive is way more common than the inability to walk.

And the ability to be driven somewhere is ubiquitous. Cars can hold more than one person, generally.

Literally nobody is arguing against public transport. If you actually take the time to look into the issue you'll see it's private vehicles that are the problem. Able-bodied people using private vehicles make it significantly more difficult for those less able.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#356

Post by bitcharmer »

stefan_ wrote: post #172
thih9 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Per capita passenger mileage is 2x lower in Germany vs US[1]; it looks like this accounts for just ~half of the difference - and there are other factors responsible for increased mortality. [1]: https://frontiergroup.org/resources/fact-file-americans-driv...

Other factors indeed, like population density - I assume you won't like correcting for that.

Why would you assume that?

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#357

Post by ncruces »

Retric wrote: post #313
ncruces wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how many more SUVs go through that road? If there's a few hundred SUVs for every 18 wheeler, it's no longer negligible: it's 10 or 30% of the damage. And it could be a lot more negligible, if that mostly drive alone, drove a car with half the weight.

Most SUV’s aren’t that heavy. I used 4,000lb for the car, a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban which is huge only clocks in at a 5,824 lbs. Load another 1,000lb for passengers etc and (6,824/4000) ^ 4 = 8.5x a car or 0.5% what I calculated for a full 18 wheeler. Sure there’s more cars than 18 wheelers but 7,000lb is a rather extreme outlier in terms of SUV weight.

Well, my 7 seater has a kerb weight of 2780 lbs (and it's a hybrid, the petrol is lighter); fully loaded it's under 4400 lbs.

And it's probably heavier than most cars around here, because most cars are not 7 seaters, but 4/5 seat hatches.

US SUVs and pickup trucks wouldn't fit most parking lots around here (to tall, to wide to even get in), but somehow the problem is never the size/weight of cars people got used to drive.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#358

Post by enaaem »

jl6 wrote: post #128
dataflow wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this means taxes should be imposed on cars proportionally to the fourth power of axle load too.

The unintended consequences of this would be: Massive increase in the cost of public transport as buses pass their tax costs onto users. Massive increase in the cost of freight shipping, which would be passed on to consumers, i.e. everybody, since virtually every part of the economy depends indirectly on freight transport. It would amount to everybody paying, and thus being more or less equivalent to public funding o…

The correct pricing of goods and services is essential for a well functioning market based economy.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#359

Post by bradley13 »

energy123 wrote: post #206
bradley13 wrote: post #95

Easy fix: If you want less of something, tax it. The race to ever bigger vehicles has many costs, from road wear to (now we know) human lives. You pay an annual registration fee for your vehicle. Make that fee go up dramatically for heavier vehicles. If you pay, say, $100 for a car under a ton, make it $1k for up to two tons, $10k for 3 tons, etc..

That has the unintended side effect of penalizing EVs. You'd want a weight penalty, but separate ones for ICE and hybrid and EV.

That isn't unintended at all. A 3-ton EV will kill someone just as surely as a 3-ton diesel.

Re: Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them

#360

Post by ttepasse »

Tanoc wrote: post #274
galkk wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sedans are useless. I consider them car evolution dead end. They take as much road space as their counterparts, but carry less. Hatchback, universal, minivan, suvs are much more practical.

There are actually quite a few reasons why sedans stuck around. One is separation of the passenger cabin from the cargo area. More than once I've accidentally bonked someone in the head putting something in the hatch or have had a dog escape because they managed to leap over the seat and get out through the open hatch. It's also easier to hide valuables in the trunk, as there's no indication anything's in there unlik…

> More than once I've accidentally bonked someone in the head putting something in the hatch or have had a dog escape because they managed to leap over the seat and get out through the open hatch.

There a basic nets and if one is extreme cages which separate the boot from the second row.

> It's also easier to hide valuables in the trunk, as there's no indication anything's in there unlike the open rear deck of a hatchback you can see through the windows.

Pretty much every hatchback I've seen in the last 20 years here in Europe has a removable cover.

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