TorrleonardNov 21, 2022
Tab Combs
When people tell me I'm overreacting to the threat posed our lack of regulations on motor vehicle size
Nov 18, 2022 at 5:52pmWeb
Show threadTab CombsNov 18, 2022
The number of accounts that berated and harassed me on the bird site for "child endangerment"--for daring to walk with my child on a sidewalk...
Have we gone over the brink? I need a reason to hope things will get better.
Show threadMark ConnollyNov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs I’m fortunate not to have had that kind of experience. But hoping to build/rebuild community here. Build back better, I hope?
Show threadSimon WhiteNov 20, 2022
@DrTCombs pedestrians on paths designed for them i.e. sidewalks should have absolute priority. How can walking be endangerment? Driving polluting vehicles is endangerment.
Show threadRachel MariaNov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs Dangerous for kiddos, pets, motor cyclists & bicycles.
Show threadTab CombsNov 18, 2022

@rachel_maria65 and for people in regular-sized cars!

Assault vehicles have no place on public sreets.

Show threadJamesNov 21, 2022

@DrTCombs @rachel_maria65 and the people in those cars!

They have a much higher centre of gravity and so more likely to roll.

Show threadDan VesmaNov 18, 2022
@rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs to be fair, the second car looks way more realistic lol
Show threadRachel MariaNov 18, 2022
@danvesma @DrTCombs I’ve seen too many of these unnecessarily large vehicles for the urban dweller. These are the same people that gripe about fuel costs, have never been off road, and vote for the Earth’s destruction via fossil fuels.
Show threadPixelJonesNov 21, 2022

@rachel_maria65 @danvesma @DrTCombs

Your comment is so on point: "[The people w/ outsized cars] are the same people that gripe about fuel costs, have never been off road, and vote for the Earth’s destruction via fossil fuels."

Literally, I heard a GOP "suit" complaining on camera about how much it cost to put 50 gallons in their SUV which begs a lot of questions including who chose to buy this oversized performance piece, anyway?

Show threadAnn SuttonNov 21, 2022
@PixelJones @rachel_maria65 @danvesma @DrTCombs I drive a Honda Fit. Prior to that, Civics and one Prius. You know what I've never complained about? Gas prices. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I hardly ever drive...but still. I also love being able to park in any space and maneuver the trickiest parking lot situation while everyone else is stuck.
Show threadJeff Nov 18, 2022
@rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs @danvesma The first car is a generation one VW Golf (Rabbit in the USA). I drove one until about 2000. It was a great car.
Show threadGordon 📀 Data Hunter-GathererNov 19, 2022

@rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs

I have been thinking for a while now – there should be a vehicle tax supplement for any car that cannot fit easily into a UK-standard size parking bay

Show threadJeff HaluskaNov 21, 2022
@Gordon_DHG @rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs They need to tax exponentially based off weight. Damage to roads goes up dramatically based off weight.
Show threadJamesNov 21, 2022
@jhaluska @Gordon_DHG @rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs I think harsher than that.
Have a legal limit on length, width, height and engine displacement.
For the latter, I can't see why any personal vehicle needs to be more than 1.4l. anything over that should just be illegal. Not higher tax, but just not allowed on roads full stop.
Show threadJeff HaluskaNov 21, 2022

@jamescodes @Gordon_DHG @rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs I love small cars, but I grew up in a large family where a 1.4L engine would not have pulled that many people around.

That's why I'm for the just make it really expensive solution. Maybe my parents shouldn't have had 6 kids.

Show threadJamesNov 21, 2022
@jhaluska @Gordon_DHG @rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs the Ford C-max has a 1.0l engine and can carry 6+ people and luggage. It's very nippy too.
Show threadmoliverNov 21, 2022
@jamescodes @jhaluska @Gordon_DHG @rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs
I hope they release a CI version just for the C-LI-Max branding.
Show threadLukas NevilleNov 21, 2022
@rachel_maria65 @DrTCombs they build SUVs to the absolute maximum limits of a lane width, and then lanes get widened to cope with much larger vehicles. where does it end?
Show threadTiffany, Sigh-DNov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs I'm sure there will be no issues with the 9,000 pound Hummer EV that's coming to market....
Show threadRachel MariaNov 18, 2022
@drtifftaft @DrTCombs Judas what utter madness. Anyone dipstick enough to buy a vehicle like that should be required to pay a substantial user’s tax.
Show threadDawn Tåke 🏳️‍⚧️Nov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs
And those @#$%ers always have their fog lights on. Me in my tiny Smart Car, the fogs shine right in my eyes. >_<
Show threadmoved to @[email protected]Dec 4, 2022
@Tourma @DrTCombs I'm driving a golf mk5 and i have the same issue even with "normal" sized cars
most people just dont know/care about adjusting their headlights correctly it is absolutely annoying
Show threadcalsemNov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs preach
Show threadInc Hulk 🧪Nov 18, 2022
@DrTCombs You need to remember that in some countries, penis sizes have shrunk dramatically. What you illustrate is a case of someone with a nano-micro-penis, needing to compensate by having a ridiculously large vehicle. Just be sorry for them, their sense of inadequacy must be overwhelming.
Show threadAaron In MinnesotaNov 18, 2022
@IncHulk @DrTCombs I support your spirit in shaming the drivers of these emotional support vehicles, but not the method, the body shaming approach is not a good look and is unnecessary
Show threadInc Hulk 🧪Nov 18, 2022
@aeischeid Good Point, I've put a CW on it.
Show threadMartijn van DijkNov 19, 2022
@DrTCombs those trucks make most european SUVs look small. It's ridiculous.
Show threadLatteBadgerNov 19, 2022
@DrTCombs also headlights, those white led headlights are as bljnding as full beam footlights used to be. We need to put light filters kn the headlights of cars to make them less dazzling
Show threadocdtrekkieNov 20, 2022

@DrTCombs These seem absolutely ridiculous unless you work in construction, but this sort of example has never really sold me: How is someone going to get that close to the front of your car, while you're driving, without you knowing?

I drive a modest crossover, and any time children cross in front of my car at an intersection, I make sure the same number that go in front of my car on one side are leaving the roadway on the other side before I proceed.

Show threadocdtrekkieNov 20, 2022

@DrTCombs If I trip and fall on the roadway, as a full-grown adult, you won't see that I'm in front of your compact car either. I expect you won't run me over because you saw me crossing and probably falling before I disappeared from view.

It's more important to be aware of what's around your vehicle at any given time than having a particular sightline close to the roadway.

Show threadTab CombsNov 20, 2022
@ocdtrekkie it's not just about the sightlines. It's also about where the mass of the grill hits the mass of the human. If I hit you in my compact car at 20 mph, you are most likely going to go onto the hood and survive. If I hit you in a lifted truck with a 5.5' high grille at the same speed, you are going under the wheels...and definitely not going to make it.
Show threadocdtrekkieNov 20, 2022

@DrTCombs That's definitely a fair point, though I feel at the point we're optimizing how the car hits a person, we've already failed horribly.

I do think we should do more as a society to discourage buying vehicles this large without a justifiable career need.

Show threadTab CombsNov 20, 2022
@ocdtrekkie agreed
Show threadTorrleonardNov 21, 2022

@ocdtrekkie @DrTCombs “How is someone going to get that close to the front of your car, while you're driving, without you knowing?”

Driveways, alleys, etc.

Show threadocdtrekkieNov 21, 2022
@Torrleonard @DrTCombs If you can't see a space clearly ahead of time, you should not move your car into that space. You can see down an alley. Sure someone can run out directly in front of your vehicle... but at that distance seeing them is not going to help. You need to be going slow enough you can see people before they are directly in front of you.
Show threadocdtrekkieNov 21, 2022
@Torrleonard @DrTCombs Or to put it another way, visibility of a distance in front of your car shorter than your vehicle's stopping distance isn't particularly useful anyways.
Show threadTorrleonardNov 21, 2022

@ocdtrekkie @DrTCombs hold on a sec, are you really saying you do not understand that having vehicles this large on the road creates a multitude of safety issues for pedestrians, cyclists, and everyone else on the road? If so, I don’t have the time or inclination to educate you on the issue. Please do some reading:

https://slate.com/business/2022/02/suvs-pickups-heavy-huge-deadly-dont-buy-em.html

If You Drive a Giant Truck, You Are Declaring You’re Cool With Accidentally Killing a Stranger

What do you think happens when those 4,000 pounds strike someone?

Slate
Show threadocdtrekkieNov 21, 2022

@Torrleonard @DrTCombs I'm not sure why you think a cheeky high-attitude post at truck owners is going to land with me, who does not own a truck, and does not think a lot of people should own trucks.

But your attitude has definitely earned a place on my block list. This isn't Twitter, acting like you need to "educate" someone because they don't instantly agree with you doesn't fly here.

Show threadVincent Hayes🌹Nov 20, 2022
@DrTCombs Yeah, this bothers me too. In one sense, I guess I get it because there are many Americans that are plus-sized and want a car that they feel fits them, but this kind of thing is just getting entirely out of hand, especially when I'm on the road next to these people and they can't stay in one lane.
Show threadTommityNov 20, 2022
@DrTCombs not to mention the lack of emission standards on these urban assault vehicles #climateaction
Show threadajkandyNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs I don’t know why, especially in the electric vehicle era, they don’t switch to cab-forward designs, like city buses.
Show threadGabriel BaumanNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs It looks to me as if that thing has a front-facing camera under the R. Wild. 🤯
Show threadCwnidogNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs : Suburban Assault Vehicle.
Show threadMARGARET MCGOVERNNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs No, you are to overreacting. All parents and caregivers should be reminded about this danger. And, for little old ladies, too.I have actually pounded on the front of one of these monsters at a corner.
Show threadMary RancourtNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs Had an experience like this just driving a Kia Forte (relatively small). Had to back out of a parking space at my kid's school but decided to wait as the car beside me had a kid that I could see, but I was worried there might be another behind the car. I was wrong...there were three! Good thing I waited, but it still freaked me out.
Show threadStrengr74Nov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs our family of four has 1 small sedan and it's plenty. That thing is a tank.
Show threadjoshNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs Yes, ban all these big cars they are so obnoxious and unnecessary
Show threadMatthew C. VaughanNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs You're not. It's utter stupidity. There's the same model truck in the parking lot of my apartment complex. It's so impractical.
Show threadPavanNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs what are you talking about? that's a perfectly sized truck *sarcasm*
Show threadMark W. AlexanderNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs
The #AltText on this image is the #TLDR of image posts.
Show threadRuss CopelandNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs it's gotten ridiculous.
Show threadTorrleonardNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs yup, here’s my average height 9 year old:
Show threadAndrea MarieNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs I’m a grown adult at 5’6” and I was almost mowed down by a truck as I walked through the crosswalk- where I had the signal - and the truck was turning left and either didn’t see me or didn’t care. They’re too dang high.
Show threadEmeseNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs crazy
Show threadChrisNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs I regularly park in a parking lot that contains an amateur hockey rink, which means I'm constantly exposed to what sort of vehicles high-school aged kids get to drive. Spoiler: it's this, plus brand-new Jeeps. I back into my space, because it's easier to see if a 16-year-old deathwish is tearing through the parking lot on the way in than on the way out. It's especially awful now that the sun goes down so early, so they have their headlights on - and those headlights are *well above* my eye level in the car.
Show threadvashbearNov 21, 2022

@DrTCombs

I agree.

I would guess for most people 90% of the trips in that monster could be done in a vehicle 1/3 the size (school drop off, grocery store, commute to work)

The weight has a host of safety, and evironmental problems.

https://slate.com/business/2021/05/ford-f150-lightning-electric-weight.html

There’s Just One Problem With Ford’s Electric F-150

Joe Biden says the pickup truck is fast. It's heavy, too.

Slate
Show threadElizabethNov 21, 2022
@DrTCombs and the kids don't have to be close to the car to be invisible
https://youtu.be/NDH3FDfVQl0?t=189
Millions of SUV, trucks have unexpected, dangerous front blind zone

YouTube