DJDarrenSat next to one of those stupid big imported US tanks at a traffic light earlier. Had a fleeting thought that the roof of my Mini was about the same height as its bonnet.
And yeah, it was.
Those things are ridiculous.
Don Marticalling these things "tanks" is not fair to the tank. An M1 tank driver has better forward visibility than the driver of many full-size pickup trucks (source: https://twitter.com/FreckleEars/status/1624137853872574475 )
Enkiusz🇺🇦@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes I believe the official marketing designation for this vehicle class is "clowncar"
Amin Negm-Awad🇪🇺🌍
Gizmo 
@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes I suspect the M1 has a significantly better stopping distance than the abominations as well...
αxel simon ↙︎↙︎↙︎
🇺🇦 KrakelOrakel 🌈 RIP Natenom
Primo
Jeff Grigg@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes
And well they should. They might need to take out this guy:
Yimby Earth has moved!@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes
Taps toot:
https://urbanists.social/@YimbyEarth/109629249767611550
"I'll say it again:
The law should be that cars/trucks/etc need to be designed so that the shortest driver while seated comfortably can see a 1m tall pedestrian at all points along the front of the vehicle. And the mirrors/cameras for the sides & back need to show 100% of the street surface along sides and back."
Yimby Earth (@[email protected])
@Streetsweeper I'll say it again: The law should be that cars/trucks/etc need to be designed so that the shortest driver while seated comfortably can see a 1m tall pedestrian at all points along the front of the vehicle. And the mirrors/cameras for the sides & back need to show 100% of the street surface along sides and back.
Enby Shark@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes sure but none are as efficient at k-wording children as a #Tesla in FSD mode!
Shijikori@dmarti I will take note of this. That's extremely ironic that a war machine can give better visibility to small children than a vehicle many people use every day.
Peter_Panther
apophis@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes "power wagon" "super duty"
can i *please* get un-isekai'd out of this parody simpsons knockoff universe now
can i *please* get un-isekai'd out of this parody simpsons knockoff universe now
gom@dmarti Well, tanks are build to be very effective and useful. Observability is a huge part of that, especially if the stuff in front of a tank can kill you.
That the "cars" are not designed with that ways tells another story (about the owners).
@gom yes, tanks are designed with the assumption that the crew and the most likely nearby pedestrians -- friendly infantry -- are on the same side
@gom Maybe limited-visibility vehicles need an external phone (that overrides the stereo)
@dmarti
maybe such vehicles need to be regulated out of existence?
maybe such vehicles need to be regulated out of existence?
Dec [{(
)}]@dmarti @gom
Finland had a strategy which used this assumption against invading Soviet tanks during the Winter War (1939-1940).
"The essence of the policy was the separation of [tanks] from the infantry, as once on their own the tank has many blind spots and once brought to a stop can be disposed of at leisure."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail
"The most dangerous distance away from a tank is 200 yards; the safest distance is six inches." (1940).
Paul van den Bergen@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes And the ability to individually target and track multiple pedestrians!
sortius@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes I ride bikes all the time, have never owned a car or had a license, and I find the whole "X is as big as a tank now!" hyperbole silly.
Tanks come in many sizes, some smaller than a family car (Wiesel 1), some as big as building (B1 ter, Maus), but all weigh much more than a car, have less visibility (that image is wrong, btw), and are fit for purpose.
Can we just say "we don't need to waste tonnes of steel, plastic, and silicon to produce oversized vehicles"?
Added a link -- thank you for catching this. More info on this problem: https://action.consumerreports.org/20221116_stop_blindspots
@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes I was trying to visualise not being able to see a 3 year old from over 3 meters, and it's pretty frightening.
MikeasaService@dmarti ' @DJDarren @notjustbikes @MadMadMadMadRN
I would be entirely in favor of a law that would require a CDL to operate any vehicle where the driver cannot see a 1 meter tall object 1 meter away from its front bumper.
I would be entirely in favor of a law that would require a CDL to operate any vehicle where the driver cannot see a 1 meter tall object 1 meter away from its front bumper.
Tomasz Oryński@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes re Mercedes Actros on the graphics:
The trucks in Europe have to be fitted with mandatory blind spot mirrors. So actually you are able to see a child standing right next to your bumper too:
Austin Clemens
SKUNK 🏳️⚧️@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes one thing I'm confused about is that the position and height of the kids changes between the different vehicles. Wouldn't keeping one of those two variables constant make for a better comparison?
Amit Zinman
Ludovic Archivist Lagouardette@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes
*takes notes* an M1 Abrams is the safest vehicle to use as a school bus in the US
@Archivist And it has a gun already installed, so you don’t have to take your own in. @dmarti @notjustbikes
ryswife
Nick Martin@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes They also are likely better trained and far more likely to be held accountable when they accidentally kill someone with a tank.
@dwhisper @DJDarren @notjustbikes
Yes, also the US military requires someone to guide the driver from outside the vehicle when in a crowded area (does not just apply to tanks)
Jude
Sir Willington@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes At least a tank tank attempts to maximize visibility for increased survivability
Pa-RAD-ikaldies@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes
Leider wahr.
Woher kommt das Recht auf unbegrenzten Verbrauch von Raum und Ressourcen auf diesem Planeten?
Demokratische Entscheidung?
#AutossindWaffen #AutoistNoetigung #Autostoeten
Leider wahr.
Woher kommt das Recht auf unbegrenzten Verbrauch von Raum und Ressourcen auf diesem Planeten?
Demokratische Entscheidung?
#AutossindWaffen #AutoistNoetigung #Autostoeten
@PaRADikaldies @DJDarren @notjustbikes
In the USA, vehicles get a subsidy in the form of free parking spaces. I like that idea if the subsidy was more general purpose: if you don't have a vehicle that you need a parking space for, you should be able use your free space for housing, small business, garden, whatever
@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes
"In den USA erhalten Fahrzeuge eine Subvention in Form von kostenlosen Parkplätzen. Mir gefällt diese Idee, wenn die Subvention für einen allgemeineren Zweck verwendet würde: Wenn man kein Fahrzeug hat, für das man einen Parkplatz braucht, sollte man den freien Platz für eine Wohnung, ein kleines Unternehmen, einen Garten oder was auch immer nutzen können. "
Das klingt auch gut, das mit dem" freien Platz für eine Wohnung, ein kleines Unternehmen, einen Garten ..."
"In den USA erhalten Fahrzeuge eine Subvention in Form von kostenlosen Parkplätzen. Mir gefällt diese Idee, wenn die Subvention für einen allgemeineren Zweck verwendet würde: Wenn man kein Fahrzeug hat, für das man einen Parkplatz braucht, sollte man den freien Platz für eine Wohnung, ein kleines Unternehmen, einen Garten oder was auch immer nutzen können. "
Das klingt auch gut, das mit dem" freien Platz für eine Wohnung, ein kleines Unternehmen, einen Garten ..."
John Breen@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes OK, I own an F-250 - you are saying I need to drive an M1 instead, to improve pedestrian safety ? 😎
@jab01701mid @DJDarren @notjustbikes No, just ask your Ford dealer for better visibility features, means more coming from a customer than from random Internet people
https://action.consumerreports.org/20221116_stop_blindspots
https://action.consumerreports.org/20221116_stop_blindspots
@dmarti @DJDarren @notjustbikes At least my F-250 is not self-driving. I take responsibility for anyone I kill, who is also acting responsibly, by knowing my vehicles limitations, and hopefully my own.