Frédéric Jacobs16h ago

Keep these monstrosities off our roads 🙅‍♂️

"US carmakers have accused Brussels of keeping their largest pick-up trucks, including the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado and the Ram 1500, off European roads”

https://www.ft.com/content/3eb796fd-bcdb-4a9f-89b7-f7d5e692a3cd

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/renault-twingo-1998-3-door-hatchback-vs-ford-f-350-2016-4-door-pickup-crew-cab/

Show threadTomás García Gobet14h ago
@fj why not let people decide if they want such a large vehicle or not?
Show threadRihards Olups13h ago
@reloadedhead @fj Because they endanger others, use way more space and it also encourages driving like pricks.
Or is it just making pricks more visible?
Show threadTomás García Gobet

@richlv @fj do you mean they are more dangerous due to the size and potential damage in an accident?

I am genuinely asking, because I come from a land in which having pick-ups is very common in rural areas for work and stuff, but not that common in urban environments, because surely nobody wants to drive that in narrow streets!

11:45amIceCubesApp
Show threadAnders VB v5.012h ago
@reloadedhead @richlv @fj They absolutely are far more deadly in accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists (of which we have so many more in the EU than in the US).
Show threadYrjänä Rankka 🌻12h ago
@reloadedhead @richlv @fj I see aso’s driving these wank panzers around narrow streets in Amsterdam.
Show threadFranchesca6h ago
@ghard @reloadedhead @richlv @fj yeh, I always make a point of staring at them with a disgusted look on my face. Worst is these things in Amsterdam rush hour, when they go through the traffic lights even though there is no space to go on, and then block the crossing. Most cyclists at RAI crossing will bang on the side as they go past, but it’s necessary as they might move on as the traffic moves and won’t see us.
Show threadNini12h ago
@reloadedhead @richlv @fj From what I can tell, they're not even that good as duty vehicles and most never get used in that way.
Show threadThree plus or minus five12h ago

@richlv @fj @reloadedhead

First and foremost: large vehicles are safer for the people in them, but much less safe for those around them. They crush smaller cars. Small children cannot be seen if close to the front. The headlights blind me when one of these is behind me in the road. They block sight lines. I think that wanting a big truck is basically anti-social.
This goes double for cybertrucks.

Show threadMichael Porter10h ago
@ThreeSigma @richlv @fj @reloadedhead A little old, but still relevant: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24139147/suvs-trucks-popularity-federal-policy-pollution
The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars

How federal lawmakers helped SUVs and pickups take over America

Vox
Show threadThree plus or minus five9h ago
@MichaelPorter @reloadedhead @richlv @fj
I still feel that the 80s decision to classify SUVs as light vehicles was a big step down that slippery slope.
Show threadThree plus or minus five9h ago
@MichaelPorter @reloadedhead @richlv @fj (article paywalled)
Show threadMichael Porter9h ago
@ThreeSigma @reloadedhead @richlv @fj Odd, I didn't have trouble reading it (not a subscriber). Do they have a monthly limit that you ran into, maybe?
Show threadtribactam12h ago
@reloadedhead @richlv @fj
this article has an in depth analysis. these things are deadly. More mass = more momentum = more energy transfer in collision. Also, there is the fact that lower cars break legs, these things smash thoracic cages.
https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2025/being-hit-suv-increases-likelihood-death-or-serious-injury
Being hit by an SUV increases the likelihood of death or serious injury | LSHTM

The likelihood of a pedestrian or cyclist being fatally injured is 44% higher if they are hit by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) or light truck vehicle (LTV) compared with smaller passenger cars, new

LSHTM
Show threadTomás García Gobet11h ago
@tribactam @richlv @fj thank you for referencing this article. Very interesting read!
Show threadThree plus or minus five12h ago

@richlv @fj @reloadedhead

One thing we see in the US is a continual arms race to bigger and bigger vehicles, partly due to this “safer than thou” mentality, partly machismo. But when it’s normalized, narrow streets start to be seen as the problem instead of the vehicles. The streets become one-way, parking is terrible, the roads are torn up by the extra weight.

And you never, ever see any cargo being carried.

Show threadCatherine is not complacent10h ago
@reloadedhead @richlv @fj cities and suburban areas = pedestrians.
It used to be that if you unfortunate enough to be hit by a truck it would probably be a survivable accident. After all the mass of the grill really only came up a little bit over your hip. Now, if you’re hit by a truck, you’re going to be pulverized. I live in the US and it’s a nightmare. I absolutely will not ride a bicycle in my town anymore because I would be asking to die.
Show threadCurioso 🍉 🇺🇦 (jgg)6h ago

@reloadedhead @richlv @fj

Also, they waste much more oil. Environmental issues aside, oil is usually much cheaper in the US.

Most of people here really, really hate those monsters and see the people who drive them as idiots, psychos, or people trying to compensate something. That's not something you want people to think of you.

Simply, there is no need or advantage in having one.

Vans are very popular here, pick-ups nearly non existent. Rain could be a factor too; nobody wants to deal with wet cargo nearly every day.