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In the absence of a flair system on lemmy yet, let’s try to make it easier to scan through posts by type in here by using tags:
I mean, it's probably not safe in a crash at highway speeds (if it can even reach those speeds), but then neither are motorbikes and we allow those...
It's got to be better for the environment and wallet than those stupid Ford monster trucks. Especially since these would only attract people who actually need to carry large amounts of stuff about, rather than those who once needed to transport a fridge four years ago.
Those huge trucks are also not save in any crash. At least for the other person.
Any crash involving an "american sized" car will be worse than two of these small trucks coliding
Getting hit by one of those trucks at 30 MPH has as much force as a Honda civic at 55 MPH.
Fuck modern pickups.
A Honda civic weights ~1100kg. The kinetic energy of a vehicle is proportional to v^2^. Therefore, a vehicle going at 30MPH delivering the same kinetic energy as a Honda civic at 130MPH needs to weigh in at 130^2^/30^2^*1100kg or 20tons. Modern American trucks are too big and heavy but not that big and heavy I think
A fully loaded truck could exceed 10k vs a Honda at 3k. Math shows 55 mph for the Honda. A far cry from 130 mph
Probably not on interstates. But for most roads it ought to be okay.
We citizens need to change the laws to highly tax those oversized vehicles. And we should make them commercial use only. Average people don't need huge trucks. K-cars are quite cool.
Unfortunately taxes are kinda the reason why we see so many oversized trucks on the market and the reason you don't see any small trucks anymore. It's a result of manufacturers and lobbyists gamifying the EPA regulations that came out like 10-15 years ago.
Basically trucks under a certain weight have to meet a certain mpg standard otherwise they'd be taxed at a higher rate. However, there was a bypass for heavier "super-duty" trucks, so now most every truck being sold is classified as a super-duty which were originally meant to encompass "working" trucks meant to haul things like equipment.
It's really just another symptom of our government being a joke and the result of regulatory capture.
They're "light" trucks under CAFE standards as opposed to real trucks like semis and utility trucks. If they were smaller I think they would be lumped in with all the other normal passenger vehicles.
There is a reason the guy in the article bought a 1990. The US has a 25 year rule for importing vehicles that weren’t sold here. These became legal in Utah a few years ago because they made off road side by sides legal as long as you made some modifications (horn, turn signals, mirrors, etc). There’s a particular weight range they need to fall between. They also have to hold the same insurance requirements and registration as any other road vehicle. I don’t think they can be used on any road above 45.