this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2025
1052 points (98.3% liked)

Fuck Cars

13533 readers
322 users here now

A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!

Rules

1. Be CivilYou may not agree on ideas, but please do not be needlessly rude or insulting to other people in this community.

2. No hate speechDon't discriminate or disparage people on the basis of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexuality.

3. Don't harass peopleDon't follow people you disagree with into multiple threads or into PMs to insult, disparage, or otherwise attack them. And certainly don't doxx any non-public figures.

4. Stay on topicThis community is about cars, their externalities in society, car-dependency, and solutions to these.

5. No repostsDo not repost content that has already been posted in this community.

Moderator discretion will be used to judge reports with regard to the above rules.

Posting Guidelines

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:

Recommended communities:

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

States should be taxing or increasing licensing fees on these vehicles to pay for the increased medical services because of these unsafe vehicles.

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

In Australia they're registered as trucks, and drivers have to follow truck rules, including special low speed limits on hills, restrictions from minor roads except where that's their destination

This isn't a big impost on them, but it makes them less desirable for people who would use them as daily drivers

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

The state is actually a big part of the problem in this case. Small gas trucks are effectively illegal.

Automakers were fucking around with vehicle classifications in the 2000s to get around CAFE regulations. Things like the PT Cruiser were being classified as trucks. So starting in 2012, CAFE regulations were changed so that fuel economy standards were based on vehicle footprint. But it had a huge unintended consequence.

Suddenly a Toyota Corolla had less-strict fuel economy standards than small commercial vehicles like the Dakota, S-10, and Ranger. Notice how all 3 models were discontinued by 2012? And now that the Ranger is "back" its footprint is larger than some old F-150s?

As the CAFE standards get stricter over time, manufacturers have learned it's easier to just make the car bigger than to meet the fuel economy standards. They've made the marketing about penisnsize and shit, but it's really more about meeting regulations.

A more recent casualty was small cargo vans. The Transit Connect, ProMaster City, and NV200 were all discontinued by 2022 because small cargo vans can't meet CAFE. This is also why New York had to cancel its new Taxi fleet that was based on the NV200.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

In the 1000% range.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 26 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

If I recall my driver's ed, most current "rules of the road" (such as leave a two second gap) are based around WW2 tank driving regulations.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] stevedice@sh.itjust.works 22 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

We should start packing nitroglycerin into kids backpacks to force drivers to be more careful. Sure, some kids would die unnecessarily but dead children seems to be a price Americans are very willing to pay.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

Didn't that other dude say something similar about gun deaths?

[–] cabb@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Sure but what if some parents are too lazy or bad with money to be able to buy their children nitroglycerin without receiving government handouts? I don't want my tax dollars helping strangers kids.

/s seems necessary here

[–] uberdroog@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

How can I get my goods to market if I dont have a long haul bus?

[–] rising_man@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

How would they carry stuff, guns and their alpha male ego? Did you think about that? /s

[–] thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 2 days ago (9 children)

YSK you can say "fuck" on the internet

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] niartenyaw@midwest.social 97 points 3 days ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 42 points 2 days ago (1 children)

*fucking. You can say fucking on the internet. Don't worry, we won't tell your mommy.

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I didn't know, fuck you very much ! :-)

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] cynar@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Trying to ban them would be extraordinarily difficult. A potential solution would be to push to reclassify them as trucks, under trucking regulations (I'm unsure how this is done in the US). Once you need a tachograph and a requirement to keep driving records, it would cut back on sales. It also still allows "legitimate" usage. This would weaken the argument against the change.

Basically anything where you can't see a 5 year old within 0.5m of your bumper should be under "truck" rules, not "car" rules.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (7 children)

For this purpose, it’s not a question of banning them, but adding pedestrian safety regulations. You can still build these monstrosities while also providing better visibility and less likelihood for victims to be run over.

It’s just banning the “wall” of the front. That’s only required as a style choice and style should not trump safety

I’ve actually been paying more attention lately since my brother bought a Chevy ~~Behemoth~~ Silverado EV. As a big and tall guy I’m used to being bigger than most people I encounter, but looking at the “wall” at the front of these vehicles, it is also well above my center of mass. I would also be thrown down and run over. It’s not just children but there really is no “big enough” to survive getting hit with those

(And yes I will keep giving my brother a hard time. After All these years of owning a house and large property where he could have argued he needed a truck, he gets one after he gave up that property. He bought this monstrosity to commute alone and do road trips alone. Nothing to tow. Nothing to haul.)

load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 17 points 2 days ago (3 children)

12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride!

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I thought this was about the freaky little mankins, I was like "yeah they're freaky, but banned is a bit harsh" then I saw that the background was a modern truck grille, not a building.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] coaxil@lemmy.zip 73 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Emotional support vehicles, lol

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] polle@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But what would the people with their small self-esteem do then?

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SirMaple__@lemmy.ca 76 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

They really should be! They're like cockroaches here in Alberta...they're everywhere.

[–] Fyurion@lemmy.world 70 points 3 days ago

I know right, children are the worst

[–] Hungry_man@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

You are up for surprised when you will know blindspot of low level sedan

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 days ago (20 children)

Well, I assume the idea is to see the children before they're that close....

That being said, from my small vehicle I could probably tell what shoes someone is wearing from the same distance that the driver of one of these monstrosities can barely tell their hair color.

I get why trucks exist, I just don't get why so many people drive them as their primary or only vehicle when they don't regularly haul anything more than groceries.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

I get why trucks exist,

Those are hardly "trucks".

load more comments (19 replies)
[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Agreed, we shouldn’t be letting the goddamn ephemeral mannekinder block roadways.

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 50 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (8 children)

Since I live in a place where driving is necessary (Texas), I drive a smaller electric car.

From my perspective, even small SUVs are far too big. If I'm behind them at a light, I can't see when the light changes.

I was recently surprised to learn that in other countries, they have popular versions of pickup trucks that are smaller than almost anything you can find here in the states.

Anybody who buys a vehicle that size in OP's picture would have to be a sociopath. They do not consider how other people are affected by their selfish actions.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago

The thought of what America would be like if kei trucks were popular...

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago
load more comments
view more: next ›