Submitted 22 hours ago by xkcdbot@lemmy.world [bot] to xkcd@lemmy.world
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/car_size.png
Title text:
‘They really shouldn’t let those small cars drive in traffic. I worry I’m going to kill someone if I hit one! They should have to drive on the sidewalk, safely out of the way.’
Transcript:
Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com
Source: xkcd.com/3167/
We’re in the “I need to make my headlights brighter than the sun phase”. It’s just before the spike club panel
I should get an M1 Abrams and write off as a business expense
It would probably be quieter than any of the diesel pickup trucks on the road too!
I remember hearing years ago how the M1 Abrams was a battlefield domination machine that could only be killed by another M1. That was clearly propaganda. Those overweight, overpriced pieces of shit got lit the fuck up after being shipped to Ukraine.
“Your honor, I got the M1 because it was safer than an F150 in my neighborhood with lots of small children.”
“And here is the data to prove it.”
audience gasps
I’ve driven a Volvo L120H. It had. A pretty great visibility forward, better than my own car (Peugeot 108) lol. But that’s due to sitting so high up and only when I took the front loader off. Backwards it had a camera, which I was so jelly of when backing
A 0.2m tall 3 year old??
That has traffic-flipping vibes of the upgraded Agency Supercar from the game Crackdown. I like.
What’s the Lancia logo doing on there?
Idk I just hot linked some random image on the internet
I don’t know where that’s from, but it kinda has Lancia Stratos concept vibes to me.
The number of massive trucks I see without a speck of dirt in the bed that are used mainly for commuting and groceries is pathetic.
I think there have been occasions where I have passed a truck stopped at a red light on my bike, while carrying more groceries or other materials than they have in their entire backseat and bed.
And with the short box option, so you can’t fit 4x8 sheets of stuff in there anyway. Better off with a minivan.
If I could have a Fully electric mid 90s chevy S10 style pickup with modern safety features and no surveillance I would be sooooo happy. But no, if I want a truck I can buy old as fuck or get a wanktank. Closest option to what I want in the US currently is a Ford Maverick (which is literally just a rebadged explorer sport trac for the modern age) but that would mean supporting Ford, and like, fuck Ford.
Same, I recently looked for vehicles and this was an option we desperately wanted. We have a great ev now that’s tiny and efficient, but a small truck would have been great
What’s crazy (and sucks) is they DID have an EV S10 from the mid 90’s (hence why it sucks: it’s exactly what you want, but they killed it)
Of course it doesn’t have the modern safety features, but I bet you could still find one if you’re determined enough! Although it’s possible you already knew this 😉
You’re basically asking for what slate promises to be.
Also, you totally didn’t say it, but I feel like whining about it so: A lot of people think that the infotainment in cars could be stripped out to lower the price, but a big touch screen is actually very cheap and it might even be more expensive to have a bunch of bespoke buttons per model, so really, the idea of a gutted out vehicle wouldn’t save any money. The only actual money savers would be in areas like the suspension, build quality, engine size, that sort of thing.
I think Toyota just teased an EV Hilux
Someone pointed out the shape is very Tacoma-esque, so maybe an EV Toyota quarter ton is on the way
It’s become a wealth/status symbol for people who don’t like the more traditional bougie shit. Lets them still delude themselves into thinking they’re salt of the earth types.
A wealth symbol you can finance for 84 months 🤣
t’s become a wealth/status symbol for people who don’t like the more traditional bougie shit
It’s because they are actual luxury vehicles. Get inside one of the new ones, and it’s basically what you would imagine a lexus or lincoln would be like. All the fanciness, all the nifty little features… Finding one that is actually made to ‘work’ is hard.
So much this. I can somewhat forgive a stupid sized truck if it was used for work or some kind of off roading.
Lucky! I’d love to live somewhere where that was a SMALL number
I’m not even against large vehicles, I just think they should cost more, be taxed more, and be forbidden to park in certain areas.
They already cost more and considering they have worse gas mileage, they paying more taxes on fuel as well.
I agree with the parking though, back of the lot with ya.
in reality most (all?) states in the US don’t charge more for vehicle registration, and even when they do, the thresholds are really high. So a F-150 weighing over 5000 lbs may pay the same as a Honda Civic weighing half of that.
If they’re EVs they’re heavier, causing more road wear, and don’t pay gas taxes
I just think they should cost more, be taxed more, and be forbidden to park in certain areas.
This won’t help with rich assholes who want to drive around an F-950 or whatever, but will make groceries more expensive.
What really needs to happen is to mandate a special license to drive anything over like 2500 kg, and only be able to register it to a business with a valid use-case. To get a “small car” license (B-type), you have to pass an easy theory exam and drive around a tiny sedan around a city for 30 minutes (at least in europe). Trucks have different driving characteristics and are way more dangerous, so the driving tests should be way more difficult too.
Also, maybe this?
Oh, also, ban private cars in cities. Like, completely. Cars are so dangerous that their amount in populated areas needs to be kept to an absolute minimum.
Fucking with a coworker back in the day who drove a monster SUV with zero need. I don’t noramlly make judgement on that but I knew the family well. Her husband had a nice truck and their one kid was adult and moved out.
“I drive it because it’s safer.”
“So you’re happy to kill someone in a tiny car like mine?”
/<stares motherfuckerly>
“Aren’t you Christian? What do you figure Jesus would say about that?”
“Get out of my office Shalafi.”
🤷🏻
It bugs me when people refuse to acknowledge they’re being a selfish prick. At least have the strength of character to look someone in the eye and say “Yes, I’d rather you die than me”. Fucking cowards.
Old joke, but Jesus drove a Honda sedan.
He and his disciples were together in one Accord.
John 10:18:
“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father”.
He didnt just drive it, he raced it, using NOS given to him by god!
It isn’t safer if all of the other drivers are also in massive suvs.
There’s also humans in the world. Not just drivers.
This could be solved so many different ways.
The most obvious is getting read of the stupid CAFE regulations and Chicken tax that basically incentivise the fuck out of making these monstrosities.
The others are less likely to be done in a country like the USA with its 2 party system where the options are conservatism and fascist conservatism.
Or just apply the CAFE standards to all vehicles equally, don’t create loopholes that enable this kind of shit.
Im sick and tired of this bullshit claim that we can only choose beyween conservatism and fascism. This completely overlooks the Christian fascist theocratic option that is also available to those who really love “freedom”.
Yep. And now we have little old ladies, who should’ve had their license yanked years ago, driving 4 ton trucks to get groceries.
While net even being able to see over the steering wheel.
C’mon! I’m in the South and never saw some shit like that. Spent 6-months loading cars at Lowe’s, not one elderly person in a monster truck. Old dude’s like me stick to “normal” pickups like my 2004 F150.
Oh he’s about to flip over.
You’ve fallen for one of the classic blunders!
I can’t even imagine howuch shit I could buy to keep my family safe with the money used to buy and pimp that cyber truck…
Like a house
Or moving to a different area
Is this in Houston? I’m pretty sure that’s the only place I’ve seen rims like that.
Yup
Slab culture keeps rolling.
This is how Mad Max was made.
Clearly we need to start actively destroying larger vehicles to address this problem.
“We’re also going to make cars uglier as they get bigger too. Can’t have style, that might distract other drivers”
Reminds me of the lead up to WW1 where Germany and Britain were in a race to see who could crank out the biggest dreadnaughts.
Mad Max time is coming!
What bugs me about this argument is that the safest thing to do is drive less
I’m pretty sure Randall agrees
Make sure you get your teenager a massive suv to keep them safe too, nevermind that they are the highest risk drivers and that you’ve just armed them with something twice as likely to take the life of a pedestrian.
most teens are driving compact cars. don’t know what you are smoking.
I’ve considered installing the equivalent of a spike club behind my vehicle to ward of tailgaters
I have an artist buddy who has 8 of those bubble guns rigged to the roof of his car, all shooting backwards. (Disguised in 2 giant, colorful ‘fun missiles’) Makes a pretty decent cloud of bubbles. Easily enough to someone drop back. Always hilarious when he goes through an intersection, and everyone has ro stop like 15 seconds to wait for the bubbles to fall before they can go.
I’ve been thinking about a wicked strong spotlight aimed back, if you want to show me your bright lights up close I’ll show you mine
I wanted to install a flip down mirror in my back window. If your lights are set right it shouldn’t cause any problems for you. If they’re not, enjoy your temporary blindness.
What I want to feel safe on the roads is the Ramp Buggy from GTA Online.
I knew it!
Benchamoneh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 hour ago
May Skeletor suggest: Regulation
TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
regulation is why cars in the USA are so large. all the safety requirements pushed them larger and larger and heavier.
taco_daemon@lemmy.zip 57 minutes ago
not USanian but afaik cars got so big over there because trucks (being work vehicles) have less (environmental, safety, …) regulations than cars, that’s why SUVs got so popular, manufacturers pushed them onto public. as long as the base for the vehicle is that of a truck they are legally exempt from many limits.
source: probably “Not Just Bikes” on y*utube idk
kevinhippert@c.im 39 minutes ago
@TubularTittyFrog @Benchamoneh How do you explain the existence of the Honda Fit and Toyota Corolla on American roads (curb weights: 2,381lbs and 2800lbs)?
We like big cars and we can not lie
You other libertarians can't deny
That when a car pulls up with a itty-bitty MPG
and a 4 ton weight in your face, we get sprung.
theolodis@feddit.org 1 hour ago
I think Europe might prove you wrong