The NHTSA in the US is finally considering adding pedestrian safety test requirements for new cars, that would alleviate some of the problems caused by these stupid, dangerous trucks. If you'd like to comment on the proposed changed, you can do so until November 19th: www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0057-0001
We know someone who's 4 year old child was killed in a crosswalk. They were walking as a family and their daughter was walking just behind the dad. The SUV thought everyone was through the crosswalk and drove right over the child and killed her. She didn't see her. It's absolutely heartbreaking.
When I moved to Los Angeles (from Europe) and needed to rent a car for a week, the renter was super excited to tell me that I got an upgrade and could have a bigger car than the one I ordered. To which I said absolutely not, I wanted the smaller car because we're in a city and I want to be able to park easily. Never saw someone so confused!
I don't know in Europe but here in North America many car dealerships simply don't offer compact cars anymore, sometimes even a berline/sedan is hard to find and they don't like selling them because they give them less money than SUVs and Pick-Ups. Also, as they actually sell car-loans (and not cars per se) they want to sell bigger cars for which most drivers have to take a bigger loan instead of using cash. This is such a step behind.
I had a Volkswagen Golf for years in the American south and people literally questioned my manhood for not driving a truck. It is ridiculous in the US.
The same thing happened to me (well, I didn't move to LA from Europe)! I rented a Sedan and the guy was like "it's your lucky day! you got a free upgrade" and gave me the keys to a giant JEEP instead. It was awful to drive, so ludicrously huge, and the interior was this giant echo-y box with horrible visibility. Just give me the Honda Accord next time :(
The point made about kids being hidden by the front bumpers of SUVs (9:40) ... it's not just kids. I'm a wheelchair user and going past an SUV is a TERRIFYING experience. More than once I've intentionally waited on the pavement before crossing in front of an SUV I think is about to pull into the road because I KNOW they can't see me. I've nearly been hit in supermarket car parks twice. The first time I went past a parked SUV and realised the bumper was over my head was sobering. I started using my chair a bit over two years ago because of chronic illness. Before I got sick, I cycled, so I've always had a healthy wariness of SUVs. But the sheer sense of vulnerability that comes from being so low to the ground a driver couldn't see me if I were RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM... that's a whole different beast. I'm in the UK btw. Bigger cars are slightly less ubiquitous here than the States, but not by much. I can't drive for medical reasons. Thank goodness we have decent public transport - I would have absolutely no independence or autonomy if I were anywhere even slightly more car dependent. I'm not even anti car. I have a Blue Badge, that gives me access to disabled parking in whichever car I'm in. Cars are useful in a lot of cases. But my mum has a Renault Clio, which is wonderfully compact, and yet I can EASILY get my chair in and out of it without any assistance from the back seat. This would be challenging in a taller vehicle, and impossible in a flatbed or similar. Basically - SUVs are terrifying, horrifically dangerous for me, and would actively make my life harder if they were the only car available on the UK car market.
In the Netlerlands kids bikes are often fitted with an orange (duh) flag on top of a orange flagpole, so you can see the flag when the bike itself is out of view due to parked cars and stuff. Every now and then I see mobility scooters with the same type of flag mounted to them....maybe it would be a good idea to mount them to wheelchairs as well.
Oh f*******ck! I'm a small adult(think 12yo, which is really short for a grown person in NL) & i'm terrified of them. I been arguing against them on the basis of my height & the children. I didn't even think of people using wheelchairs... Have you seen the clips of the Englishman with a guide-dog? Sorry, forgot the name, but he films his walks & all the times that he's forced on the road because of badly parked cars etc. NJB's argument about parking these d*mn things hits harder now because it's obvious in hindsight that it's mostly chelsea tractors that cause this. Perhaps a ngo can argue against these deathtraps on the basis that it's bad for people with disabilities?
I compared my opel corsa to escalade, about same size as clio, I'm not sure you can see those cars from escalde, anything that is under a ton in weight is all but guaranteed to not be seen. Those cares are joke of a design .
Another consequence of higher bumpers is higher headlights, few things are worse than driving at night with a truck or SUV behind you, its headlights at exactly the same height as your rear mirrors
One thing I was waiting for you to say but never did: estate cars (station wagons) have another key advantage over SUVs. Their roofs are lower, so if you need to put something on the roof rack, like a kayak or a hang glider, it's possible for an average sized person. As an outdoors person myself and a station wagon owner I was so glad to hear someone sing their praises. I sleep in the back of mine when I'm out on an adventure sometimes. You actually get to use the extra space that comes with a long vehicle.
That’s very true. We recently drove to holidays in a GLE and while it’s a great car it’s just so big, you unironically need a step ladder to pack and unpack the roof box
its disgusting we dont get wagon-variants in the usa anymore. i used to love subaru but when they went for a cvt transmission they instantly became written off (an eco-car shouldnt have a 9000 dollar transmission that is guaranteed early failure in most cases) and sadly they are the only affordable option for a wagon
Hell snow removal is a big deal here as you need to see and not hurt other with the snow/ice that will eventually fly off if not removed. You can get a ticket for not removing snow but people still dont do it. Its much easier on a smaller car
A friend's daughter, a school teacher, was "T-boned" by a 4x4 full-size pickup last week. The truck ran a stop sign and its high front bumper hit her at shoulder-height sitting in the driver's seat, sending her car across two lanes and into a field. She died instantly. The driver of the truck walked away claiming the sun was in his eyes.
Most of my coworkers that buy these monstrosities, look down at my “small” car, and say they buy them so they can “drive over cars like mine”. And I find, locally at least, people do drive them like weapons, or at least with reckless abandon. It makes driving to work more anxiety inducing than it already was.
I wonder if these larger private vehicles are driven more aggressively than other vehicles? However something I noticed when I drove a larger vehicle (for pay,on the job,had to haul mulch or dirt) I noticed a lot of vehicles obnoxiously doing things to get in front of mine,even passing on a dirt shoulder. In general a lot of people are driving aggressively.
For me in Pittsburgh, it's the headlights on these vehicles that have driven me nuts at this point. We have a lot of winding, older, sometimes ambiguous road designs that don't mesh very well with this new trend of aggressively bright headlights. When these headlights get mounted 2-3ft higher compared to your typical car, you're bound to eat an eye-full of lumens that can seriously mess up your night vision!
As one of those niche rural “light” truck drivers I don’t understand why anyone who doesn’t need one would want one. They don’t fit in garages, eat gas like a bottomless pit, and are so much harder to park and maneuver.
As someone that lives in a fairley rural area I agree. When i visit my family in Henderson i see people with trucks and yet they never need the bed or anything just weird.
My old man actually ordered a single cab pickup to do pallet loads in his local area. You won't believe how many actual trades people asked about it when he got it delivered. Really shows how the intended audience of the pickup is getting ignored.
I worry that if we started giving cars both a "safety" score (how dangerous it is to the driver) and a "danger" score (how dangerous it is to other drivers), truck drivers would brag about their danger score.
As someone who walks everywhere, I'd also like to point out that when these things are parked on the side of the road, I can't see over them, and therefore I have difficulty seeing when cars are approaching when trying to cross the road they're parked besides. And it's not like I'm short or anything, as I'm 6'1.
What's really annoying is how electric cars seem to be chasing the "bigger is better" model as well, at least in the USA. It's a known fact that lighter and smaller is far better for electric cars, especially if you want them to travel longer distances.
Full disclosure, I have a work truck that I drive everyday, for work. The discussion about how trucks have changed over the years got to me. I have a standard cab, long bed truck. Typically I need to purchase a new one every 12 years. My current truck is 2008 and one of the main reasons I am holding onto it is because it is almost impossible to order a standard cab, long bed truck because most of the production goes towards "quad cabs" (or whatever they are calling them now). Also, the new pickups are so high off the ground they are a pain to load and unload. My 08 has 17" wheels and that bothered me then (and still does), I just had no choice. It's only gotten worse since...
Yeah it’s why I quit working as a tire mechanic. Winter legit sucked with all these fools coming in on the first day of snow with their 17”+ rims caked with snow talking about their car is ruined 😂
When I worked construction with my uncle, he had a Ford Transit cargo van. Held 4'x8' plywood and drywall and kept em dry, up to 6' high, and the unload was about 18 inches I think? Just around knee level instead of waist high. You can buy 'em new or used and they generally come in below truck cost. It might be your only option.
I was helping my mother in law move, and we found that my Honda Fit (or Honda Jazz depending on where you're from) actually held MORE CARGO than her Ford Escape SUV. We then looked up the numbers and sure enough, the tiny Fit actually did have more space on the inside than the comparatively massive Escape. Insanity.
It's really sad that the only place in North America that has high-speed rail is Northeastern US between Washington DC and Boston (Amtrak's Acela Line).
As a person who works in the trades and actually needs his truck for work, the amount of accountants buying trucks blows my mind. Less trucks on the road is a good thing
My engineer who does nothing but sit in his office all day drives a Diesel lifted truck. He is extremely heavy set so I asked him if he uses it to haul horses or something. He said nope, he just wants to see the road better. ?????
I fail to understand why people buy these massive trucks that cost more than luxury sedans when most have zero real need. I prefer a nice comfortable sedan with leather and wood interior for less that has smooth engine and nice comfort.
as an accountant who primarily uses a bicycle and might upgrade to an e-bike, I'm as confused by my colleagues as you are. They should literally be able to grasp how much money they're wasting on a capacity they neither need nor use.
As a truck owner, I couldn't agree more. My 20 year old heavy duty truck looks TINY compared to modern trucks. They're getting ABSURDLY large. The belt line on newer trucks is at shoulders height at this point. You need a ladder to do anything under the hood. In a vacuum I would like my next vehicle to be smaller, but like you said, if you're in a collision with a larger vehicle you're at a significant disadvantage. I really like the Ford Maverick. It's a cheap hybrid truck that's about the same length as a sedan.
@@BladeoftheImmortal2005 Yep, and GM is reportedly looking into electric "party trucks" that are smaller and more practical for more users. The fact that the Maverick is selling well enough they had to halt custom orders and recall units being lent to employees to fill demand also indicates that there are plenty of people out there who want small, practical trucks. If they made a short cab version with a longer bed that'd be better, though.
I remember when I first saw Back to the Future as a rural European kid, I was so confused by the car Marty got at the end. He was a 17-year-old boy living in middle-class suburbia, and close enough to school to go there on his skateboard every morning, and his parents got him this brand new shiny black pickup truck monstrosity that looked like it would be just as out of place at a farm or in the woods as it looked in that driveway. Since then I found out what product placement is, and I guess this in particular was part of that big marketing push to make these "light trucks" look cool to people who were teenagers in the mid 80s.
That truck was a 1985 Toyota pickup, maybe a T100 or similar? With a bunch of "off roading" stuff. I don't think a truck that small/compact has been sold in the US since the 1990s! I have a rusted old Ford Ranger that I have kept repaired and running despite the cost since you can't really get a truck that small any more either, they're all bigger.
What annoys me with the “they are just responding to demand” argument is also that I highly doubt car manufacturers are recording all the clients who come in asking for a smaller car only to be told that it is not an option. Most people won’t try to import a car from overseas that works for them and will just get the cars available to them locally
Yeah, that's my thought process as well. Sure, they do focus groups and things, but those aren't usually representative of the general population and most people are just going to shrug and buy what's available. Which is really what these companies want. Its not as if they _want_ to have to change their entire design every 10 years because people's preferences suddenly changed. Also, even if you did get a representative sample of the country and asked them what they wanted, that's still not ideal because a lot of people don't even realize that there might be an alternative. If all you know is car dependence and don't realize that there _can_ be another option, you aren't going to ask for it. Similarly, if you've grown up hearing about how big car == safer car, then naturally, you're going to request that car be bigger. That's how I used to be. I too thought that big cars were safer and that having a car was just peek transportation because I didn't know any better, I didn't have the information needed to make a truly informed decision.
the story with G-wagons is really interesting, they're basically trucks for the military, and a VIP client liked the way it looked and comissioned one with a nicer interior, and it then caught on as a sort of status symbol because they were rare but then they became cool when celebrities were seen in them. they only recently redesigned it as an actual "luxury SUV", as before it was basically a chassis from the seventies with updated engines and interior
Retired truck driver here. Spent 35 years on the road driving a semi with a hood the size of a dinner table to look over, but I found it harder to drive and see over the hood of my HD GMC pick up. Finally ditched it and bought a station wagon (Ford Flex). Yes I am a baby boomer. This video isn't saying anything new and I agree with the tone of it.
I would totally put a stop on the car widths. Where I live (spain) we have a ton of old country roads, and it is just scary when you encounter one of these modern cars, because they don't fit in the lane, and invade part of yours. How they ever allowed to sell cars that are wider than the average lane of 40 years ago is beyond me. Because in rural areas those roads are still there. And honestly, they should stay as they are, as they go through some of the most beautiful natural sites. Those wide cars should just be banned to go on public roads.
As Someone who likes cars, I’ve been anti-SUV and Truck for a while now but one thing really pushed me over the edge: One of those giant Full-Size SUVs backed into my car on a parking lot because the driver literally couldn’t see me! My hatchback’s roofline doesn’t even reach that thing’s windows. Thankfully it was just a dent to my car but I don’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if my kid would have been standing there. We need to disincentivize these vehicles as much as possible to get them off city roads.
@@gogogamemistressyou missed the point being made. Wether an SUV makes you and your family actually safer (to the detriment of others) is still debatable. So, the people buying these are mostly well meaning, yet still being hit with low effort insults. In fact, the fragile ego line kills most of the good will the logical and factual arguments that were made.
My mom just bought the smallest hybrid she could find in our state in the US- a Kia Nero. It's still bigger than she wanted it to be, but there were literally no smaller options that were hybrids. It's crazy that someone who wants a small car literally cannot even buy one!
I talked to my Gen-X parents about why they didn’t like station wagons and they simply said: “they weren’t cool”. And then proceeded to try and convince me that a big-ass Escalade is safer than a Volvo v60 station wagon.
A bare minim, really. I doubt there's anyone who would feel comfortably safe with someone swinging fists even a foot away from their face. Where safety is concerned, margins of error should always be accounted for.
The hood of these things are literally as tall as I am most of the time. If you get hit by this it's like getting hit by a wall and you go straight into the pavement instead of rolling over the hood.
Funny part is vehicles that are way bigger aka vans and trucks have better visibility because the hoods slope down. Or are cab overs and just use a mirror to see directly infront of the bumper.
And unfortunately America is lost cause in terms of being pedestrian and bike friendly. Urbanism is dead in America. It’s a lost cause unless it’s NYC.
I live in streetcar suburb outside a major US city. When we bought the house, we knew upfront that we'd have to knock down the garage and replace it. When we went to get quotes for the job, it blew me away that a common sales tactic was to push for something "big enough to store an F150." The garage is off an alley. Who wants to drive an F150 down an alley every time you go somewhere? When our family grew beyond the size that our Mazda3 could handle, an unusual number of our non-city friends and family started pushing 3-row SUVs, extended cab trucks, etc. We bought a cargo bike and a minivan - both brand new - for less than their recommendations. No regrets.
no, you see, every single american adult is a rugged blue collar construction worker that tows 2 tons of cement and plywood every single day have you considered that
Hi there! Dumb truck driver here who found your channel a few months after signing the papers for it. Having grown up in the southeast US, owning an F-150 was a bucket list item from when I was a kid growing up around them. Now, ever since watching the entirety of your channel in the span of a few months, it is one of my bigger regrets in life. I have intentions to sell it and get something different as soon as I am able. Unfortunately, the interest rates for vehicle loans even through my credit union are much higher than when I bought the monstrosity. I am locked in until I can save up enough to sell it and buy something else outright without a loan. I promise I am working towards it. The worst part? I traded in a fairly new Subaru Forester for it. What a fool I was. Love your videos, thank you for the fantastic content and helping me open my eyes to what is actually important.
Kudos to you for being open-minded & self-aware enough to question the culture you grew up in - it's hard to notice it when you're in it, like a fish swimming through water. Best wishes for you being able to financially get out of that situation sooner rather than later!
Don't beat yourself up over it. We're all vulnerable to propaganda, corporations wouldn't spend so much on advertising if it didn't work. Best of luck getting into something more reasonable when you can!
The term "Sport Utility Vehicle" is really bizarre to me from a linguistics standpoint; because they're too big to be sporty, too small to be utilitarian, and too poorly thought out to be much of a vehicle in the first place. I also get agitated whenever someone coins the term "compact SUV" because we already have a name for that; it's called a "hatchback".
As a pick up truck owner I realize that I could have bought a different car/wagon for my needs. We all think we will use it more than we think. If I am honest I use it for camping and 4x4 about 4/5 times a year. An awd wagon would have done the same thing. Thanks hitting so deep. I have always been cognizant of my waste, but failed to do so on what I drive. Thankfully I drive like a grandma. I am not into speed so my mpg isn't horrible. Great video and thank you for the education.
Being tall and still not being able to see over the hood of a vehicle always made me feel uncomfortable. I've been told "You get used to it." Dude, it's not just me I'm worried about. If I can't see, neither can any of you! But like you said, it's an Arms race to make sure your loved ones don't die because someone else decided to meet their bumper with your roof.
The most scary thing for me is that SUV drivers ran over the fake animals. Toys that looked like a real living turtle or a snake to them . They went out of their way to kill an innocent being. They even riseked their SUV's stability for their sadistic joy. This is psychopathic.
You know this is a good video when it makes me, a 23 yo Indonesian dude who never drove anything 4-wheeled in his life, livid enough to pause the video and walk outside to calm down.
Lived in the city for 90% of my life and recently moved to the middle of no-where Kansas. Trucks/SUVS are everywhere, but you can tell they actually use them for farm work. Weird part is I saw more truck/suvs in the city, and out here in rural America people drive sedans to save gas on highways.
Given that what's needed to decrease the sale of SUVs is negative public perception, I actually appreciate you expressing your anger in this video like you did :D
Small correction: the Dutch are not famous for going on vacation with their caravans. The correct word is "notorious". Sincerely, someone who lived the first 16 years of his life close to one of the main Autobahns our lovely neighbours take on their way to their holidays
At 24:10 you showed a pickup truck being efficiently used to move 4 by 8 sheets of plywood. The thing I liked most about my Oldsmobile custom cruiser station wagon was that with the rear seat down it was designed perfectly to hold 4 by 8 sheets Of plywood or paneling or press board and kept everything inside the car with nothing sticking out the back. I was so sad to lose that station wagon about 4 years ago.
"There's been a surge in interest in older pickup models as ACTUAL contractors seek vehicles that are more practical" Oh my god, thank you. I was an HVAC contractor before the pandemic and one of the MOST COMMON conversations was "What the fuck happened to the pickup?" Everyone is looking at getting ahold of old pickup chassis, Nissans, Toyotas, old F-150s that actually have a lower-to-the-ground USABLE bed and putting a newer, more efficient engine in it. Sure you'll only get two-wheel drive out of the things after an engine swap but it's worth it not to blow your back out loading equipment into a bed that's way too high.
Independent of all other issues you raised, road wear is based on weight (it scales at rougly axle weight to the fourth power). Significantly taxing vehicles based on this would be a great start to reshaping what the average car looks like.
Now I'm laughing about a few experiences I've had: 1) A former coworker who drove a lifted pickup with off-road tires was complaining that he was wearing out his tires super quickly. When I suggested to him that maybe off-road tires on a vehicle that was driven primarily on the interstate probably wasn't smart, he blew me off and asked me what I knew. 2) The first time I saw a (now) 20 year old Corolla pulling a horse trailer on the interstate, just cruising at the speed limit. It literally wasn't struggling at all. Granted, it probably made more horsepower than a 50 year old Chevy pickup with three times the engine displacement.
That former coworker in story 1 sounds like a poser, anyone with half a brain knows that specialty tires like winter, mud, and off-road shouldn't be left on all the time or you will wear the out quickly. (Because part of getting better grip is softer rubber) If he doesn't even know how off road tires work then he doesn't need them.
hah. I've been driving a '68 Corolla for 35 years. 1100cc, 4 speed, 70-80ish hp, 4:22 gears in diff. Put a good hitch on back years ago. I've hauled a 70's model long wheelbase Chevy truck about 50 miles on a homemade iron trailer. They make bolt on helper springs for leaf spring rears. My only struggle was stopping...the trailer alone weighed more than the car. Once I pulled a big rollback wrecker across a parking lot that was broke down in a drive-thru. Pulled a Dodge Dart with an attached boat on a trailer up out of a lake when the Dodge couldn't make the hill. Hauled my mower and stuff around in my own little trailer.
As someone who works in construction, it is an extremely common trend that contractors get these 50-70k trucks as a business vehicle and write them off. They do NOT use them to haul things, they wouldn't dare get them dirty or risk scratching them. Materials get delivered. Tools can fit in a Honda Civic.
@@victorquesada7530 put 2x4s and other construction equipment in that Honda everyday and see how long it takes before it's destroyed. Trucks are built for a purpose, it's just the majority of people don't use the truck anymore like it should be
In case you wondered how things are going elsewhere, in Germany VW just made Bentley annoy the traffic ministry until they decided to raise the 3.5 metric ton limit on total allowed weight. Reason: With the switch to electric cars the base weight of cars will climb. So....instead of making cars less stupidly big they made Germany change the law to make them heavier.
I have never been in the US, but I am from Basel, Switzerland and here you find so god damn many SUV now. It wasn't so 10 Years ago. For me, who uses a bike every day to do my things, these SUVs evolved to my biggest fear.
same in Germany. While smaller cars are still popular in cities, SUVs have been taking over for the last 10 years or so and if we don't get our shit together with public transport and bicycle infrastructure, I'm afraid the trend will only continue in that direction. (those two things are in horrible conditions, btw)
@@bumpsy I'm an American, I have visited Germany a fair bit but hadn't for a while until December 2022. I was frankly shocked at the amount of CUV/SUV's on the road there now vs. our last trip.
Same in the Netherlands. We live in one of the flattest, most densely populated countries in the world. If even 5% of those cars ever, ever offroad in their lifetime I'd be surprised.
In New Zealand, "light trucks" (a.k.a. utes) are incredibly popular. People use them because they actually live on farms or lifestyle blocks, and they are less prevalent in urban areas and cities. The SUVs there are much smaller, and people can easily be seen. I think you're absolutely right about the problem being that the wrong people have the wrong cars, and all of those trucks are just far to big.
It's happening here too. The T6 platform Ford Ranger follows the US trend and styling for wider, longer and taller. Much larger than earlier generations. Ford is selling the F-150 in Australia next year, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some here in future.
Coming from a family of 6, I can't tell you how bad it feels to drive the minivan while seeing all the smaller vehicles around me. But then, when the whole family gets in, I look to the back and say to myself: yep. This is indeed needed. We once went to a vacation, and we borrowed a bunch of stuff from our friends and managed to carry it all in the van along the 6 of us. The items contained: 2 surfing boards, 3 surfing sails, a inflatable boat for 5 people, a tent for 7 people, food for the entire trip, beach toys, sleeping bags, and a load of clothing. To somehow think that a car bigger than that can carry 2 people at most is absurd and outrageous. I am sorry for Americans. :(
Vans and mini-vans, while large, at least have a purpose. SUVs & extended cab trucks can't even seat more people than a sedan or carry more stuff than a station wagon. & like the video points out, mini vans are designed so you can still see things in front of you.
@@Malisteen if you think a pickup can't carry more stuff than a station wagon there's no helping you. It was designed for exactly one purpose and that is hauling the most stuff possible.
Very True, if you need to haul a truck is likely the best option though if you don’t need a trailer or load a Station Wagon or van might be more versatile. Main issue is that most trucks are never used for hauling and when you do need a truck for work the kinds americans are used to are really overkill
I live in Spain, and the large car craze is slowly growing here as well. But I was absolutely flabbergasted when I went to a car exposition/fair, and saw a full size pickup truck. It was just crazy! The wheels were larger than some tractor's, and definitely higher than my whole car hood. I just hope I never encounter one of those on the old rural roads. That thing was also so wide it would take up both lanes.
Although I am a Car-Enthusiast I completely agree with you, smaller cars are just better in every single way. There is a reason why all good sports cars like the Mx-5 Na are small and relatively low power, it's because it's more fun, and that's what being a good sports car is ultimately about, fun.
I once was parked in a T (in my Mx5) with a buddy's audi q7. I was pretty scared to learn that if that was a crash situation the audi logo would have been stamped on my forehead.
@@mworld2611 driving an NA Miata, with the top down, at freeway speeds, next to a semi truck is absolutely terrifying. Semi truck tires are taller than a whole NA Miata haha
Never forget that Phoenix, a city with a metro population of almost 5 million, has a “central station” the size of an average European village train station Here’s another good one, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston’s stations combined would all still be smaller than Nuneaton’s station, a random British town I assure you’ve never heard of 💀
@@bababababababa6124half of which have an intersection with a light rail. The delays due to collision with cars on that damn thing is damn-near daily. As someone to poor for a car, it makes "having a job" a real impracticality.
As a conservative American father of 4 who lives in car dependent suburbs I appreciate the food for thought. I recently downsized from a Ford Explorer to a VW Tiguan, cheaper, smaller and better fuel economy. One big factor is the social conditioning on men that says driving a big truck is a sign of manhood.
Not trying to be an ass but it makes me laugh when someone gets a Tiguan and says they are downsizing. Please don't take my comment personally, for where you live that may be a small car but it is still much bigger than most of the cars where I live, it shows how insane it has got in some places.
@@JesterRBLR oh I don't take it personally at all. I've traveled around and know in a lot of places something like a VW Golf is as big as it gets. For this area it's a smaller vehicle, plus remember I still have 4 kids to move around.
"yeah my ABSOLUTE TANK of a vehicle (aka the Chevy Child-Pulverizer 5000™) might be a needlessly massive, unwieldy, inefficient, contradictory, expensive, dirty, ugly, and inconvenient marketing gimmick for literally everyone that isn't me, mostly so I can LARP as an outdoorsy cowboy - but I really dislike your tone; plus I've already made it my personality." *plows through an elementary school playground while typing this comment
I think another factor of SUVs and Trucks being less safe is how isolated you feel in them. I live in Austria, and while American Trucks and SUVs sadly are becoming more popular constantly, it's not as bad as in the US yet. I don't drive, but obviously still ride in cars sometimes, mostly small cars or at most station wagons. However, last year I once got a ride in a Cadillac Escalade when I was in the UK, and I was really surprised by how safe you *feel* in the car (Despite the car being less safe for basically everyone). You feel completely isolated from the rest of the road, being so high up and taking up so much space. It's really hard to describe the feeling, but it can't be good for safety. It's the same reason why cycling is comparably safe in shared pedestrian and cyclist zones. You are just so much more aware of your surroundings on a bike than in a car, especially a giant SUV with poor visibility.
@Tsifsas Tsifsarotatos wrong again fuckwit, the likelihood of your SUV rolling over and killing you is much higher than for a normal car. The sheer size of the car means there is less visibility in all directions, as that is how sightlines work.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 He's not trying to deny the undeniable fact that SUVs are safer for the people inside of them when they crash. He's just pointing out that people ignore the dangers SUVs have on smaller cars and on cyclists and pedestrians in collisions
cocooned, is the word i would use to describe the feeling. the sounds are muted, the interior is mat and dark, windows tinted, maneuvers like a boat...smothered almost.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 The video mentions that SUVs don't need to follow passenger safety regulations of cars and shows crash test footage of SUV passengers getting jerked around by the impact a lot more than those in a car. Passengers are not in better safe in SUVs than in cars.
Something you missed is the significantly higher wear and tear on our roads that these larger vehicles cause. Ever municipality is bankrupt and can’t keep up with repairs and these vehicles exacerbate the problem by an order of magnitude
I didn't miss it, I purposefully did not include it. The truth is that while SUVs do tear up the road more than cars, this effect is dwarfed by transport trucks. The effect of an SUV is nothing compared to an 18 wheeler, so talking about it is a distraction. There are bigger issues with SUVs than road wear.
Tesla and other electric vehicles are a lot worse on roads than the gas engine vehicles they replace. And worst of ALL so far, GM's electric Hummer which weighs 9000 lbs! Insane.
My parents live in truck country and recently sold their old car. The kid who ended up buying it was an apprentice carpenter. His father was convinced he *needed* a truck, but the only ones he could afford were absolutely worn out rust buckets. His mother took him to see this car, and he absolutely fell in love with it because it was practical, in good shape, and within his price range.
Marketing is strong. When I was a teenager I thought I would die if I didn't have a shiny new truck. My dad always drove trucks. It's what men drive. Obviously. Then I went to a college where no parking was offered to freshmen, because freshman were required to live in dorms on campus so no car necessary. After a while I didn't just forget about wanting a truck but I started to realize how dumb cars were in general. I wondered why all places couldn't be like college campuses. I didn't understand what I meant was, why can't all places be mixed use and walkable. I was told, "you'll understand once you get into the real world, commuting is just a fact of being an adult" I've since visited numerous places in Europe and I get it now. Americans don't seem to remember what the real world is. It's not living in isolation and only venturing out into the world in a private metal and glass box.
As someone who grew up in a rural area this really hits home. The vast majority of people will *never* need a truck - and even out on the farm I still see a lot of older (read smaller) trucks doing just fine - new ones feel like more of a fashion statement than anything. Random fact about me, I love skiing. What's funny is you could always tell the most serious skiers by their car - so many I knew would drive a small Subaru hatch as opposed to needing to compensate with a truck. It does everything you need and modestly tries to make sure ones kids can also ski on real snow. We need a world where people reflect on their mobility as more than just how they get around but, also as their social and environmental impact. Thank you for making this!
Absolute Reece. This is so true. I don't get the knee-jerk reaction of people to this when they say, "but what about rural people?!" Have these people even been to a farm? My grandfather grew up on a farm and lived in a rural area his whole life. The hard work was done by a tractor. When they went into the city they drove a tiny Toyota hatchback. I really think the people who say this are really just playing a role and have no idea what it means to actually live rural. They don't need a pickup truck, they need a cowboy costume, so they can play their "tough rural guy" games without killing anybody in the process.
Friends of our family had a huge farm up in Lakefield, ON. They had a tractor and quad cycle to work the fields, but drove an '82 Toyota Starlet to and from town, pulling a trailer when needed. Respect.
And then you hear ads for E-SUV with the claim that this is good for the future of the planet. (There are several around in the Netherlands at this time but they do not say is outright as that will be against the advertisement code, but the meaning is clear from what they do say.) E-cars may be less bad than non-E, but it is now way good for nature.
Totally true. Real skiers can get up the hill in a '97 Corolla, and do so before the sun comes up. Compensators show up at around noon, in a brand new ford f150.
I wal always facinated by the small utility trucks from Japan. They get the loads they need to their destination just fine, are incredibly versatile and are quite compact. I wish they were imported to the US, I would much rather use that for when I need to actually haul wood.
Those japanese trucks are imported here in small numbers. Try doing a search for "japanese mini trucks" or "kei trucks". Ive been interested in getting one with a dump bed for my parents small farm
designed for the tiny mountain roads there. the main issue is that the average American would not actually fit into the seat of one. they would destroy the pickup industry overnight so lobbyists ensure it will never happen.
Pretty sure they've effectively been made illegal in most of the states cuz everything not on the north east corridor is a country mile apart connected by highways so every car needs to be rated to pass a super high energy crash test with high top speeds. Even many "city" centers are about as dense as other countrys' rural suburbs
They are imported. But they aren't street legal so they're only imported by groups that can get around it. For instance there is a senior living complex near me. They own 2 or 3 of the Japanese mini-truck things and they use them for moving around groundskeeping equipment and facilities maintenance stuff. They can only drive them on the roads within the complex and not on the city roads around it.
As a Texan I had a pickup for many years. I mostly used it to take my bicycle to places to ride. I won't say how annoying it was having to take my bike somewhere to ride rather than just being able to hop on it and go. Since then I have had smaller and smaller cars. We definitely need to get rid of the light truck exemption.
You can lump "freedom" into two big categories: freedom _to_ and freedom _from._ Freedom to is the freedom to do what you want, when you way. Say what you want, etc.. Freedom from is the freedom not to be inhibited by things that prevent you from doing what you want, like strict control over your behaviour, government censorship, and other people's actions limiting your own freedom. The American conversation around Freedom is very heavily slanted towards "freedom to", and if "freedom from" is mentioned at all, it's only in the context of "get the government out of my business". There is absolutely no acknowledgement at all that the actions of one group can restrict the freedoms of another group. That's why the American discussion about SUV is so lopsided, focusing only the freedom of people to drive whatever they want. There is absolutely zero acknowledgement of the impact of that "freedom" as it restricts the freedoms of others, and that's what pisses me off the most.
As someone from TX who drives an SUV, I agree with everything you said and I’m getting fed up with even having it. The only reason why I’m still driving that was because it was basically given to me, and as soon as that car dies I’m getting a Prius Prime (which can easily fit just as much cargo if not more in the back and can seat 5) that will be used for everything up to and including the rugged stuff (which they do just fine at).
Having grown up in a household that used SUVs, I can’t even begin to thank you for expressing the same sentiment that I’ve had for years. A bigger car doesn’t make you safe, it makes you feel in control. There’s a difference!
Coming from me driving an suv to driving a hatchback, I definitely feel like I’m safer and more in control now… so long as suvs don’t get too big to dodge…
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 You're more likely to roll over in one though because they have a higher center of gravity. The lower to the ground you are, the less likely you are to roll over.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 My parents have a Cadillac Escalade which I used to drive fairly often. They also had a Mercedes that was a sedan, making it way lower to the ground. I can tell you that driving the Mercedes was always better than the Escalade, because it’s significantly easier to drive than an Escalade, it’s much easier to see everything, speed is easier to control, and everything related to parking and turning is easier. Just because you’re in a big car doesn’t mean you’re safer my friend. The most important is the road/weather conditions, the state of the driver and how experienced they are. A big car can be even more dangerous depending on how it’s frame is built, it can be easier to roll over, and all the other inhibitions i mentioned (visibility, movement, etc) make you more likely to crash than in a smaller car. The video literally gives statistics specific to this problem, so maybe check them out.
Literally got a pick up truck ad before and after this video. I really enjoy that your content is always thinking of these issues in a systemic manner and really highlights why these issues matter, it’s super frustrating for me because it seems an overwhelming amount of people don’t ever think of anything in an in depth manner.
Ik woon op het platteland en het aantal grote pick ups hier is echt enorm aan het toenemen. Die dingen zijn echt belachelijk groot en veel van de eigenaren gebruiken ze niet eens hoe ze bedoeld zijn, alleen maar omdat ze het stoer vinden.
Even in Europe it's harder and harder to find a new (and fewer used) city car. A segment vehicles in particular. Quadricycles are making a comeback but not nearly enough. More and more new cars are SUVs and Crossed bers because of the profit margins. Profits profits, dividends, dividends.
@@kladblok2729 Je moet toegeven, het is wel leuk om ze vast te zien staan wanneer die achterlijk grote pickup door de smalle Nederlandse straatjes probeert te manoeuvreren.
22:40 “American automakers are not promoting SUVs and pickup trucks because they are practical, they do it because it makes them. more. money.” Soooo many times the answer to “why we keep doing things wrong” is “because someone is profiting out of it” that I seriously wonder why people say capitalism is the only way forward.
When my sisters '92 pickup finally broke, she replaced it with a mini-van because ironically it towed better then any of the pickups and SUVs she could find for you know, actual job calls. I feel like that's the most damning thing about how useless these SUVs have gotten.
My sibling lost their car and tried biking to work. Only 2 days in and we both agreed to sharing my car because of how inefficient and dangerous biking was. It really breaks my heart that people who are down on their luck and don't have a car get put at such a significant disadvantage. Edit: We're in CO btw.
I'm in Nova Scotia Canada. I biked all year round for four years with my first job. I was struck twice rear ended at a stop sign once and had countless road rage incidents. My mother told me if I don't stop biking to work I have to leave home because she doesn't even want to get the call I'm gone. My bike hasn't seen real use since I was 21. I'm 25 now. It's shameful.
I'm a truck owner and I agree with you, I was given mine as my first car and it's horrible,it's so expensive to drive I literally can't afford to replace it with a better vehicle, $100 a week on gas alone just from driving to and from school and work, I wish I didn't have a truck
When I had my pickup, I took the bus to work because it was cheaper than paying for gas, parking and extra insurance. First chance I had, I traded that in for a good used sedan.
it might suck for a bit but maybe you can sell it and buy a chap old beater. You might be able so save a lot of money while using it and your options will be a lot more after a couple of months of savings
I've always been a bit baffled at the lengths people will go to justify these things. Your typical Ram 1500 costs a good $120+ to fill up in Canada (last I heard from owners when prices weren't nuts). A bit of that is due to a large fuel tank that'll get you decent range (550km city, 850km highway, from what I've seen on Google). But, that's not far off from my old Golf which got pretty similar range (I usually got 550-600km in mixed driving, 750-ish km on pure highway), only needing about $50 bucks for a full tank. That's like 2.5x the cost in fuel to haul the same amount of stuff (ie. statistically, one human with a phone in their pocket).
Its interesting to see kei trucks/vans recently imported into the US from Japan, apparently we (US residents) are so desperate for lighter trucks, that some people will pay extra to import a 20+ year old(old enough ignore chicken tax) vehicle from half way around the world because nobody makes them like that around here.
As someone who actually does need a truck on occasion, I agree with everything in this video. I have a 1997 Chevy 4x4 with an 8' bed. Its slow, drives like a boat, and is uglier than sh!t. But when I need to get gravel, fertilizer, lumber, etc. its perfect. No way in hell would I spend 60k or more on these new trucks that don't even have full-sized beds. Trucks are wonderful, but they shouldn't be your daily driver unless you load that bed daily.
@@b.w.9392 They are rare, and as a result cost more to purchase and maintain (parts harder to source, etc.). Cargo vans are fairly easy to purchase, but if one of your requirements is moving things that are dirty, smelly, dusty, splintery, etc. on a regular basis, then a bed you can hose off and sweep out has a value.
@@victorquesada7530 most people in europe just get a trailer for that. Even the ones that buy 'pick ups' as we call them, which over here means a ford ranger, toyota hilux ,nissan navara or vw amarok, which we concider large cars
This why I don't ride a bike outside anymore. Of all the vehicles that I encounter, it's pickup trucks and SUVs that are more likely to steer their vehicle closer to the shoulder line to "scare" me to get off the road. I hope one day, the US, will become more walkable and pedestrian friendly
@@nervousbreakdown711 It's a cultural thing at this point. Anyone seen riding a bicycle is labelled as a 'cyclist' or a bum there, and thus anything goes, even violence. It's also by design, when there's no space but car invested roads to ride a bicycle, or any alternative means of transport, there will be conflicts simply because of the speed difference. The only reason cycling is so safe in the Netherlands, is because there is quite a lot of infrastructure that's simply not accessible by car, only by alternative means, mostly bicycles. If we didn't have that, the situation would be pretty much the same as in the states.
@M.R. - I HAVE NOTICED THIS TOO!!! I used to bike thousands of miles per year. But I’ve observed the SAME phenomenon of a percentage of drivers - usually driving in a truck or SUV - actually SWERVING TOWARD ME and other cyclists, often within inches or less - just to terrorize, intimidate and scare us. Just like in the Mark Rober video. It’s not just animals whom those drivers target- it’s people too. Sociopath drivers. And like you, I’ve hung up my spokes and I exclusively drive my car now. And in the process I’m forced to forfeit all the enjoyment and benefits to myself and society that I once used to reap on behalf of myself, my health, happiness and productivity as well as to my community when I commuted by bike and rode also for pleasure, fitness, and miscellaneous errands and fun. #InducedDemand It’s sad but true. Urban design and transportation regulations and public policy should be encouraging and facilitating us to bike not the other way around the way things are now. I also got sick of breathing in lung fills of grey billowing diesel smoke from those big one ton trucks. A single truck like that produces more pollution than like 1,000 sedans. They should’ve forced those to be electric a long time ago.
I hate the term "light truck" Because it does not differentiate between a 4-cylinder chevy s10 or a diesel ford F450😠 I love lil trucks, ive put more loads of firewood, camping gear, and paddlesboards than i can count on the life of my '03 didge dakota..lol i dont even drive it to work😅 i bicycle to work in denver
I am so glad that my complete hatred of these insanely huge and harmful vehicles is actually backed up by reasonable facts. Thank you for this video, definitely subbed
I’m 5’2, so I fully understand. I hate going to the store on a good day cause my area is flooded with oversized Trucks and SUVs and I’ve almost been hit on multiple occasions.
What's worse is now I feel the need to factor in how dangerous the giant cars are when looking for a car, and look at bigger cars as a defensive option. It's a race to the bottom. Edit: you covered this in the video, I commented too early
As someone who lives in the rural south, I'll admit, I came into this video thinking I was going to disagree, but I gave it a shot and I am inclined to agree with a lot of what you have to say. I drive a rear-wheel V6 1998 Dodge Dakota SLT crew cab (the one with only two doors, but still has a small bench seat in the back). It's MUCH smaller than all these huge trucks around me, but my truck bed is nearly double the size. It's longer, and even wider, while the truck itself is very slim, and not even as long as new trucks with their extended cabs. I even have back seats (it only fits short people or children, but they're still there, right?) I also do not daily drive this truck very often. I drive a compact little dodge dart. My truck gets used for truck things like hauling animal feed and material for our construction projects around the farm. It's beaten up, scratched, paint peeling. But I am comfortable driving this thing into the city because it's HALF THE SIZE of a modern SUV or pickup. (I also daily a 1985 Honda Rebel 250 when it's not raining and I just need to run somewhere and not haul anything). Even here, parking lots are riddled with oversized SUV's and truck that jut out and make it impossible to navigate. I live in a rural area mostly by choice, but also the lower overall price of homes and far better privacy. As such, I do a LOT of driving, I mean the nearest walmart is a nearly 18 minute drive. I love cars, I am a major enthusiast, but I hate SUVs and these oversized trucks that absolutely nobody needs, and these people are paying half their mortgage for. Don't even get me started on the pandemic of bright white LED headlights on theses tall SUVs. Its impossible to drive at night without being blinded by an SUV because they are so much higher off the ground. I hate the sprawl of urban cities and the insurgence of ugly expensive subdivisions, and I will always prefer to live in the backwoods country, but that being said, I see the appeal of city life, and I know some prefer that lifestyle and want to be able to do so safely and effectively. I agree that cities need far better infrastructure for public transport, etc. Thank you for the informative video. (Side note: one of my dream cars has always been an old boxy volvo wagon lol)
I grew up in the suburbs of St.Louis. When I turned sixteen, I got my dad's old car. I loved my car. I loved driving, it was almost therapeutic for me. When I first moved, it took me years to get over not having my car - what felt like 'not having my freedom'. It's only now after 9 years of living in Europe that I realize that I don't miss my car, and driving wasn't the therapy and freedom I thought it was. My car, which was only valued at $700 resale cost me far more than that in time and maintenance. Hell, most of my teenage income went to gas and insurance - thousands per year! I was never far away from my car - it wasn't freedom, in reality I was shackled to it. And the only reason I thought driving was freedom was because there was nothing within a reasonable distance to do - especially for a 16-18 year old who was banned from most stores (as a lot of stores did this since kids that age are often seen as degenerates. We were, but only because we were bored out of our minds because we had nothing to do!) and who had a legally mandated 10PM curfew (keep in mind, I could be out past that IF I was driving, but just walking around on the sidewalks? No). The walk to the closest convenience store was 25 minutes, and anything beyond that like the 'local' pool, school, grocery stores, etc were all around 40 minutes or more, usually some portion without dedicated sidewalks. Now I live in a European city with great public transit and walkability - and I HATE the idea of owning a car. It would be soooo expensive compared to the $25 per month pass that allows me on to all public transit (and often I don't even get that, because I can walk most everywhere I need to go). I can literally get to any part of the city from the northern-most suburbs to the southern-most within an hour on public transit. In reality since everything is to human scale and walkable, I don't often have to walk more than 10 minutes to go to any store, office or restaurant I need. And as if saving all that money wasn't enough, I am healthier because I walk everywhere, doing an average of 9k steps per day as opposed to the 1.5k I did in the suburbs. And the only reason it may not be as healthy as I would like is because of all the damn air pollution from those crappy cars that fill the main roads - but the car drivers suffer from that just as much as we do. It's asinine to even consider anything else but this, but Americans don't know what they are missing because they have never experienced anything like it. Even if you come on vacation here as an American, it can still be hard to crystalize what it is about European cities (other than perhaps the architecture) that makes them so much better. Channels like yours do exactly that crystallization, and it's why I love your channel so much. Thanks for another great vid, and keep it up!
Yup, I'm that guy everyone hates. The one in a flannel shirt and a pair of wranglers that have a small hole in them ( that happened naturally) with a super duty ford with 33 inch tires. But I'm also that guy that agrees with ALMOST everything you said. I tow a 7k job trailer most days because it's not safe to to leave my equipment on site in the city every day. Nearly every weekend and holiday I'm off in the hills enjoying the beauty of my area in the PNW in USA. At least one a month, sometimes more( hopefully more)I'm towing my 26ft travel trailer out camping somewhere with my kayaks on the roof and the bed full of gear and firewood. I frequently help friends and family move, haul new furniture and appliances etc. I love my truck! BUT I'm also that dude that takes the bus into town when I don't need my truck. I also ride PEVs. I HATE driving my truck around town, I hate parking garages (I'm too tall for most) and parking lots I hate the narrow ass streets that have cars parked on both sides and i have to fold in my mirrors and have someone get out and spot me because someone illegally park to close to an intersection. I often get blocked in because the spaces aren't big enought to pull out when it chock full of priuses.... or is it Pre-ie? I get shyt MPG, i hate traffic, and i hate when people ride my blindspots and cut me off when towing. Any opportunity I get to NOT drive my truck I take. I don't understand the propensity to want to drive one when you don't need to. Big trucks shouldn't be the normal vehicle on the road for sure!
I recently bought a station wagon for my family and now feel extremely good about myself. It can even tow my boat, up to 2 ton of towing weight. My boat is only 1.4 tons
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
The NHTSA in the US is finally considering adding pedestrian safety test requirements for new cars, that would alleviate some of the problems caused by these stupid, dangerous trucks. If you'd like to comment on the proposed changed, you can do so until November 19th:
www.regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2024-0057-0001
One thing that really bothers me is that I'm blinded by headlights during nighttime driving because every car on the road is higher than mine.
We know someone who's 4 year old child was killed in a crosswalk. They were walking as a family and their daughter was walking just behind the dad. The SUV thought everyone was through the crosswalk and drove right over the child and killed her. She didn't see her. It's absolutely heartbreaking.
When I moved to Los Angeles (from Europe) and needed to rent a car for a week, the renter was super excited to tell me that I got an upgrade and could have a bigger car than the one I ordered. To which I said absolutely not, I wanted the smaller car because we're in a city and I want to be able to park easily. Never saw someone so confused!
I don't know in Europe but here in North America many car dealerships simply don't offer compact cars anymore, sometimes even a berline/sedan is hard to find and they don't like selling them because they give them less money than SUVs and Pick-Ups. Also, as they actually sell car-loans (and not cars per se) they want to sell bigger cars for which most drivers have to take a bigger loan instead of using cash. This is such a step behind.
I had a Volkswagen Golf for years in the American south and people literally questioned my manhood for not driving a truck. It is ridiculous in the US.
And LA is one of the places where most people don’t mind smaller cars. Man, I miss my Miata.
@@canorthYeah, well, "American South" explains that little bit there, bud.
The same thing happened to me (well, I didn't move to LA from Europe)! I rented a Sedan and the guy was like "it's your lucky day! you got a free upgrade" and gave me the keys to a giant JEEP instead. It was awful to drive, so ludicrously huge, and the interior was this giant echo-y box with horrible visibility. Just give me the Honda Accord next time :(
The true irony is that full size SUV's are more common in a city then in the rural areas.
The point made about kids being hidden by the front bumpers of SUVs (9:40) ... it's not just kids. I'm a wheelchair user and going past an SUV is a TERRIFYING experience. More than once I've intentionally waited on the pavement before crossing in front of an SUV I think is about to pull into the road because I KNOW they can't see me. I've nearly been hit in supermarket car parks twice. The first time I went past a parked SUV and realised the bumper was over my head was sobering.
I started using my chair a bit over two years ago because of chronic illness. Before I got sick, I cycled, so I've always had a healthy wariness of SUVs. But the sheer sense of vulnerability that comes from being so low to the ground a driver couldn't see me if I were RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM... that's a whole different beast.
I'm in the UK btw. Bigger cars are slightly less ubiquitous here than the States, but not by much. I can't drive for medical reasons. Thank goodness we have decent public transport - I would have absolutely no independence or autonomy if I were anywhere even slightly more car dependent.
I'm not even anti car. I have a Blue Badge, that gives me access to disabled parking in whichever car I'm in. Cars are useful in a lot of cases. But my mum has a Renault Clio, which is wonderfully compact, and yet I can EASILY get my chair in and out of it without any assistance from the back seat. This would be challenging in a taller vehicle, and impossible in a flatbed or similar.
Basically - SUVs are terrifying, horrifically dangerous for me, and would actively make my life harder if they were the only car available on the UK car market.
In the Netlerlands kids bikes are often fitted with an orange (duh) flag on top of a orange flagpole, so you can see the flag when the bike itself is out of view due to parked cars and stuff. Every now and then I see mobility scooters with the same type of flag mounted to them....maybe it would be a good idea to mount them to wheelchairs as well.
Check where you are, in a lot of councils blue badges mean 100% free parking in P&D bays as well as yellow lines without kerb marks
Oh f*******ck!
I'm a small adult(think 12yo, which is really short for a grown person in NL) & i'm terrified of them. I been arguing against them on the basis of my height & the children. I didn't even think of people using wheelchairs...
Have you seen the clips of the Englishman with a guide-dog? Sorry, forgot the name, but he films his walks & all the times that he's forced on the road because of badly parked cars etc. NJB's argument about parking these d*mn things hits harder now because it's obvious in hindsight that it's mostly chelsea tractors that cause this.
Perhaps a ngo can argue against these deathtraps on the basis that it's bad for people with disabilities?
I compared my opel corsa to escalade, about same size as clio, I'm not sure you can see those cars from escalde, anything that is under a ton in weight is all but guaranteed to not be seen. Those cares are joke of a design .
Maybe install one of those stupid "lift kits" on your wheelchair
Another consequence of higher bumpers is higher headlights, few things are worse than driving at night with a truck or SUV behind you, its headlights at exactly the same height as your rear mirrors
One thing I was waiting for you to say but never did: estate cars (station wagons) have another key advantage over SUVs. Their roofs are lower, so if you need to put something on the roof rack, like a kayak or a hang glider, it's possible for an average sized person. As an outdoors person myself and a station wagon owner I was so glad to hear someone sing their praises. I sleep in the back of mine when I'm out on an adventure sometimes. You actually get to use the extra space that comes with a long vehicle.
That’s very true. We recently drove to holidays in a GLE and while it’s a great car it’s just so big, you unironically need a step ladder to pack and unpack the roof box
He literally did @ around 19:35
its disgusting we dont get wagon-variants in the usa anymore. i used to love subaru but when they went for a cvt transmission they instantly became written off (an eco-car shouldnt have a 9000 dollar transmission that is guaranteed early failure in most cases) and sadly they are the only affordable option for a wagon
@@dr._breens_beard At least the Subaru's from 5-10 years ago still had regular autos and standard transmissions
Hell snow removal is a big deal here as you need to see and not hurt other with the snow/ice that will eventually fly off if not removed. You can get a ticket for not removing snow but people still dont do it. Its much easier on a smaller car
A friend's daughter, a school teacher, was "T-boned" by a 4x4 full-size pickup last week. The truck ran a stop sign and its high front bumper hit her at shoulder-height sitting in the driver's seat, sending her car across two lanes and into a field. She died instantly. The driver of the truck walked away claiming the sun was in his eyes.
Most of my coworkers that buy these monstrosities, look down at my “small” car, and say they buy them so they can “drive over cars like mine”. And I find, locally at least, people do drive them like weapons, or at least with reckless abandon. It makes driving to work more anxiety inducing than it already was.
These people only have to make up for their tiny wiener
Sounds like folks eager to commit crimes.. do you work in a prison? Or just with people who will eventually end up there?
I feel the same. I drive a fiat
small d!ck energy to the max
I wonder if these larger private vehicles are driven more aggressively than other vehicles? However something I noticed when I drove a larger vehicle (for pay,on the job,had to haul mulch or dirt) I noticed a lot of vehicles obnoxiously doing things to get in front of mine,even passing on a dirt shoulder.
In general a lot of people are driving aggressively.
For me in Pittsburgh, it's the headlights on these vehicles that have driven me nuts at this point. We have a lot of winding, older, sometimes ambiguous road designs that don't mesh very well with this new trend of aggressively bright headlights. When these headlights get mounted 2-3ft higher compared to your typical car, you're bound to eat an eye-full of lumens that can seriously mess up your night vision!
As one of those niche rural “light” truck drivers I don’t understand why anyone who doesn’t need one would want one. They don’t fit in garages, eat gas like a bottomless pit, and are so much harder to park and maneuver.
As someone that lives in a fairley rural area I agree. When i visit my family in Henderson i see people with trucks and yet they never need the bed or anything just weird.
My old man actually ordered a single cab pickup to do pallet loads in his local area. You won't believe how many actual trades people asked about it when he got it delivered. Really shows how the intended audience of the pickup is getting ignored.
I worry that if we started giving cars both a "safety" score (how dangerous it is to the driver) and a "danger" score (how dangerous it is to other drivers), truck drivers would brag about their danger score.
As someone who walks everywhere, I'd also like to point out that when these things are parked on the side of the road, I can't see over them, and therefore I have difficulty seeing when cars are approaching when trying to cross the road they're parked besides.
And it's not like I'm short or anything, as I'm 6'1.
fun fact from florida:
alligators do in fact climb extremely well. not usually trees, but chain link fences do nothing to stop them.
lol my friend had one in their pool one time and their suv did nothing to stop it
What's really annoying is how electric cars seem to be chasing the "bigger is better" model as well, at least in the USA. It's a known fact that lighter and smaller is far better for electric cars, especially if you want them to travel longer distances.
As someone who works in construction sites, you need a big car for the boss to sit in all day, yell at everyone and contribute nothing.
Full disclosure, I have a work truck that I drive everyday, for work. The discussion about how trucks have changed over the years got to me. I have a standard cab, long bed truck. Typically I need to purchase a new one every 12 years. My current truck is 2008 and one of the main reasons I am holding onto it is because it is almost impossible to order a standard cab, long bed truck because most of the production goes towards "quad cabs" (or whatever they are calling them now). Also, the new pickups are so high off the ground they are a pain to load and unload. My 08 has 17" wheels and that bothered me then (and still does), I just had no choice. It's only gotten worse since...
Yeah it’s why I quit working as a tire mechanic. Winter legit sucked with all these fools coming in on the first day of snow with their 17”+ rims caked with snow talking about their car is ruined 😂
When I worked construction with my uncle, he had a Ford Transit cargo van. Held 4'x8' plywood and drywall and kept em dry, up to 6' high, and the unload was about 18 inches I think? Just around knee level instead of waist high. You can buy 'em new or used and they generally come in below truck cost. It might be your only option.
I was helping my mother in law move, and we found that my Honda Fit (or Honda Jazz depending on where you're from) actually held MORE CARGO than her Ford Escape SUV. We then looked up the numbers and sure enough, the tiny Fit actually did have more space on the inside than the comparatively massive Escape. Insanity.
I am not immune to the appeal of an absolutely massive machine roaring down the line at impossible speeds. But like. That's why i'm into✨trains ✨
Trains are cool and if you think otherwise maybe you should try to have a good opinion next time
This is so valid
It's really sad that the only place in North America that has high-speed rail is Northeastern US between Washington DC and Boston (Amtrak's Acela Line).
As a fellow train nerd, I 100% agree with you!!
Yeah, trains! Trains are so epic!
As a person who works in the trades and actually needs his truck for work, the amount of accountants buying trucks blows my mind. Less trucks on the road is a good thing
My engineer who does nothing but sit in his office all day drives a Diesel lifted truck. He is extremely heavy set so I asked him if he uses it to haul horses or something. He said nope, he just wants to see the road better. ?????
I fail to understand why people buy these massive trucks that cost more than luxury sedans when most have zero real need. I prefer a nice comfortable sedan with leather and wood interior for less that has smooth engine and nice comfort.
as an accountant who primarily uses a bicycle and might upgrade to an e-bike, I'm as confused by my colleagues as you are. They should literally be able to grasp how much money they're wasting on a capacity they neither need nor use.
As a truck owner, I couldn't agree more. My 20 year old heavy duty truck looks TINY compared to modern trucks. They're getting ABSURDLY large. The belt line on newer trucks is at shoulders height at this point. You need a ladder to do anything under the hood. In a vacuum I would like my next vehicle to be smaller, but like you said, if you're in a collision with a larger vehicle you're at a significant disadvantage. I really like the Ford Maverick. It's a cheap hybrid truck that's about the same length as a sedan.
Maverick is the only truck I'll consider. Actually fuel efficient and not 10,000 pounds
My new truck is larger, no doubt - but it also gets way better mpg's than the 21 year old smaller truck it replaced. And pollutes less.
I used to drive a 1984 Ford F150. Imagine my shock when I saw a newer model. I thought my truck was a beast. The new model dwarfed it.
Tell me about it my Friend has a 2022 Sierra HD Denali can't believe how massive it is
@@BladeoftheImmortal2005 Yep, and GM is reportedly looking into electric "party trucks" that are smaller and more practical for more users. The fact that the Maverick is selling well enough they had to halt custom orders and recall units being lent to employees to fill demand also indicates that there are plenty of people out there who want small, practical trucks.
If they made a short cab version with a longer bed that'd be better, though.
I remember when I first saw Back to the Future as a rural European kid, I was so confused by the car Marty got at the end. He was a 17-year-old boy living in middle-class suburbia, and close enough to school to go there on his skateboard every morning, and his parents got him this brand new shiny black pickup truck monstrosity that looked like it would be just as out of place at a farm or in the woods as it looked in that driveway. Since then I found out what product placement is, and I guess this in particular was part of that big marketing push to make these "light trucks" look cool to people who were teenagers in the mid 80s.
Fun Fact:
The actor who played the dad got fired because he didn't like the trope that sucess only means having luxury stuff...
That truck was a 1985 Toyota pickup, maybe a T100 or similar? With a bunch of "off roading" stuff. I don't think a truck that small/compact has been sold in the US since the 1990s! I have a rusted old Ford Ranger that I have kept repaired and running despite the cost since you can't really get a truck that small any more either, they're all bigger.
@@dwarftoad Yes, that bumper was lower than his shoulders. That is an absolute ant compared to what they make today.
That jeep is small in comparison to the ones gracing seppo roads
What annoys me with the “they are just responding to demand” argument is also that I highly doubt car manufacturers are recording all the clients who come in asking for a smaller car only to be told that it is not an option. Most people won’t try to import a car from overseas that works for them and will just get the cars available to them locally
Yeah, that's my thought process as well. Sure, they do focus groups and things, but those aren't usually representative of the general population and most people are just going to shrug and buy what's available. Which is really what these companies want. Its not as if they _want_ to have to change their entire design every 10 years because people's preferences suddenly changed.
Also, even if you did get a representative sample of the country and asked them what they wanted, that's still not ideal because a lot of people don't even realize that there might be an alternative. If all you know is car dependence and don't realize that there _can_ be another option, you aren't going to ask for it. Similarly, if you've grown up hearing about how big car == safer car, then naturally, you're going to request that car be bigger. That's how I used to be. I too thought that big cars were safer and that having a car was just peek transportation because I didn't know any better, I didn't have the information needed to make a truly informed decision.
It's hard to stomach the fact that we now have more pedestrian fatalities than we did in 1990.
the story with G-wagons is really interesting, they're basically trucks for the military, and a VIP client liked the way it looked and comissioned one with a nicer interior, and it then caught on as a sort of status symbol because they were rare but then they became cool when celebrities were seen in them. they only recently redesigned it as an actual "luxury SUV", as before it was basically a chassis from the seventies with updated engines and interior
Retired truck driver here. Spent 35 years on the road driving a semi with a hood the size of a dinner table to look over, but I found it harder to drive and see over the hood of my HD GMC pick up. Finally ditched it and bought a station wagon (Ford Flex). Yes I am a baby boomer. This video isn't saying anything new and I agree with the tone of it.
I would totally put a stop on the car widths. Where I live (spain) we have a ton of old country roads, and it is just scary when you encounter one of these modern cars, because they don't fit in the lane, and invade part of yours. How they ever allowed to sell cars that are wider than the average lane of 40 years ago is beyond me. Because in rural areas those roads are still there. And honestly, they should stay as they are, as they go through some of the most beautiful natural sites. Those wide cars should just be banned to go on public roads.
76" and that's it. It would shrink the width of every midsize SUV and pickup truck.
As Someone who likes cars, I’ve been anti-SUV and Truck for a while now but one thing really pushed me over the edge: One of those giant Full-Size SUVs backed into my car on a parking lot because the driver literally couldn’t see me! My hatchback’s roofline doesn’t even reach that thing’s windows. Thankfully it was just a dent to my car but I don’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if my kid would have been standing there.
We need to disincentivize these vehicles as much as possible to get them off city roads.
Holy crap, selling a truck so tall that AN ENTIRE CAR can fit under its sight line should be illegal!
Tax SUV more?
Which "giant" SUV these days doesn't have a backup camera? No way they couldn't see you if they had looked.
That's probably why backup cameras are required.
@@townhall05446 It was an older GMC Yukon. No backup cameras
"one of this vehicles is designed to carry lots of stuff, while the other is designed to carry fragile egos"
made my day
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 Found the fragile ego.
I was sipping through my drink when this line came up and spilled it everywhere because I bursted out laughing!
@@gogogamemistressyou missed the point being made. Wether an SUV makes you and your family actually safer (to the detriment of others) is still debatable. So, the people buying these are mostly well meaning, yet still being hit with low effort insults. In fact, the fragile ego line kills most of the good will the logical and factual arguments that were made.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 SUVs are less safe. They flip over way easier.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 You ain't keeping anything safe in an SUV.
"the roads are too narrow" "cyclists take up too much space" "we need more parking"
- people driving 15-foot-wide monstrosities
🤣🤣so real !
Proof that not everyone is eligible for voting... or voicing an opinion.
Average carbrains
My mom just bought the smallest hybrid she could find in our state in the US- a Kia Nero. It's still bigger than she wanted it to be, but there were literally no smaller options that were hybrids. It's crazy that someone who wants a small car literally cannot even buy one!
I talked to my Gen-X parents about why they didn’t like station wagons and they simply said: “they weren’t cool”. And then proceeded to try and convince me that a big-ass Escalade is safer than a Volvo v60 station wagon.
"Your freedom to swing your arms ends where my face begins"
A lovely turn of phrase.
It's a pretty common phrase when talking about "freedom" and "liberty" in the U.S.
A bare minim, really. I doubt there's anyone who would feel comfortably safe with someone swinging fists even a foot away from their face. Where safety is concerned, margins of error should always be accounted for.
@@Student0Toucher it totally does, just in this topic it is about a bumper and not a literal arm
@@Student0Toucher Keep telling yourself that
It's a perfect analogy
The hood of these things are literally as tall as I am most of the time. If you get hit by this it's like getting hit by a wall and you go straight into the pavement instead of rolling over the hood.
Funny part is vehicles that are way bigger aka vans and trucks have better visibility because the hoods slope down.
Or are cab overs and just use a mirror to see directly infront of the bumper.
"One of these vehicles is designed to efficiently carry lots of useful stuff, while the other is designed to carry fragile egos." PERFECT
I almost always ride my bike, but would like to have a small 2 seat electric for highway travel. No such product exists in America.
Same
What about the Arcimoto?
The Arcimoto mentioned by Ringo is promising, but it's a bit expensive, and in Washington state requires a Motorcycle endorsement to drive
that sounds awful compared to taking a train. a small 2 seat electric pipeframe with probably no doors, going 50 km/h in a 130 km/h highway
Or how the smaller vehicles in this country are still expensive...
“The real winning strategy was to make scared people feel safe”
Ahh, the American advertising cheat code
And unfortunately America is lost cause in terms of being pedestrian and bike friendly.
Urbanism is dead in America. It’s a lost cause unless it’s NYC.
bonus points if they make the people scared before then advertising to make them feel safe.
I live in streetcar suburb outside a major US city. When we bought the house, we knew upfront that we'd have to knock down the garage and replace it. When we went to get quotes for the job, it blew me away that a common sales tactic was to push for something "big enough to store an F150." The garage is off an alley. Who wants to drive an F150 down an alley every time you go somewhere?
When our family grew beyond the size that our Mazda3 could handle, an unusual number of our non-city friends and family started pushing 3-row SUVs, extended cab trucks, etc. We bought a cargo bike and a minivan - both brand new - for less than their recommendations. No regrets.
no, you see, every single american adult is a rugged blue collar construction worker that tows 2 tons of cement and plywood every single day have you considered that
Hi there! Dumb truck driver here who found your channel a few months after signing the papers for it. Having grown up in the southeast US, owning an F-150 was a bucket list item from when I was a kid growing up around them. Now, ever since watching the entirety of your channel in the span of a few months, it is one of my bigger regrets in life.
I have intentions to sell it and get something different as soon as I am able. Unfortunately, the interest rates for vehicle loans even through my credit union are much higher than when I bought the monstrosity. I am locked in until I can save up enough to sell it and buy something else outright without a loan. I promise I am working towards it. The worst part? I traded in a fairly new Subaru Forester for it. What a fool I was.
Love your videos, thank you for the fantastic content and helping me open my eyes to what is actually important.
Foresters are great. I'm in the market for a used Subaru but they retain the damned value so well they're all out of my budget at the moment.
Kudos to you for being open-minded & self-aware enough to question the culture you grew up in - it's hard to notice it when you're in it, like a fish swimming through water. Best wishes for you being able to financially get out of that situation sooner rather than later!
King!
Don't beat yourself up over it. We're all vulnerable to propaganda, corporations wouldn't spend so much on advertising if it didn't work. Best of luck getting into something more reasonable when you can!
Bro at least you're fixing a mistake which is much better than some other.
It's extremely difficult to buy a micro-car in the US, It's annoying how the most economic choice is taken away from Americans.
The term "Sport Utility Vehicle" is really bizarre to me from a linguistics standpoint; because they're too big to be sporty, too small to be utilitarian, and too poorly thought out to be much of a vehicle in the first place. I also get agitated whenever someone coins the term "compact SUV" because we already have a name for that; it's called a "hatchback".
As a pick up truck owner I realize that I could have bought a different car/wagon for my needs. We all think we will use it more than we think. If I am honest I use it for camping and 4x4 about 4/5 times a year. An awd wagon would have done the same thing. Thanks hitting so deep. I have always been cognizant of my waste, but failed to do so on what I drive. Thankfully I drive like a grandma. I am not into speed so my mpg isn't horrible. Great video and thank you for the education.
That's why I bought a Subaru Outback instead
Being tall and still not being able to see over the hood of a vehicle always made me feel uncomfortable.
I've been told "You get used to it."
Dude, it's not just me I'm worried about. If I can't see, neither can any of you!
But like you said, it's an Arms race to make sure your loved ones don't die because someone else decided to meet their bumper with your roof.
And yet... it's most likely your loved ones you won't see driving these things.
Unless you can't drive, in which case it just feels like you're caught out in no man's land and everyone's aiming at you.
The most scary thing for me is that SUV drivers ran over the fake animals.
Toys that looked like a real living turtle or a snake to them .
They went out of their way to kill an innocent being.
They even riseked their SUV's stability for their sadistic joy.
This is psychopathic.
You know this is a good video when it makes me, a 23 yo Indonesian dude who never drove anything 4-wheeled in his life, livid enough to pause the video and walk outside to calm down.
Lived in the city for 90% of my life and recently moved to the middle of no-where Kansas. Trucks/SUVS are everywhere, but you can tell they actually use them for farm work.
Weird part is I saw more truck/suvs in the city, and out here in rural America people drive sedans to save gas on highways.
Given that what's needed to decrease the sale of SUVs is negative public perception, I actually appreciate you expressing your anger in this video like you did :D
Small correction: the Dutch are not famous for going on vacation with their caravans. The correct word is "notorious".
Sincerely,
someone who lived the first 16 years of his life close to one of the main Autobahns our lovely neighbours take on their way to their holidays
As someone who travels and lives in Norway, I can confirm. So many dutchies on the road here during summertime 😂
At 24:10 you showed a pickup truck being efficiently used to move 4 by 8 sheets of plywood. The thing I liked most about my Oldsmobile custom cruiser station wagon was that with the rear seat down it was designed perfectly to hold 4 by 8 sheets Of plywood or paneling or press board and kept everything inside the car with nothing sticking out the back. I was so sad to lose that station wagon about 4 years ago.
"There's been a surge in interest in older pickup models as ACTUAL contractors seek vehicles that are more practical" Oh my god, thank you.
I was an HVAC contractor before the pandemic and one of the MOST COMMON conversations was "What the fuck happened to the pickup?"
Everyone is looking at getting ahold of old pickup chassis, Nissans, Toyotas, old F-150s that actually have a lower-to-the-ground USABLE bed and putting a newer, more efficient engine in it. Sure you'll only get two-wheel drive out of the things after an engine swap but it's worth it not to blow your back out loading equipment into a bed that's way too high.
Independent of all other issues you raised, road wear is based on weight (it scales at rougly axle weight to the fourth power). Significantly taxing vehicles based on this would be a great start to reshaping what the average car looks like.
Now I'm laughing about a few experiences I've had:
1) A former coworker who drove a lifted pickup with off-road tires was complaining that he was wearing out his tires super quickly. When I suggested to him that maybe off-road tires on a vehicle that was driven primarily on the interstate probably wasn't smart, he blew me off and asked me what I knew.
2) The first time I saw a (now) 20 year old Corolla pulling a horse trailer on the interstate, just cruising at the speed limit. It literally wasn't struggling at all. Granted, it probably made more horsepower than a 50 year old Chevy pickup with three times the engine displacement.
That former coworker in story 1 sounds like a poser, anyone with half a brain knows that specialty tires like winter, mud, and off-road shouldn't be left on all the time or you will wear the out quickly. (Because part of getting better grip is softer rubber)
If he doesn't even know how off road tires work then he doesn't need them.
hah. I've been driving a '68 Corolla for 35 years. 1100cc, 4 speed, 70-80ish hp, 4:22 gears in diff. Put a good hitch on back years ago. I've hauled a 70's model long wheelbase Chevy truck about 50 miles on a homemade iron trailer. They make bolt on helper springs for leaf spring rears. My only struggle was stopping...the trailer alone weighed more than the car. Once I pulled a big rollback wrecker across a parking lot that was broke down in a drive-thru. Pulled a Dodge Dart with an attached boat on a trailer up out of a lake when the Dodge couldn't make the hill. Hauled my mower and stuff around in my own little trailer.
As someone who works in construction, it is an extremely common trend that contractors get these 50-70k trucks as a business vehicle and write them off. They do NOT use them to haul things, they wouldn't dare get them dirty or risk scratching them. Materials get delivered. Tools can fit in a Honda Civic.
heck, a Honda Fit can carry 2x4s and a Honda Odyssey can carry sheet goods if you take out the seats!
@@victorquesada7530 put 2x4s and other construction equipment in that Honda everyday and see how long it takes before it's destroyed. Trucks are built for a purpose, it's just the majority of people don't use the truck anymore like it should be
In case you wondered how things are going elsewhere, in Germany VW just made Bentley annoy the traffic ministry until they decided to raise the 3.5 metric ton limit on total allowed weight.
Reason: With the switch to electric cars the base weight of cars will climb.
So....instead of making cars less stupidly big they made Germany change the law to make them heavier.
I have never been in the US, but I am from Basel, Switzerland and here you find so god damn many SUV now. It wasn't so 10 Years ago. For me, who uses a bike every day to do my things, these SUVs evolved to my biggest fear.
same in Germany. While smaller cars are still popular in cities, SUVs have been taking over for the last 10 years or so and if we don't get our shit together with public transport and bicycle infrastructure, I'm afraid the trend will only continue in that direction. (those two things are in horrible conditions, btw)
@@bumpsy I'm an American, I have visited Germany a fair bit but hadn't for a while until December 2022. I was frankly shocked at the amount of CUV/SUV's on the road there now vs. our last trip.
Same in the Netherlands. We live in one of the flattest, most densely populated countries in the world. If even 5% of those cars ever, ever offroad in their lifetime I'd be surprised.
God damn? 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
and now the EU wants to raise the weight limit of a b class drivers license to 4.25 tonnes cause EU carmakers just can't build good EVs.
In New Zealand, "light trucks" (a.k.a. utes) are incredibly popular. People use them because they actually live on farms or lifestyle blocks, and they are less prevalent in urban areas and cities. The SUVs there are much smaller, and people can easily be seen. I think you're absolutely right about the problem being that the wrong people have the wrong cars, and all of those trucks are just far to big.
American corporate materialistic soul at its finest, showing in its people.
I’m American and I want to move to the Netherlands.
It's happening here too. The T6 platform Ford Ranger follows the US trend and styling for wider, longer and taller. Much larger than earlier generations.
Ford is selling the F-150 in Australia next year, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some here in future.
Coming from a family of 6, I can't tell you how bad it feels to drive the minivan while seeing all the smaller vehicles around me. But then, when the whole family gets in, I look to the back and say to myself: yep. This is indeed needed. We once went to a vacation, and we borrowed a bunch of stuff from our friends and managed to carry it all in the van along the 6 of us. The items contained: 2 surfing boards, 3 surfing sails, a inflatable boat for 5 people, a tent for 7 people, food for the entire trip, beach toys, sleeping bags, and a load of clothing. To somehow think that a car bigger than that can carry 2 people at most is absurd and outrageous. I am sorry for Americans. :(
@Not Just Bikes that was a fast heart, thanks a lot!
Vans and mini-vans, while large, at least have a purpose. SUVs & extended cab trucks can't even seat more people than a sedan or carry more stuff than a station wagon. & like the video points out, mini vans are designed so you can still see things in front of you.
@@Malisteen if you think a pickup can't carry more stuff than a station wagon there's no helping you. It was designed for exactly one purpose and that is hauling the most stuff possible.
Very True, if you need to haul a truck is likely the best option though if you don’t need a trailer or load a Station Wagon or van might be more versatile. Main issue is that most trucks are never used for hauling and when you do need a truck for work the kinds americans are used to are really overkill
@@toddmansilver12 Have you seen the Video?
I live in Spain, and the large car craze is slowly growing here as well. But I was absolutely flabbergasted when I went to a car exposition/fair, and saw a full size pickup truck. It was just crazy! The wheels were larger than some tractor's, and definitely higher than my whole car hood. I just hope I never encounter one of those on the old rural roads. That thing was also so wide it would take up both lanes.
Although I am a Car-Enthusiast I completely agree with you, smaller cars are just better in every single way. There is a reason why all good sports cars like the Mx-5 Na are small and relatively low power, it's because it's more fun, and that's what being a good sports car is ultimately about, fun.
now imagine sitting in an Mx-5 before/behind such a monster :(
@@torzsmokus Don't have to. I used to have an Miata as my daily driver, it is microscopic compared to most of these behemoths.
@András Rácz I actually drive an NA MX5 and a lot of truck's wheels are higher than my hood
I once was parked in a T (in my Mx5) with a buddy's audi q7. I was pretty scared to learn that if that was a crash situation the audi logo would have been stamped on my forehead.
@@mworld2611 driving an NA Miata, with the top down, at freeway speeds, next to a semi truck is absolutely terrifying. Semi truck tires are taller than a whole NA Miata haha
Never forget that Phoenix, a city with a metro population of almost 5 million, has a “central station” the size of an average European village train station
Here’s another good one, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston’s stations combined would all still be smaller than Nuneaton’s station, a random British town I assure you’ve never heard of 💀
Phoenix is a fraud city. It’s “downtown” is smaller than many cities with fewer than 500k people!
Tbf, they are literally expanding it as we speak, but yeah.
I'm more annoyed by the fact we didn't build the light rail as an elevated system.
@@nairsheasterling9457 but at least you have all those lovely roads💀
@@bababababababa6124half of which have an intersection with a light rail. The delays due to collision with cars on that damn thing is damn-near daily. As someone to poor for a car, it makes "having a job" a real impracticality.
@@nairsheasterling9457 I’d say that’s better than nothing 🤷♂️ but your city needs a crap ton more transit in general
As a conservative American father of 4 who lives in car dependent suburbs I appreciate the food for thought. I recently downsized from a Ford Explorer to a VW Tiguan, cheaper, smaller and better fuel economy. One big factor is the social conditioning on men that says driving a big truck is a sign of manhood.
Which is extremely funny to me, because the joke around here is the opposite: the bigger the car, the smaller the guy's manhood
It’s also a sign of a tiny pecker
Not trying to be an ass but it makes me laugh when someone gets a Tiguan and says they are downsizing. Please don't take my comment personally, for where you live that may be a small car but it is still much bigger than most of the cars where I live, it shows how insane it has got in some places.
@@JesterRBLR oh I don't take it personally at all. I've traveled around and know in a lot of places something like a VW Golf is as big as it gets. For this area it's a smaller vehicle, plus remember I still have 4 kids to move around.
@@RiveTheRat bigger the car the smaller his ...
"yeah my ABSOLUTE TANK of a vehicle (aka the Chevy Child-Pulverizer 5000™) might be a needlessly massive, unwieldy, inefficient, contradictory, expensive, dirty, ugly, and inconvenient marketing gimmick for literally everyone that isn't me, mostly so I can LARP as an outdoorsy cowboy - but I really dislike your tone; plus I've already made it my personality."
*plows through an elementary school playground while typing this comment
I think another factor of SUVs and Trucks being less safe is how isolated you feel in them. I live in Austria, and while American Trucks and SUVs sadly are becoming more popular constantly, it's not as bad as in the US yet. I don't drive, but obviously still ride in cars sometimes, mostly small cars or at most station wagons. However, last year I once got a ride in a Cadillac Escalade when I was in the UK, and I was really surprised by how safe you *feel* in the car (Despite the car being less safe for basically everyone). You feel completely isolated from the rest of the road, being so high up and taking up so much space. It's really hard to describe the feeling, but it can't be good for safety. It's the same reason why cycling is comparably safe in shared pedestrian and cyclist zones. You are just so much more aware of your surroundings on a bike than in a car, especially a giant SUV with poor visibility.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 Safe compared to the tiny Honda you'll crush in a crash and safe compared to the child you can't see.
@Tsifsas Tsifsarotatos wrong again fuckwit, the likelihood of your SUV rolling over and killing you is much higher than for a normal car. The sheer size of the car means there is less visibility in all directions, as that is how sightlines work.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 He's not trying to deny the undeniable fact that SUVs are safer for the people inside of them when they crash. He's just pointing out that people ignore the dangers SUVs have on smaller cars and on cyclists and pedestrians in collisions
cocooned, is the word i would use to describe the feeling.
the sounds are muted, the interior is mat and dark, windows tinted, maneuvers like a boat...smothered almost.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 The video mentions that SUVs don't need to follow passenger safety regulations of cars and shows crash test footage of SUV passengers getting jerked around by the impact a lot more than those in a car. Passengers are not in better safe in SUVs than in cars.
Something you missed is the significantly higher wear and tear on our roads that these larger vehicles cause. Ever municipality is bankrupt and can’t keep up with repairs and these vehicles exacerbate the problem by an order of magnitude
Ironically a lot of people choose SUVs because of bad roads
And then opt for low profile tires completely defeating the purpose
I didn't miss it, I purposefully did not include it. The truth is that while SUVs do tear up the road more than cars, this effect is dwarfed by transport trucks. The effect of an SUV is nothing compared to an 18 wheeler, so talking about it is a distraction. There are bigger issues with SUVs than road wear.
@@NotJustBikes very insightful decision, thanks for telling us about your process a bit! ☺️
Tesla and other electric vehicles are a lot worse on roads than the gas engine vehicles they replace. And worst of ALL so far, GM's electric Hummer which weighs 9000 lbs! Insane.
@@NotJustBikes Parking space! Just look at the change in size of one parking space when a neighborhood or parking garage is redone.
My parents live in truck country and recently sold their old car. The kid who ended up buying it was an apprentice carpenter. His father was convinced he *needed* a truck, but the only ones he could afford were absolutely worn out rust buckets. His mother took him to see this car, and he absolutely fell in love with it because it was practical, in good shape, and within his price range.
Marketing is strong. When I was a teenager I thought I would die if I didn't have a shiny new truck. My dad always drove trucks. It's what men drive. Obviously. Then I went to a college where no parking was offered to freshmen, because freshman were required to live in dorms on campus so no car necessary. After a while I didn't just forget about wanting a truck but I started to realize how dumb cars were in general. I wondered why all places couldn't be like college campuses. I didn't understand what I meant was, why can't all places be mixed use and walkable. I was told, "you'll understand once you get into the real world, commuting is just a fact of being an adult"
I've since visited numerous places in Europe and I get it now. Americans don't seem to remember what the real world is. It's not living in isolation and only venturing out into the world in a private metal and glass box.
As someone who grew up in a rural area this really hits home. The vast majority of people will *never* need a truck - and even out on the farm I still see a lot of older (read smaller) trucks doing just fine - new ones feel like more of a fashion statement than anything.
Random fact about me, I love skiing. What's funny is you could always tell the most serious skiers by their car - so many I knew would drive a small Subaru hatch as opposed to needing to compensate with a truck. It does everything you need and modestly tries to make sure ones kids can also ski on real snow.
We need a world where people reflect on their mobility as more than just how they get around but, also as their social and environmental impact. Thank you for making this!
Absolute Reece. This is so true.
I don't get the knee-jerk reaction of people to this when they say, "but what about rural people?!" Have these people even been to a farm? My grandfather grew up on a farm and lived in a rural area his whole life. The hard work was done by a tractor. When they went into the city they drove a tiny Toyota hatchback.
I really think the people who say this are really just playing a role and have no idea what it means to actually live rural. They don't need a pickup truck, they need a cowboy costume, so they can play their "tough rural guy" games without killing anybody in the process.
Friends of our family had a huge farm up in Lakefield, ON. They had a tractor and quad cycle to work the fields, but drove an '82 Toyota Starlet to and from town, pulling a trailer when needed. Respect.
And then you hear ads for E-SUV with the claim that this is good for the future of the planet. (There are several around in the Netherlands at this time but they do not say is outright as that will be against the advertisement code, but the meaning is clear from what they do say.) E-cars may be less bad than non-E, but it is now way good for nature.
Totally true. Real skiers can get up the hill in a '97 Corolla, and do so before the sun comes up. Compensators show up at around noon, in a brand new ford f150.
Thanks to your videos over the past year, I have become a bit too vocal about infrastructure.. so my company is relocating me to Amsterdam.
Wow! Thanks so much!
I'm really glad to hear that you're able to make the move. I hope you love it as much as we do! 👍
You lucky duck! ;-))
Welcome to NL. Make sure you get a bank account with debit card, or you'll have a difficult start here!
I want to be relocated to a city where I don't have to worry about getting flattened by Tom from across the block :(
The best outcome possible, right? xD
Payed to be in Utopia! :D
I see this as an absolute win😅
I wal always facinated by the small utility trucks from Japan. They get the loads they need to their destination just fine, are incredibly versatile and are quite compact. I wish they were imported to the US, I would much rather use that for when I need to actually haul wood.
Those japanese trucks are imported here in small numbers. Try doing a search for "japanese mini trucks" or "kei trucks". Ive been interested in getting one with a dump bed for my parents small farm
designed for the tiny mountain roads there. the main issue is that the average American would not actually fit into the seat of one. they would destroy the pickup industry overnight so lobbyists ensure it will never happen.
Pretty sure they've effectively been made illegal in most of the states cuz everything not on the north east corridor is a country mile apart connected by highways so every car needs to be rated to pass a super high energy crash test with high top speeds. Even many "city" centers are about as dense as other countrys' rural suburbs
@@rhetorical1488 Nah, I've driven several of those just fine. If your belly obtrudes onto the steering wheel, you have bigger problems.
They are imported. But they aren't street legal so they're only imported by groups that can get around it. For instance there is a senior living complex near me. They own 2 or 3 of the Japanese mini-truck things and they use them for moving around groundskeeping equipment and facilities maintenance stuff. They can only drive them on the roads within the complex and not on the city roads around it.
As a Texan I had a pickup for many years. I mostly used it to take my bicycle to places to ride. I won't say how annoying it was having to take my bike somewhere to ride rather than just being able to hop on it and go. Since then I have had smaller and smaller cars. We definitely need to get rid of the light truck exemption.
“Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my face begins” phenomenal way to frame the harm SUVs cause everyone else
You can lump "freedom" into two big categories: freedom _to_ and freedom _from._
Freedom to is the freedom to do what you want, when you way. Say what you want, etc..
Freedom from is the freedom not to be inhibited by things that prevent you from doing what you want, like strict control over your behaviour, government censorship, and other people's actions limiting your own freedom.
The American conversation around Freedom is very heavily slanted towards "freedom to", and if "freedom from" is mentioned at all, it's only in the context of "get the government out of my business". There is absolutely no acknowledgement at all that the actions of one group can restrict the freedoms of another group.
That's why the American discussion about SUV is so lopsided, focusing only the freedom of people to drive whatever they want. There is absolutely zero acknowledgement of the impact of that "freedom" as it restricts the freedoms of others, and that's what pisses me off the most.
As someone from TX who drives an SUV, I agree with everything you said and I’m getting fed up with even having it. The only reason why I’m still driving that was because it was basically given to me, and as soon as that car dies I’m getting a Prius Prime (which can easily fit just as much cargo if not more in the back and can seat 5) that will be used for everything up to and including the rugged stuff (which they do just fine at).
I am curious in what made you buy it at first? :)
@@K0nst4nt1n96 They tend to sell cheep on the used markets before car prices went dumb at the end of 2019.
Having grown up in a household that used SUVs, I can’t even begin to thank you for expressing the same sentiment that I’ve had for years. A bigger car doesn’t make you safe, it makes you feel in control. There’s a difference!
Key word: feel, because SUV drivers are far from being in control especially in urban and suburban settings.
Coming from me driving an suv to driving a hatchback, I definitely feel like I’m safer and more in control now… so long as suvs don’t get too big to dodge…
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 You're more likely to roll over in one though because they have a higher center of gravity. The lower to the ground you are, the less likely you are to roll over.
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 My parents have a Cadillac Escalade which I used to drive fairly often. They also had a Mercedes that was a sedan, making it way lower to the ground. I can tell you that driving the Mercedes was always better than the Escalade, because it’s significantly easier to drive than an Escalade, it’s much easier to see everything, speed is easier to control, and everything related to parking and turning is easier.
Just because you’re in a big car doesn’t mean you’re safer my friend. The most important is the road/weather conditions, the state of the driver and how experienced they are. A big car can be even more dangerous depending on how it’s frame is built, it can be easier to roll over, and all the other inhibitions i mentioned (visibility, movement, etc) make you more likely to crash than in a smaller car. The video literally gives statistics specific to this problem, so maybe check them out.
My mom keeps telling me walkable cities are apart of the “new world order” lol
Their evil agenda of saving humanity from climate change and obesity.
My friend is a machinist and has to carry around heavy tools and parts to different jobsites all over Los Angeles. Drives a VAN like a real man.
in LA its more about not having your stuff stolen out of the pickup as you can lock up a van much easier.
I love that line "Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my face begins"
Literally got a pick up truck ad before and after this video. I really enjoy that your content is always thinking of these issues in a systemic manner and really highlights why these issues matter, it’s super frustrating for me because it seems an overwhelming amount of people don’t ever think of anything in an in depth manner.
Fuck yeah! I am looking at a range rover ad .👎
"The freedom to swing your arm ends where my face begins", is such a good line that I had to draw attention to it.
It's sad. If I were to ever buy a car here in the Netherlands, I'd want one that's as small as possible. Feels pretty difficult these days.
Ik woon op het platteland en het aantal grote pick ups hier is echt enorm aan het toenemen. Die dingen zijn echt belachelijk groot en veel van de eigenaren gebruiken ze niet eens hoe ze bedoeld zijn, alleen maar omdat ze het stoer vinden.
@@kladblok2729 klopt dit is een trend die uit Amerika is overgewaaid.
Even in Europe it's harder and harder to find a new (and fewer used) city car. A segment vehicles in particular. Quadricycles are making a comeback but not nearly enough.
More and more new cars are SUVs and Crossed bers because of the profit margins. Profits profits, dividends, dividends.
Het zou fijn zijn als er wat extra belasting op geheven werd
@@kladblok2729 Je moet toegeven, het is wel leuk om ze vast te zien staan wanneer die achterlijk grote pickup door de smalle Nederlandse straatjes probeert te manoeuvreren.
22:40 “American automakers are not promoting SUVs and pickup trucks because they are practical, they do it because it makes them. more. money.” Soooo many times the answer to “why we keep doing things wrong” is “because someone is profiting out of it” that I seriously wonder why people say capitalism is the only way forward.
When I came to America and saw these in person for the first time I was shocked by their size.
That's the american dream for ya
That's what ur mom said when my pants were down
Now you also find them in Dutch (and other European) cities, if not as many yet.
Imagine my shock when I saw a dodge truck with 8 wheels instead of regular 4! Enormous car
When my sisters '92 pickup finally broke, she replaced it with a mini-van because ironically it towed better then any of the pickups and SUVs she could find for you know, actual job calls. I feel like that's the most damning thing about how useless these SUVs have gotten.
Another issue with SUV's is that with their bright LED headlight mounted high, they blind everyone at night making things more dangerous for everyone.
True
That is more an issue with lax regulations of headlights in north america. Teslas regularly blind me in my pickup.
My sibling lost their car and tried biking to work. Only 2 days in and we both agreed to sharing my car because of how inefficient and dangerous biking was. It really breaks my heart that people who are down on their luck and don't have a car get put at such a significant disadvantage. Edit: We're in CO btw.
I hope that the situation in Comoros improves!
tried an electric assisted bike ? or even a motorbike ?
@@YounesLayachi that wasn’t his problem
I found the USAnian! The guy that feels sorry for people without a car and also writes abbreviation for places that only themselves understand.
I'm in Nova Scotia Canada. I biked all year round for four years with my first job.
I was struck twice rear ended at a stop sign once and had countless road rage incidents.
My mother told me if I don't stop biking to work I have to leave home because she doesn't even want to get the call I'm gone.
My bike hasn't seen real use since I was 21. I'm 25 now. It's shameful.
I'm a truck owner and I agree with you, I was given mine as my first car and it's horrible,it's so expensive to drive I literally can't afford to replace it with a better vehicle, $100 a week on gas alone just from driving to and from school and work, I wish I didn't have a truck
When I had my pickup, I took the bus to work because it was cheaper than paying for gas, parking and extra insurance. First chance I had, I traded that in for a good used sedan.
Trade it for a used, smaller vehicle?
it might suck for a bit but maybe you can sell it and buy a chap old beater. You might be able so save a lot of money while using it and your options will be a lot more after a couple of months of savings
I've always been a bit baffled at the lengths people will go to justify these things. Your typical Ram 1500 costs a good $120+ to fill up in Canada (last I heard from owners when prices weren't nuts). A bit of that is due to a large fuel tank that'll get you decent range (550km city, 850km highway, from what I've seen on Google). But, that's not far off from my old Golf which got pretty similar range (I usually got 550-600km in mixed driving, 750-ish km on pure highway), only needing about $50 bucks for a full tank. That's like 2.5x the cost in fuel to haul the same amount of stuff (ie. statistically, one human with a phone in their pocket).
Could you afford a bike?
Most come motorized these days.
I'm sure they could be offered less than your fuel economy.
Its interesting to see kei trucks/vans recently imported into the US from Japan, apparently we (US residents) are so desperate for lighter trucks, that some people will pay extra to import a 20+ year old(old enough ignore chicken tax) vehicle from half way around the world because nobody makes them like that around here.
As someone who actually does need a truck on occasion, I agree with everything in this video. I have a 1997 Chevy 4x4 with an 8' bed. Its slow, drives like a boat, and is uglier than sh!t. But when I need to get gravel, fertilizer, lumber, etc. its perfect. No way in hell would I spend 60k or more on these new trucks that don't even have full-sized beds. Trucks are wonderful, but they shouldn't be your daily driver unless you load that bed daily.
So why not get a van with a flatback like a vw transporter? Can you get those in the usa?
@@Car_toz farmers do not need range rovers 😂
@@b.w.9392 They are rare, and as a result cost more to purchase and maintain (parts harder to source, etc.). Cargo vans are fairly easy to purchase, but if one of your requirements is moving things that are dirty, smelly, dusty, splintery, etc. on a regular basis, then a bed you can hose off and sweep out has a value.
@@victorquesada7530 most people in europe just get a trailer for that. Even the ones that buy 'pick ups' as we call them, which over here means a ford ranger, toyota hilux ,nissan navara or vw amarok, which we concider large cars
This why I don't ride a bike outside anymore. Of all the vehicles that I encounter, it's pickup trucks and SUVs that are more likely to steer their vehicle closer to the shoulder line to "scare" me to get off the road. I hope one day, the US, will become more walkable and pedestrian friendly
That says more about the type of people that drive those vehicles than it does the vehicles themselves.
Wtf is wrong with people??
@@nervousbreakdown711 It's a cultural thing at this point.
Anyone seen riding a bicycle is labelled as a 'cyclist' or a bum there, and thus anything goes, even violence.
It's also by design, when there's no space but car invested roads to ride a bicycle, or any alternative means of transport, there will be conflicts simply because of the speed difference.
The only reason cycling is so safe in the Netherlands, is because there is quite a lot of infrastructure that's simply not accessible by car, only by alternative means, mostly bicycles.
If we didn't have that, the situation would be pretty much the same as in the states.
@M.R. - I HAVE NOTICED THIS TOO!!! I used to bike thousands of miles per year. But I’ve observed the SAME phenomenon of a percentage of drivers - usually driving in a truck or SUV - actually SWERVING TOWARD ME and other cyclists, often within inches or less - just to terrorize, intimidate and scare us.
Just like in the Mark Rober video. It’s not just animals whom those drivers target- it’s people too. Sociopath drivers.
And like you, I’ve hung up my spokes and I exclusively drive my car now. And in the process I’m forced to forfeit all the enjoyment and benefits to myself and society that I once used to reap on behalf of myself, my health, happiness and productivity as well as to my community when I commuted by bike and rode also for pleasure, fitness, and miscellaneous errands and fun.
#InducedDemand
It’s sad but true. Urban design and transportation regulations and public policy should be encouraging and facilitating us to bike not the other way around the way things are now. I also got sick of breathing in lung fills of grey billowing diesel smoke from those big one ton trucks. A single truck like that produces more pollution than like 1,000 sedans. They should’ve forced those to be electric a long time ago.
Yea I stopped cycling as well, not worth it.
I'm a tattoo artist and I once did two memorial tattoos in one week for children run over by their dads while backing out the driveway, both SUVs.
I hate the term "light truck"
Because it does not differentiate between a 4-cylinder chevy s10 or a diesel ford F450😠
I love lil trucks, ive put more loads of firewood, camping gear, and paddlesboards than i can count on the life of my '03 didge dakota..lol i dont even drive it to work😅 i bicycle to work in denver
I am so glad that my complete hatred of these insanely huge and harmful vehicles is actually backed up by reasonable facts. Thank you for this video, definitely subbed
I’ve got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn…🙄
@@tsifsastsifsarotatos2495 which ones were false? I'd love to know!
big truck apologists itt
As a small sized human who is terrified of trucks with the front as tall as my face, i approve this message.
I hear you & fully agree. 1,58m
These things are utterly terrifying.
Same here. And with that in mind, I'm writing an email to my representatives right now.
I’m 5’2, so I fully understand. I hate going to the store on a good day cause my area is flooded with oversized Trucks and SUVs and I’ve almost been hit on multiple occasions.
I'm 174 cm and these things scare even me.
What's worse is now I feel the need to factor in how dangerous the giant cars are when looking for a car, and look at bigger cars as a defensive option. It's a race to the bottom.
Edit: you covered this in the video, I commented too early
As someone who lives in the rural south, I'll admit, I came into this video thinking I was going to disagree, but I gave it a shot and I am inclined to agree with a lot of what you have to say.
I drive a rear-wheel V6 1998 Dodge Dakota SLT crew cab (the one with only two doors, but still has a small bench seat in the back). It's MUCH smaller than all these huge trucks around me, but my truck bed is nearly double the size. It's longer, and even wider, while the truck itself is very slim, and not even as long as new trucks with their extended cabs. I even have back seats (it only fits short people or children, but they're still there, right?) I also do not daily drive this truck very often. I drive a compact little dodge dart. My truck gets used for truck things like hauling animal feed and material for our construction projects around the farm. It's beaten up, scratched, paint peeling. But I am comfortable driving this thing into the city because it's HALF THE SIZE of a modern SUV or pickup. (I also daily a 1985 Honda Rebel 250 when it's not raining and I just need to run somewhere and not haul anything). Even here, parking lots are riddled with oversized SUV's and truck that jut out and make it impossible to navigate.
I live in a rural area mostly by choice, but also the lower overall price of homes and far better privacy. As such, I do a LOT of driving, I mean the nearest walmart is a nearly 18 minute drive. I love cars, I am a major enthusiast, but I hate SUVs and these oversized trucks that absolutely nobody needs, and these people are paying half their mortgage for. Don't even get me started on the pandemic of bright white LED headlights on theses tall SUVs. Its impossible to drive at night without being blinded by an SUV because they are so much higher off the ground.
I hate the sprawl of urban cities and the insurgence of ugly expensive subdivisions, and I will always prefer to live in the backwoods country, but that being said, I see the appeal of city life, and I know some prefer that lifestyle and want to be able to do so safely and effectively. I agree that cities need far better infrastructure for public transport, etc.
Thank you for the informative video.
(Side note: one of my dream cars has always been an old boxy volvo wagon lol)
I grew up in the suburbs of St.Louis. When I turned sixteen, I got my dad's old car. I loved my car. I loved driving, it was almost therapeutic for me. When I first moved, it took me years to get over not having my car - what felt like 'not having my freedom'.
It's only now after 9 years of living in Europe that I realize that I don't miss my car, and driving wasn't the therapy and freedom I thought it was. My car, which was only valued at $700 resale cost me far more than that in time and maintenance. Hell, most of my teenage income went to gas and insurance - thousands per year! I was never far away from my car - it wasn't freedom, in reality I was shackled to it. And the only reason I thought driving was freedom was because there was nothing within a reasonable distance to do - especially for a 16-18 year old who was banned from most stores (as a lot of stores did this since kids that age are often seen as degenerates. We were, but only because we were bored out of our minds because we had nothing to do!) and who had a legally mandated 10PM curfew (keep in mind, I could be out past that IF I was driving, but just walking around on the sidewalks? No). The walk to the closest convenience store was 25 minutes, and anything beyond that like the 'local' pool, school, grocery stores, etc were all around 40 minutes or more, usually some portion without dedicated sidewalks.
Now I live in a European city with great public transit and walkability - and I HATE the idea of owning a car. It would be soooo expensive compared to the $25 per month pass that allows me on to all public transit (and often I don't even get that, because I can walk most everywhere I need to go). I can literally get to any part of the city from the northern-most suburbs to the southern-most within an hour on public transit. In reality since everything is to human scale and walkable, I don't often have to walk more than 10 minutes to go to any store, office or restaurant I need. And as if saving all that money wasn't enough, I am healthier because I walk everywhere, doing an average of 9k steps per day as opposed to the 1.5k I did in the suburbs. And the only reason it may not be as healthy as I would like is because of all the damn air pollution from those crappy cars that fill the main roads - but the car drivers suffer from that just as much as we do.
It's asinine to even consider anything else but this, but Americans don't know what they are missing because they have never experienced anything like it. Even if you come on vacation here as an American, it can still be hard to crystalize what it is about European cities (other than perhaps the architecture) that makes them so much better. Channels like yours do exactly that crystallization, and it's why I love your channel so much. Thanks for another great vid, and keep it up!
"It is difficult to free people from the chains they revere."
what city in europe has a $25 month PT pass?
@@sammymarrco2 Not OP, but Vienna has a yearly ticket for €365, so quite similar.
@@sammymarrco2 even if it's more than n$25 a month, it's FAR CHEAPER than the THOUSANDS of dollars spent on cars per year.
everything you said about Europe is exactly why i've been aching to move there! i love European public transportation.
Yup, I'm that guy everyone hates. The one in a flannel shirt and a pair of wranglers that have a small hole in them ( that happened naturally) with a super duty ford with 33 inch tires. But I'm also that guy that agrees with ALMOST everything you said. I tow a 7k job trailer most days because it's not safe to to leave my equipment on site in the city every day. Nearly every weekend and holiday I'm off in the hills enjoying the beauty of my area in the PNW in USA. At least one a month, sometimes more( hopefully more)I'm towing my 26ft travel trailer out camping somewhere with my kayaks on the roof and the bed full of gear and firewood. I frequently help friends and family move, haul new furniture and appliances etc. I love my truck! BUT I'm also that dude that takes the bus into town when I don't need my truck. I also ride PEVs. I HATE driving my truck around town, I hate parking garages (I'm too tall for most) and parking lots I hate the narrow ass streets that have cars parked on both sides and i have to fold in my mirrors and have someone get out and spot me because someone illegally park to close to an intersection. I often get blocked in because the spaces aren't big enought to pull out when it chock full of priuses.... or is it Pre-ie? I get shyt MPG, i hate traffic, and i hate when people ride my blindspots and cut me off when towing. Any opportunity I get to NOT drive my truck I take. I don't understand the propensity to want to drive one when you don't need to. Big trucks shouldn't be the normal vehicle on the road for sure!
You seem to have a good reason for having one and also the good sense not to drive it if you don't need it.
I recently bought a station wagon for my family and now feel extremely good about myself. It can even tow my boat, up to 2 ton of towing weight. My boat is only 1.4 tons