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Comment by hytdstd | Hacker News Reader

Larger cars are safer-- to the people inside them[0]. And the cost of an SUV is nothing compared to medical bills and chronic pain. Of course, they only remain safer as long as they're larger than other vehicles on the road, so it's just a never-ending arms race.

[0]: https://www.iihs.org/topics/vehicle-size-and-weight.

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Yeah that speaks a lot about individualism in the US. They make streets way more dangerous for everyone else. If everyone drove small cars it would be safer overall for everyone.

The potential cost injuries from cycling are far less than the health benefits from it. Cars on the other hand are as dangerous as smoking for its user:

https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/33/2/160/1591440

In this sense an SUV is like smoking lots of cigarettes around others but without inhaling as much.

Please stop. Comparing cars to tobacco and using a bike to transport your family or goods. Where is the parallel? It is obvious that we have to change towards reality of EV and optimization of cars. In EU SUV is not predominant form factor (yet), but there are use cases for different people. You cannot paint with this big and bold "everything on bicycles" brush, trucks are America's problem exclusively. The solutions are obvious. Create adequate public transportation grids for the cities and manage all car traffic. People living outside the cities cannot do they work on a bicycle.

The parallel of tobacco and cars is that they both have potential bad health effects to it user. And Lol, car culture with EV just removes the very local emission part for now. All other problems in terms of space, accidents etc. remain. Sure bicycle is only a partial solution. But I only pointed out that using cars is bad for your health while bicycle has a net plus health benefit.

You're right, although vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death in young adults in the US. I'm just saying that SUVs and trucks externalize their costs onto other road users.

> cost of an SUV is nothing compared to medical bills

Another argument for universal, free at point of use, health care?

And/or roundabouts. They significantly reduce lethality of collisions at crossings.

Absolutely!

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