> The vast majority of people in the US and Canada are not buying minivans. They're buying comically large cars that endanger road users...

This is true in the surrounding suburbs but vehicle size in city centers trend smaller.

While it’s true the vast majority are not buying minivans, the vast majority of US citizens also live outside of cities. Thus making minivans and other, similar cars uneconomical outside of large family units.

Additionally, if the majority of Americans are buying “comically large cars”, then most are equally protected and fewer are at risk. And in my lower income neck of the woods large cars are hardly the status quo. Maybe in cities, where people make more on average and live above their means people can get large SUVs and such, but around here the biggest we got is trucks and that’s typically for work, so not overly common on the roads outside of work hours.

The most popular vehicles sold in the USA Today are crossovers, and they are subject to the same safety standards as cars. There are lots of other criteria that have to be met for a truck to be considered a non-passenger vehicles. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/do-suvs-designs-let-them-be-mor...

I’m glad you point out that this is specifically a problem in cities. Most people I’ve seen on HN advocating for reducing cars make the astronomically out-of-touch arguments about how buses will come get us countryfolk and that “private transport is a luxury”, as if we’d be able to do what we need to productively without it.

Sure, with the anti-consumer construction of modern cars, and the unfortunate difficulties of sourcing old car parts, we’d love to be less car-reliant. It’s just not feasible for us though, and never will be.

The idea is going into the right direction but i would also love to see a skyrocketing price for a second car per household. So if i need a car and my wife as well, i would encourage to make the second car around four times as expensive. Also I don't like the weight and size that much cause a functional vehicle like a minivan or pickups or vans used for work reasons shouldn't be punished. A combination out of HP, weight and a functionality factor (roomy family friendly cars and pure or mainly used working vehicles vs big luxury SUVs or small overpowered sports cars) would be a adequate calculation. Also motorbikes would need an adjustment in that level. Nobody can tell me they need a 120hs motorbike for a proper commute. They are just noise pollution.