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Comment by TrevorJ | Hacker News Reader

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TrevorJ·

The reason some of these vehicles ARE so big IS the regulations. We could look at rolling back THOSE changes first.

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This is the one time I always pull out my “Thanks Obama!” without being ironic.

Yes, clearly the US needed less sedans and more F150s.

Quite the opposite. Getting rid of small truck classifications ballooned the size of suvs and pickup trucks which is partially why we are in the mess we are in. There just aren’t small trucks anymore because of the changes.

Few people need the monster suvs and pickup trucks that are on the roads these days.

Could you elaborate here?

Sure. I covered it here. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39112591

Consumers just prefer larger vehicles here in the US, and those same preferences are also becoming the norm in other countries. You can't blame the modern Camry being gigantic on the Chicken Tax. You can't blame larger vehicles being associated with luxury on efficiency regulations.

I don't think that's accurate, vehicles are being made larger to get around emission limitations. I'd love a new small truck like what Toyota used to make and ford f150/ranger's used to be ~10-20 years ago, but such vehicles just don't really exist anymore.

Consumers prefer a vehicle that looks like it'll keep them and their family alive on the streets as given - if some other persons kid ends up dead as a result of their choice - well "whateves".

Make the streets less dangerous and they might prefer something cheaper and as a side bonus less deadly to their neighbors.

The streets are dangerous precisely because people are in an arms race to have the biggest more "protective" vehicle. Instead regulations would scale that back resulting in safer streets

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