“NHTSA says the changes could save up to 67 lives every year.“
But there’s 40k deaths per year from auto accidents; so this is not going to move the needle.
If the problem is big trucks then maybe don’t penalize the sales of small trucks?
But there’s 40k deaths per year from auto accidents; so this is not going to move the needle.
If the problem is big trucks then maybe don’t penalize the sales of small trucks?
Almost 14k of the 40k are drunk driving: if you want to move the needle that's another big chunk to look at. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
Note that road fatalities per capita is 85% of what it was 20 years ago, and it is similarly lower if you look at it on a per mile driven basis. Sales of consumer trucks is 150% of what it was 20 years ago, despite the reduction in fatalities over that time. So I don’t think we can really attribute deaths to trucks or SUVs.
When studies actually look at the issue deaths are not caused by distracted pedestrians but by poor road and vehicle design[1].
> Contrary to their portrayal as reckless rule-breakers, distracted pedestrians were more likely to cross with the light and use the crosswalk. Similarly, while distracted walkers did indeed take longer to identify gaps in traffic, this is a form of compensatory behavior that reduces risk.
>The authors point to two alternative culprits for the rise in pedestrian deaths: distracted driving and SUVs, both of which are incredibly deadly and have become more prevalent over time.
>Similarly, the risks to pedestrians were lowest in tech centers (San Francisco, New York, and Seattle) and in college towns (Madison, Wisc.). Instead, pedestrian risks were highest in several metropolitan areas of Florida that are known more for their inhospitable streetscapes than their distracted walkers.
0: https://citationsneeded.medium.com/the-great-neoliberal-burd...
1:https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/distracted-pedestrians-may-not...
But still, 67 vs. 7500 is still a large gulf. If they're only expecting these new measures to reduce pedestrian deaths by about 1%, the changes don't go far enough at all.
This right here. If I lived almost anywhere else in the world I could get a 70 series land cruiser or Hilux or any number of others that are rated for 1+ ton capacity and 7700lb+ towing capacity, all while getting 20+mpg with a decent diesel engine. Instead, I'm stuck with some dystopian chicken tax + diesel phobic lunacy and end up burning twice as much fuel to tow or carry half as much. Idiotic.
E.g., Volvo XC40 T5 is 1600 kg in the U.S. https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/car/xc40/21w22/artic...
but 2100 kg in the UK https://www.volvocars.com/uk/support/car/xc40/21w46/article/...
As I recall it has to do with standards for stability at speed...
All to say you can probably tow more than you think with a U.S. car that's also sold in Europe, just maybe don't go above 55mph...?
The only saving grace here is (a) the EPA doesn't actually enforce rules against diesel swaps, and most states tolerate it--some will even give you a new VIN! (b) nobody (law enforcement) cares about GVWR unless you're operating commercially or doing something obviously unhinged.