'What Is That Thing?' Tiny Trucks Are Causing Big Fights
wsj.com
wsj.com
But yet we expect cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians to share the roads with American-sized automobiles? If American roads are unsafe for anything that doesn't weigh a couple tons, I think that is the problem that lawmakers should be addressing.
That's the system we've built, and it's a very good one if you're a corporation.
• Dateline NBC 1996 Minivan Crash Testing (https://youtu.be/QNNkAvT6lns)
Then again, maybe more domestic vehicles should be illegal.
Not that I'd feel all that safe in it. The cabin is essentially a matchbox.
Some states make it pretty hard to register these vehicles too, you don't see very many kei trucks in California because they're too hard to register; import shops exist in California, but tend to sell to drivers in other states.
The problem is that banning key cars for their size or fragility is logically inconsistent. Banning now smaller vehicles like motorcycles and bikes is a patch to wrong logic. This is just targeting a specific kind of car because some reason that the regulator doesn't want to disclose.
> How can a car be to small for your streets when there are bikes and whatever also driving around?
Can also be presented as: if bikes are driving on roads, cars can't be too small for roads (because they are bigger than bikes).
So, bikes being on streets doesn't mean they are big enough for roads. Your whole sentence is "non sequitur". What I want to say: small cars can be too small for USA roads independently of bikes being too small for USA roads. People wanting to drive small cars or bikes is also independent and being allowed to is also pretty much independent.
Now, my opinion: I think you should be allowed to drive small cars, I have a small car too (and a bike), but existing usage of roads in USA by increasingly big cars makes it increasingly unsafe (in USA). I agree that USA should do something about bigger and bigger cars, but I have no idea what and it's not very probable that I will ever drive a car or a bike in a big city in USA, so you can safely ignore my opinion and drive whatever you like.
Some people drive tiny single seat cars here in Europe and I never considered that particular dangerous for them or anyone next to the relative way bigger cars that are common.
I see tiny Fiats, Volkswagen beetles, Smart Cars, and other very small vehicles all the time. I live in a rural area filled with lifted pickups.
Please don't make the mistake of thinking that "there's a trend toward larger vehicles, which can make smaller vehicles somewhat less safe" means "no one is buying or selling anything smaller than an F-150".
Not as small as these but way smaller then pickups and handles like a big car. Hybrid awd model is coming this year
The Maverick is a cool truck, but feels more like a passenger car that can do light truck duty when needed. Whereas the a kei truck is really all about utility.
Of course, some kei trucks manage a 6 foot bed in the 11.2 length maximum.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=402004783&veh2...
If you know a model that can fit a family, baby stuff and sports equipment, let me know. Suvs are too expensive
As supporting evidence, here's a link to Google Street View of a beach parking lot near Rome: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gLv4EJCTPRpLXQQu8 . I don't see any SUVs.
Here's street parking a bit south by the beach: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eGH9KFrkzYduv6cY9
When I had a 2-door sports car and needed to move 2nd hand furniture, I asked a friend for help, or rented a moving van or trailer. For that matter, when I bought a matched set of 5 big book cases, the 2nd hand store used their trailer to deliver it.
That said, I also know how the US has locked itself into car dependency, making any other options almost untenable. Like it or now, you'll probably be driving your kids around for the next 10-15 years because the alternative choices have been taken away.
Something like the Honda Freed: three-row compact minivan that can comfortably seat 6. Or seats can be folded/arranged in a number of different configurations to give a ton of cargo space. Sliding doors, which are incredibly convenient. And available with AWD and/or a hybrid version that gets 49 MPG. Weight is about the same as the best-selling-in-America RAV4, but shorter, easier to park, and all around way more useful.
I recently went on a road trip in one of these with three adults, three road bikes (front wheel detached, but otherwise fully assembled), and all of our other cycling gear + luggage. I was shocked at how much we were able to fit into it and have a comfortable ride.
A minivan is the economical choice for every family. More interior room, more comfortable, more versatile.
But still people will opt for a larger footprint and taller 3 row SUV with less legroom and cargo space because the fact that it is less economical and they can afford to waste money is a show of status. And they get to sit higher up. And pretend they take it rock climbing in the mountains on the weekends.
https://shop.hoonigan.com/blogs/621-golden-season-1/the-rota...
Vehicle known as a "quad bike" is a popular vehicle used by farmers in my area - ie a Farm Quad bike , All terrain vehicle (ATV). To get around all the different types of terrain on a farm ...
But yeah, kei trucks probably have the same size bed as a normal pickup now. Because car makers barely make a standard cab pickup with a 6 foot bed anymore (you can still get a standar cab f-150, but it's $40k msrp, and if a kei truck fits your needs, an f-150 is going to be way more engine than you need). CAFE standards ended the compact pickups we had in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. :(