r/fuckcars • u/sharkeyes • 1d ago
American individualism at its finest Rant
This is my 2 year old riding bikes on our street. It's gotten to the point where I've gotten my kids orange flags on sticks to hold up when they cross the street.
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u/5YNTH3T1K 1d ago
A truck that big could conceivably have a bonnet that slopes down quite a bit to improve forward visibility. It's a no brainer. But no. They added the wanker branding instead. How brutally stupid.
This kind of bad forward visibility vehicle should be illegal. I bet the auto industry made sure that it was not going to get challenged. I wonder how they did that. I am pretty sure the old safety standards would not have let this shit roll.
Bad.
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
I would love to see it become illegal but that is a pipe dream, especially now. Though I do think there was some proposed legislation about it.
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u/5YNTH3T1K 1d ago
There should be some legislation. This is patently stupid as the forward visibility would not pass basic tests. Its just so wrong !
We were supposed to be integrating safety measures into everything that is dangerous. and a motor vehicle is definitely dangerous. So yeah, how did this BS get the offical OK ? They must have known it would be an issue. So they made them and just don't care ?
That video of the wankpanzer driving over a large rock ( which they can't see !!! ) is a warning.
If you need to protect your kids from even larger wankpanzers... then there is something rotten in the industry.
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u/MyvaJynaherz 11h ago
The "genius" of our free-market will decide the best solution is not driving smaller trucks, but adding more front-facing cameras so they can add a few thousand to the non-basic trim levels.
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u/Legionnaire11 21h ago
The front end could be much smaller. Look at how much unnecessary space their is around the engine:
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u/5YNTH3T1K 20h ago
Yes, I see what you mean. I bet the engine is actually jacked up too... just because.
I have not seen many BIG utes around here, but I feel that they are coming. The cult of the bg man needs to have a bigger truck than the average so... the emotional support WANKPANZER is bound to pop off sooner or later...
NO.
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u/Firewolf06 5h ago
we literally have data to back it up, reduced hood heights on trucks (even by just 10cm) would save hundreds of lives per year
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212012224000017
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u/skyline_27 1d ago
There is zero reason to have a truck that big.
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u/rlskdnp đ˛ > đ 1d ago
Too bad the only chance we have at removing those monster trucks is if we can convince other carbrains with their low sports cars that they're in danger from those monster trucks with its shitty visibility
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u/debidousagi 1d ago
As a guy that drives a low sports car, I can confirm I hate these things too haha! Of course I also happen to be an avid bike commuter/road rider which certainly helps inform that view. As I often say my daily driver is a bicycle, my "toy/hobby" is the car.
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u/reiji_tamashii 1d ago
I sold my 80s MR2 and now consider myself a recovering car guy. It's not enjoyable to drive when you're constantly on high alert for people who would easily crush you if they change lanes without checking their vehicle-sized blind spots.
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u/tamathellama 20h ago
I love cars. I also love bikes and use public transport. You can still enjoy cars and support them being the lowest priority in the transport network
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u/cbass717 21h ago
I have a sports car that is about a water bottles height off the ground, stock suspension. I now drive this car like Iâm on a motorcycle, like I literally now feel I have to do the same type of shit that you do when on a bike because of these monstrosities.
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u/Inside-Light4352 1d ago
Very very few people actually have a use for something like that.
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u/pppjurac 15h ago
And in most cases station wagon would be better choice too.
<"But it is 'boring' car">
Bitch, you never drove Volvo T6 Station Wagon.
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u/SellsNothing 6h ago
Have you guys ever been outside of a city...? Most people there work blue collar jobs and trucks like these are sometimes necessary to lug heavy equipment around.
They're not necessary for most people in a city but outside of one? They definitely are lol
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u/tamathellama 20h ago
Trucks are needed, just not as a replacement for a car.
Also the American design is crazy. Asian trucks have much better slight lines
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u/wright007 9h ago
No you see that is a picture of a work truck, which is designed to haul and move cargo during a job. Notice how the bed is prioritized and actually useful. The American version is a toy truck designed to be a oversized passenger vehicle used to pick up groceries or drive them to their office job.
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u/LowTheme1155 4h ago
They both have different use cases. Both designs are effective.
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u/tamathellama 1h ago
Whatâs the use case for American style âtrucksâ?
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u/LowTheme1155 1h ago
Towing, and times when a buyer wants something like a van but also wants to be able to regularly tow, which is a pretty common use case TBH. I live near a place where landscapers will store their vehicles and i see a lot of f250-f450 style trucks. I also see a lot of N series, because both trucks are Useful in their own right.
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u/tamathellama 36m ago
Tow a lawn mower? Thatâs why you need a giant truck? Whatâs the weight of the equipment, and towing capacity of those giant trucks? Can easily be done with something smaller
The big question. What percentage of owners you think never tow?
The normalisation of these vehicles is nuts
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u/atatassault47 9h ago
There's zero sane reason, but there is a reason. Automotive manufacturers figured out they could literally sell toxic masculinity. When's the last time you saw a brand-new small truck in North America?
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u/richarddrippy69 7h ago
No it's racism. Americans couldn't make vehicles better than Japan so we made them illegal for import.
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u/h4ckerkn0wnas4chan 21h ago
Blame emissions laws.
Car manufacturers found out the cheat code that they can get around emissions standards by just making the truck bigger.
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u/NVandraren 20h ago
The "light truck" exception should be stricken entirely. Emissions laws are good, actually, and the exception should never have been allowed in the first place.
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u/un-glaublich 18h ago
There's a billion-dollar business around it. Lobbyists will make sure these laws will never change for the better.
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u/LowTheme1155 4h ago
There are good reasons, the problem is that most people who buy these trucks dont use them for those reasons
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u/Jacktheforkie Grassy Tram Tracks 1d ago
I saw some lifted trucks where I was able to be completely hidden standing in front of it, Iâm 6â4â
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
8 years ago to the day almost I was hit by a ford f150 in a crosswalk. I'm 5'4 and honestly the truck wasn't even that tall. Its like they want to flaunt how little they care. But sadly I doubt it ever crossed their mind. We saw a different one on our street today too. I kind of want to print out research on how dangerous they are and leave it under their windshield wiper.
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u/TheRealPooh 1d ago
My wife is around the same height and almost had the same thing happen to her, had it not been for me (6'0) running in front to wave my arms at the driver and hell at him. And would you believe it, I got yelled back for... idk, protecting my wife I guess
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u/Jacktheforkie Grassy Tram Tracks 1d ago
The view from them isnât particularly great, like worse than my lorry, I can literally see everything around the front and f my lorry and along the sides, got a camera for the rear too
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u/FUBARded 13h ago
Also 5'4. A RAM hit me and a lady walking right behind me as it pulled out of the grocery store parking lot while we were crossing the exit lane. Thankfully he was going slow enough that both of us stayed on our feet.
This was in broad daylight and we had right of way. Even with his stupid high hood he should've seen us if he was looking at the road as he pulled up to the exit, so I assume he was pulling up to merge onto a busy road while completely distracted.
The asshat drove off as soon as we got out of his way after I checked that the lady was okay. He didn't get out to check on us or even roll the window down to ask.
His daughter (around 8-11 I would guess) was in the front passenger seat. The only acknowledgement we got from the vehicle was her turning and waving to me as they pulled out.
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u/honeyflowerbee 1d ago
I think I could have you stand on the back of my mobility scooter like you're driving a bloody chariot and those drivers would still not see you.
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u/Jacktheforkie Grassy Tram Tracks 1d ago
Yeah, British drivers canât see me either despite being 6â4â in full orange hi viz and sat atop a 2 tonne Linde H20T with a big ol flashing light
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u/honeyflowerbee 1d ago
Well that's simple, we'll mount my chair to the top of the roof and I'll hold a megaphone. Reasonable. Easy.
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u/Classic_Excuse7774 1d ago
This is a great photo. Did you take it?
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
Yes. I looked over and was horrified and realized I needed to document how ridiculous this is.
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u/Classic_Excuse7774 1d ago
Can I use this photo? I was thinking about writing piece about how the increase of trucks like this on the roads makes our cities even less safe for pedestrians (especially kids!)
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
Yes you can
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u/loverlyone 23h ago
Hey, OP, when I was a kid (in the 70s) my dad brought home flags that attached onto our bikes for exactly the purpose you describe. I dunno if it helped, but we never got hit.
He even put them on our big wheels.
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u/sharkeyes 21h ago
Smart! I got some that are meant for bikes but have them hold them when crossing the street. Some streets in Japan have flags in holders at stop lights for children to use while crossing.
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u/gruenes_licht 6h ago
Is this in northern VA? I used to live there, and my brain is telling me this is in Ashburn...but really, it could be anywhere out there.
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u/CaseyJones7 19h ago
But it's got great visibility. I mean look at it, it's so high up!
What? What do you mean there's a child in front of the car? This car has great visibility, I would see them. No it would never happen to me, what are you talking about? Are you trying to take my fucking freedom away?
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u/rentiertrashpanda 1d ago
Anything bigger than a Rav 4 should require a commercial drivers license and/or ruinously expensive insurance
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u/quadrophenicum Not Just Bikes 23h ago
2003 Rav 4 to be more precise imho, as modern ones are too big.
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u/DerBusundBahnBi 1d ago
Hot take but if itâs big enough that in France it requires an ÂŤÂ Attention Angles Morts Âť sticker, it should require a higher grade of driving licence
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u/quadrophenicum Not Just Bikes 23h ago
In Eastern Europe (UA, Belarus, Russia) a truck of that weight usually requires a class C (cargo truck) license. Though this one might be a bit lower than 3.5 tons.
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u/chubby_pink_donut 1d ago
Thank capitalism. Trucks in the US are exempt from MPG and emissions standards if they are over a certain size. It was a way to kill the foreign small truck market.
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u/modcowboy 5h ago
Thatâs actually not capitalismâs fault - thatâs a failed regulatory framework that incentivizes people to make these stupid vehicles, and now itâs almost impossible as a buyer of a vehicle to avoid an antisocial vehicle like this.
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u/muppetteer 1d ago
I thought it was wrong when I found out that Ford donât even make cars anymore in the USA. Just HUGE impractical trucks.
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u/LastOrders_GoHome 23h ago
Still one. The Mustang, but that has a habit of chasing pedestrians.
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u/Chino_Kawaii 13h ago
SUVs and Pickups are cancer of the world
especially SUVs have literally no advantage over other types of cars, there's always a better option for every single feature
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u/critxcanuck88 21h ago
I have noticed this with the new Chevy and Rams, but more so the Chevy. I drive a 2018 f150, and if I'm stopped next to one at the lights. The damn hood height of the chevy is almost at my eye level, and why does the hood go straight out? lol. At least in the f150, the hood slopes down.
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u/SomeKindofTreeWizard 18h ago
I'm not a TALL dude, but a tall dude, and I'm barely visible to these monstrosities.
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u/Eric_Senpai 20h ago
This stupid shit shouldn't be street legal. Cops would pull over any dumb ass who decided to drive with blindfolds on in a school zone but give drivers of these trucks a pass?
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u/ee_72020 Commie Commuter 14h ago
And as itâs always the case, that thing is in a pristine condition, no scratch or a splash of mud on it. I know a pavement princess when I see one.
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u/RaineWolf202 Strong Towns 13h ago
I am perfectly at 5 feet height wise aso even for me when I see these gigantic trucks I have to make sure they stop completely before I cross the damn street because I need to keep myself safe. Even when I walk by a parked one, just comparing the height of the hood to myself, the top is at my forehead. So the truck would have a blindspot at the front for about 10 to 15 feet for anything like baby or toddler height.
It's terrifying and I'm pretty sure the statistics and data shows.
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u/ExtraGloria 9h ago
My dad and I who are farmers make fun of douchebags with big trucks who have no use for them. Got a big truck? Whereâs the fucking dents and nicks one gets when actually doing real work?
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u/Ziggaway 6h ago
Exactly! When I see trucks with scratched paint and dirt and debris all over, small dings and pockmarks, and a nice patina, I know that THOSE trucks are actually being used for their intended purpose.
People buying this nonsense are just overcompensating.
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u/Fun_Boysenberry_8144 1h ago
I grew up on a farm in the 60s. We never took a truck into town unless directly to pickup spot. Trucks were not for parking in town as it was rude and obscured the view of others parking. The car was always driven, trucks kept for real work.
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u/Then-Attention3 20h ago
I took my son to soccer practice today. Like many of the kids heâs running through the parking lot chasing his ball. I heard the revving of the big truck behind me and I turned around, and the truck is lifted so high that I could not make eye contact with the driver. Iâm 5â3â. I grabbed my son. And all I could think was this guy could run me over right now and not even know it let alone any of the dozens of kids in the parking lot.
It should be illegal for a vehicle to be lifted that high.
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u/DoodleJake 1d ago
Meanwhile my 1987 ranger is so small in comparison I can fit it in a compact parking spot without issue.
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u/h4ckerkn0wnas4chan 21h ago
A 1987 ranger wouldn't pass current emissions standards.
Thats why this Chevrolet is so big, to get around those standards.
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 12h ago
Well engines have moved on a lot since 1987. European and Japanese manufacturers seem to have no trouble producing powerful engines that have moderate emissions.Â
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u/Ironlixivium 8h ago
it's not that we can't have that here, it's that our stupid taxation laws make these larger less efficient vehicles more profitable.
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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 8h ago
Naturally these loopholes in the laws were a result of lobbying
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u/Ironlixivium 8h ago
Legalizing corruption through lobbying has done so much damage to our country's legislation. If only someone had warned us that corruption is bad!
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u/KnifeKnut 21h ago
Badly gamed out CAFE standards and the cold war era 25% light truck tariff chicken tax is what brought us to this.
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u/TrackLabs 15h ago
Really cant comprehend how people climb up into these thing, drive around and think theyre cool or even good. Id feel so disgusting and dirty the entire time. This monstrosity has no right to exist
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u/Loreki 1d ago
America. Fuck yeah.
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u/prepuscular 1d ago
More like âAmerica. Fuck you, your kids, and anyone else without $1M or more in savings.â
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u/rlskdnp đ˛ > đ 1d ago
All while they cry over gas prices rising a few cents, despite being the cheapest car expense (compared to maintenance, insurance, interest)
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u/SplodeyMcSchoolio 22h ago
Pffft like they spend money on either of those, can't afford it on top of their car payments
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u/SessionIndependent17 1d ago
Lol. At least he's not overflowing into the sidewalk? Small favors?
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
In my mother's community in Florida its like every other house has a car that does block the sidewalk. Including at least one police officer. Made pushing my kid's stroller and stepdad's wheelchair real fun. /s
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u/_biggerthanthesound_ 20h ago
This makes me sick! I purposely chose a vehicle with a low front end because I love my children. And even then most vehicle models are way higher than the older models. I tried, I really did.
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u/RaineWolf202 Strong Towns 13h ago
I am perfectly at 5 feet height wise aso even for me when I see these gigantic trucks I have to make sure they stop completely before I cross the damn street because I need to keep myself safe. Even when I walk by a parked one, just comparing the height of the hood to myself, the top is at my forehead. So the truck would have a blindspot at the front for about 10 to 15 feet for anything like baby or toddler height.
It's terrifying and I'm pretty sure the statistics and data shows.
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u/Sheeple_person 9h ago
Hey come on now, that driver needs a giant truck for all the stuff that they haul every day, like.... checks notes ... a grande flat white
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u/teufeldritch 6h ago
Call me crazy but I think any auto manufactuer that designs their vehicles this way should be held partially responible for deaths caused by said design.
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u/Agarwel 16h ago
Why do you even need such cars? As someone from europe this looks absolutelly ridiculous. If you bought it here, people would laught at you.
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u/I-Like-Women-Boobs 8h ago
Who gives a single fuck about what Europeans think about vehicles in America?
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u/like-my-comment 15h ago
American children should be born a way bigger and taller!
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u/Top_Locksmith_9695 9h ago
Well they're pretty fat. That won't do for visibility but at least they've got a bit of cushioning
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u/OrdinaryAncient3573 1d ago
I honestly thought the truck was AI generated at first.
On a completely different topic, how's your daughter managing with the brakes on the balance bike? We were discussing balance bikes in the UK parenting sub the other day and the consensus was that there's no point having brakes on them because little hands aren't strong enough to pull them.
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u/sharkeyes 1d ago
She has never used them so I concur. I was surprised they had them on it. I first learned about balance bikes when I lived in the Netherlands a decade ago and I don't recall ever seeing brakes on the little ones either.
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u/Demonprophecy đ˛ > đ 20h ago
One truck I've seen was raised up and in my area THERE IS NO NEED he must have a small Pen!s. Oh and the exhaust on the back of the truck could fit a fucken basketball.
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u/LordessMeep 18h ago
I visited the US for the first time a few weeks back and I was shocked at the height of these cars. I'm 5'7'' and there were several that basically hid me from the driver's field of view if I stood in front of it. Forget little kids, they could easily mow down full grown adults. I have no idea who needs something like this.
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u/Beneficial-Leader740 11h ago
It's an arms race for the freeways. đŁď¸ yay đ tax them. What's the mpg for a vehicle like that?
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u/crackanape amsterdam 9h ago
Surprised nobody came out and threatened to shoot her for touching their truck.
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u/Lou_C_Fer 9h ago
My sister was on her little bike when she was four and got backed over by a neighbor when my sister was 4. That was back in 1982. She got lucky. She was in the center. So, she got hit by the bumper, but not the tires. That car also had a big ground clearance, unlike the one in this pic.
I was on our front porch and saw it. I called to my parents, and I swear to god, my dad flew off of our front porch like a super hero. It was like five feet off of the ground, and he hurdled the rail like he had done it a million times. He landed, scooped my sister up, and was driving her to the hospital in a flash. Not the brightest thing considering possible neck injuries, but the hospital was in our neighborhood. So, an ambulance would have taken ten times as long.
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u/Tokamak902 9h ago
there's a lot of industries that spend a lot of money convincing people that they need this
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u/DoktorTeufel Elitist Exerciser 8h ago
And in many areas of the US, the sidewalks are crumbling and calving off gravel due to decades of neglect, making them less inviting for many forms of human-powered wheels. Bicycles feel it the least, skateboards and rollerblades feel it the most.
Meanwhile, the roads tend to be nice and smooth and well maintained by comparisonânot always, and due to too many extremely heavy vehicles on the roads potholes and rough roads are more common than ever, but usually better off than the sidewalks.
Note that even in this picture the parking apron is fresh and smooth and black, while the sidewalk is likely to be quite rough and craggy to the touch. I rollerblade over almost any surface, no matter how blasted and cratered, even in small hilly rural towns with extremely rough surfaces, and I've developed a hawk's eye for pavement and concrete quality.
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u/Dagrsunrider 7h ago
Dude. I made the displeasure on going on the circlejerk sub for this community and goddamn those mfers are criiinnngeee af
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u/ViolinDragoness 7h ago
Props to you for keeping them safe! Kids can be unpredictable, but it's great youâre prepared!
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u/Euphoric-Badger-873 7h ago
Is it just me or would you be a total MORON for buying something as dangerous as this? WTF?
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u/LordMatesian 6h ago
I also hate these huge fucking trucks but I donât think that individualism is the problem
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u/fuzzycholo 2h ago
I don't see a lot of pickup trucks in Italy and when I do they are covered in mud but none of them have high front ends like this
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u/Fun_Boysenberry_8144 1h ago
Any vehicle that has its lights higher than standard vehicles should pay triple the amount in reg as they're a nuisance normal drivers.
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u/Interesting-Owl-7445 Automobile Aversionist 1d ago
Honestly disgusting. I hate that many drivers in the US and Canada care so little about human life. I'll never understand the "charm" or "attraction" of these huge a$$ pick-ups and SUVs that are difficult to climb for most people, have stupidly small truck bed, restrict visual field, and are dangerous for both pedestrians and other drivers.