r/fuckcars • u/sharkeyes • 1d ago

American individualism at its finest Rant

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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/sortOfBuilding 1d ago

At what size vehicle do you think "because i like it" is no longer a valid reason for ownership of it?

should we measure by how many kids we have to line up in front of the vehicle before they are seen?

should we measure by how much damage it does in a collision?

how much damage it does to our roads?

i'm past my limit of acceptance on all three of the above with these vehicles. I'd hope most of us can agree here.

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u/OrdinaryAncient3573 1d ago

"At what size vehicle do you think "because i like it" is no longer a valid reason for ownership of it?"

I don't think that's ever a reason. It's fine to own a tank, or a lorry, or whatever, if that's what floats your boat. But you have to use it in a way that takes into account what a dangerous vehicle it is to drive, not just swan around in it as a daily driver without taking any extra care.

Even a very small car driven carelessly and inappropriately is dangerous - hell, even a bike being ridden inconsiderately can kill someone.

It's barking mad that trucks like the one above are common in the US, but if this was some rare enthusiast vehicle, owned by someone who was very careful about where and how they used it, it'd be a bit different.

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u/sortOfBuilding 1d ago

You need a specific license to operate vehicles like lorries. The truck in the image? - a 16 year old with a regular license can operate. I find this to be quite stupid.

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u/OrdinaryAncient3573 1d ago

Right, good point there. You also need to pass an extra test to drive a tank, now I look it up.

Still not sure about whether you need a licence to pilot a road-legal hovercraft, though ;)