Also the arms race of collision survivablity. I have no interest in driving a big truck, but with all the other big trucks out there I’m seriously tempted just for my own safety…

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Spooky23 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

The big trucks are not evaluated for safety to the same standard as other vehicles. They aren't rigged with exploding gas tanks anymore, but the feeling of safety is mostly psychological.

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adastra22 5 days ago | parent [-]

That’s not the safety risk. The safety risk is not being in a big truck and getting hit by one. It’s not so much to do with the vehicle’s safety features as to (1) mass; and (2) height of the cabin.

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Spooky23 5 days ago | parent [-]

That’s part of the issue. The safety ratings of a pickup truck do not incorporate the risk of the front end causing fatalities in collisions.

The feeling of safety is part of that - drivers think they have better visibility due to seating position. They are also more likely to roll and spin out than other vehicles.

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adastra22 5 days ago | parent [-]

Causing fatalities to the other drivers and pedestrians. This is, unfortunately, a selfish incentive that works against the common good.

	▲	Spooky23 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		Agreed. It’s gross. Unfortunately we live in an era where common good is a quaint concept.

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pantalaimon 5 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The only logical next step is the mini-tank

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masklinn 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

I've been looking at the GTK Boxer since it was first announced. The modularity means you can bring the kids to school then swap the rear module for one more suited to transporting raw materials, you just need a garage equipped with a 15t crane to do the swap at home in just a few minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_WblYc4xk

	▲	5 days ago \| parent [-]
		[deleted]

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miningape 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Just wait until 2050 when we all have our own killdozers [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer

	▲	20after4 5 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The killdozers will all be self driving with no passengers and we will be the target. This will surely come to pass long before 2050.
	▲	adastra22 5 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		How did I never hear of this? That was an epic read, thank you.

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sneak 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

It isn’t an arms race, as being in those bigger vehicles only feels more safe; it isn’t actually any safer.

	▲	adastra22 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		It is much safer to be in a big truck hitting an another big truck, than in a small sedan hitting a big truck. Physics of momentum beats out safety features. Actual studies do show this: it is safer for the occupant of the truck in a two-vehicle collision. More trucks on the road make the chance of fatalities overall higher. You often find articles saying that fatalities go up when you introduce a truck, and that is true. But that's because trucks are more likely to kill pedestrians or drivers of smaller cars, NOT because of risk to the truck driver. [] It would be better if there were fewer trucks on the road. But if everyone else is buying a truck, it becomes your selfish incentive to do so as well, for the safety of your* family. It is a tragedy of the commons situation. [*] The exception is single-vehicle accidents, e.g. rollovers. Those are riskier and more likely for the driver of a truck, but also less of a concern in suburban driving.