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‘They really shouldn’t let those small cars drive in traffic. I worry I’m going to kill someone if I hit one! They should have to drive on the sidewalk, safely out of the way.’
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I can only speak from a British perspective, but it’s not even the size of the cars that bothers me, it’s the seemingly endless abdication of responsibilities or driving skills that come with it.
“Oh this car has a 4x4 capability” - then drives through the snow like it’s a hot summer’s day.
“Oh it has adaptive cruise control” - then stares blankly into space rather than anticipated hazards the cameras won’t have seen.
It’s really frustrating, like “nah fuck everyone outside the bit of metal around me”. The size seems somewhat immaterial (with the exception of children and persons of smaller stature) - a chunk of metal around an SUV coming at you at 30 or 70 mph is going to ruin your day as much as a Smart car is, sadly.
I agree on the points you mentioned.
Increasing size is also a problem, though.
E.g have the rules to build parking spaces been changed here in Germany recently to accommodate the bigger cars.
This additional space (we are talking about additional 30cm width for a road with parking on both sides) will not only further clutter our cities, but will also not be available for bike lanes and sidewalks.And yes, seeing my elementary school kid walking between SUVs and Pickups (we now also have a few of those here…) to cross the street, is also horrifying to watch…
It’s a weird book but Market Forces (By Richard Morgan of Altered Carbon fame) is what this made me think of.
My memory of it is pretty fuzzy though
Russians already far ahead:
That’s a road vehicle? Not some crazed stationary fortress?
