• Bob@feddit.org
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    24 hours ago

    They are not heavy enough for that. The B class license lets you drive cars that weigh up to 3500 kg. Normal American pickup trucks weigh 3000 kg at most. I think the EU is even planning to increase the weight allowance, so pensioners can drive around in RVs without getting a C1 license.

    You could charge higher tolls for cars above 2000 or even 1500 kg, you could make parking spots that won’t fit almost six meter long pickup trucks, and you could implement higher registration costs for heavy vehicles. There’s a lot of things you can do. But the biggest issue is in my opinion cultural. Most people are size queens. They want everything to be as big as possible. Even their cars.

      • Bob@feddit.org
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        2 hours ago

        Yes. But then their car will be towed, and they will have to go through the hassle of recovering it and pay a big fine. The point is to make owning a full size pickup truck extremely impractical to discourage people from making them popular here.

    • Jack@lemmy.ca
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      23 hours ago

      you could make parking spots that won’t fit almost six meter long pickup trucks

      I don’t think the kind of people who drive these would care how much they stick out in front (taking up space of the opposite space, or walking area) or back.

      • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        Live in the Midwest US, and can confirm. They’ll also throw on a tow bar for the hell of it, even if they don’t know how to drive with one, just for funsies.

    • MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca
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      23 hours ago

      They’re boxy which is an unnecessary and intentional style choice. They could be much more compact for the same hauling performance.

      • OshaqHennessey@midwest.social
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        22 hours ago

        It’s an intentional choice, but it’s not for style. The EPA passed regulations in the 90s that demanded a certain level of efficiency from all manufacturers. Sounds great in theory, but the execution was very flawed. The problem is, the regulations allow for less efficiency, based on the size and weight of the vehicle. Well, it’s much easier to engineer a big, heavy vehicle than it is to engineer a more efficient vehicle, so which option do you think most American car companies chose? That amount of bulk allows them to have a lower rated MPG while still remaining “compliant.”

        • MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca
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          11 hours ago

          No, that’s the size of the truck which is weight and hauling performance. The tall front end in the boxy style is 100% a style choice. You can make it much more compact and still be in the same cafe standard. It’s an SUV type thing about what they’ll expect customers to want.

        • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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          20 hours ago

          This was by design and by detroit lobbyists. Pickups are made around 1950s technology and no consideration for safety, with massive profit margins.