Massive, gas-guzzling vehicles are a way of life in the U.S., where federal policies push automakers to build larger models, and cities continue to sprawl beyond the scope of public transportation. However, this phenomenon isn't common in other parts of the world that do not feature as big of a car culture.
This was demonstrated when one Reddit user pointed out in a viral post about a giant Dodge Ram spotted in a shopping parking lot in Germany.
"In Germany, it's pretty rare to see these American tanks," the Redditor wrote in the caption. "Just went shopping and saw this insane abomination in the parking lot... it's double the height of the other cars, way bigger than the image makes it seem."
The Redditor shared the photo on a forum dedicated to the harmful effects of cars and the promotion of car alternatives like public transportation or cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. It's been getting a lot of attention online because people worldwide are outraged about the unnecessarily large size of modern personal vehicles and their effect on public spaces and the environment.
Oversized trucks and cars pose significant issues to the general public because they put pedestrians at a higher risk of being hit due to poor driving visibility and blind spots. Collisions between huge vehicles and pedestrians are also more deadly because they tend to push people underneath them during collisions.
Large trucks like the one in the Reddit post produce more pollution than smaller vehicles and are less fuel-efficient. Meanwhile, electric trucks can help you be an eco-conscious driver because they create no exhaust emissions and promote cleaner air with increasingly impressive travel distances.
"I've never seen something like this," one Redditor wrote about the posted photo of the Ram in the comments.
"Seriously, how is that legal? asked another commenter. "It's an abomination."
"Europeans need to get together and ban those damn things before it's too late," a Redditor suggested. "Don't let the infection spread!"
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