An exasperated transport expert on TikTok has asked a simple question about a type of truck design that's sadly prevalent in the United States, and it's hard to give them a good answer.
"How is this legal?" molesrcool (@molesrcool) asked their over 100,000 TikTok followers, showing a picture of a huge pickup truck, seemingly with eight wheels, that was traveling on a typical road.
@molesrcool #greenscreen someone please help me understand how these stupid monster trucks are street legal #truck #f150 #trucks #liftedtruck #liftedtrucks #f650 #supertruck #pedestriandignity #walkablecities ♬ Yacht Club - MusicBox
They then brought up another picture of a different vehicle, a Ford F-650, with a person standing next to it for reference. The gas-guzzler positively dwarfs the person, whose head barely reaches the outer door handle.
Molesrcool observed that the F-650 is built for commercial purposes, like being used as a dump truck, but it has been designed specifically to avoid the need for a commercial driver's license to operate it. This means some people opt to use them as personal cars, even modifying them to feature a truck bed.
There are a few reasons why these vehicles are so problematic. First, their sheer size and bulk mean they would absolutely gulp down gas to run, producing tons of tailpipe pollution that deteriorates air quality and increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.
That's not even to mention the fact that the vast amounts of carbon dioxide they release will persist in the atmosphere and trap heat, encouraging thermometers to creep ever higher and increasing the risk and intensity of severe weather events.
But they are also enormous, presenting a serious safety risk to other road users, cyclists, and pedestrians.
According to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, SUVs and vans that have a hood height greater than 40 inches are 45% more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than those with a 30-inch hood height or less and a sloping profile.
Poor visibility is one reason for increased danger. In a study conducted by NBC News, children were lined up in front of the driver's seat of different SUVs and pick-up trucks. It took at least nine until you could see the top of a child's head.
In most cases, such sizable vehicles are unnecessary, too. In a survey of vehicle owners in Quebec, Canada, by research center CIRANO, summarized by CBC, only 39% said they use the majority of their seats in their SUV at least once a week, while only 38% said they use the vehicle's entire cargo space at least once a week.
Opting for a smaller vehicle can save you thousands of dollars, while switching to an electric alternative could further increase those savings on fuel costs and significantly reduce the amount of pollution produced while out on the road.
Better yet, you could always swap the gas guzzler for a bike, which produces zero planet-warming gases and doesn't cost anything to fuel.
However, with such huge vehicles sharing the roads, it's perhaps understandable why some might not want to opt for two wheels. That's why infrastructure, like dedicated, safe bike lanes, is essential to increase the uptake of this much more planet-friendly form of transportation.
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