this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2023
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trying to share the lane with vehicles in the USA is very dangerous

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[–] vapeloki@lemmy.world 51 points 11 months ago (3 children)

And this is on purpose. The manufacturers pushing those huge trucks and SUV, because the required security and safety standards are lower.

Glad I am not living in the USA

[–] KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world 40 points 11 months ago (2 children)

And larger vehicles aren’t subject require to be as fuel efficient as smaller cars are.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 11 months ago (3 children)

That problem is going to sort itself out. The era of cheap fossil fuels is over. And it’s not coming back.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 28 points 11 months ago (1 children)

America will subsidize gasoline before it stops burning it.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They are doing so already. But even that has limits.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

The limit is the petrodollar, of course. Once that's defunct the whole thing falls down.

Until then wheeeeeeeee~!

[–] SuperSpruce@lemmy.ml 6 points 11 months ago

That's not gonna solve the problem when everything is switching to electric. It'll be even cheaper to power a vehicle like this, plus they can cram it with batteries to tout a high range. See: Hummer EV.

[–] geolaw@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 11 months ago

I hope so, but every time I check the latest peak oil prediction it has been pushed further into the future

[–] AndyLikesCandy@reddthat.com 7 points 11 months ago

To be more precise: fuel efficiency standards go down with the physical volume a vehicle takes up.

So every year efficiency requirement goes up, but you just update the body every few years to add a little more sheet metal and stay within your legal mandate.

[–] authed@lemmy.ml 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

yesterday I had a cop threatening me with more traffic violations because I asked a question (USA). He ended up never answering the question... ACAB

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 7 points 11 months ago

These regulations weren't even intended for passenger vehicles. It was supposed to constrain actual work trucks.

[–] soggy_kitty@sopuli.xyz 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

I just cycle in the middle of the lane in UK. No one seems to mind but the odd (rare) driver but they still overtake on the incoming lane with no issues.

Who really cares if your drive is slowed down 30-90 seconds by waiting for a cyclist. Driving has a strange competitive mindset about making your journey in an "expected time". I've never understood that

[–] apprehensively_human@lemmy.ca 14 points 11 months ago

There's this weird perception issue that I've noticed while driving. A car is able to cover so much distance so quickly that even small delays in time can equal a huge loss in distance.

Not that it really matters though because having to wait 30 seconds for a bicycle just means that you've lost 30 seconds. The amount of distance you have to make up is irrelevant, you're still only 30 seconds behind where you would have been.

And in any case, those same people will get to the parking lot and will circle around for minutes looking for the perfect spot closest to the front doors so they don't need to waste time walking.

[–] doc_dish@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

My wife was a "Bikeability" (UK) teacher and this is how they teach people to cycle. Unfortunately there are too many entitled arseholes that can't bear to not be doing the speed limit 100% of the time. And I say this as a car driver.

[–] FnordPrefect@hexbear.net 12 points 11 months ago

And that's not even with the "real man" window extensions that stick out another 3 feet to see around all the nothing they're hauling

[–] jlow@beehaw.org 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Also horizontal fronts on cars make accidents even more deadly.

[–] jlow@beehaw.org 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

For the person not in the car, obviously 👍

[–] Butterbee@beehaw.org 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

True, but is a person not in a car really a person?

[–] frostbiker@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

That is a good point. If they are not in a car, they must be either poor or stupid, which means they don't really deserve the same rights as regular people (i.e. drivers).

[–] DroneRights@lemm.ee 10 points 11 months ago

When drivers break the law, it's to save time. When cyclists break the law, it's too save lives

[–] geolaw@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

We need to shrink the legal maximum vehicle width

[–] culprit@lemmy.ml 6 points 11 months ago

And mandate this is the only way to add more lanes to a road, by shrink lane widths.

[–] MiddledAgedGuy@beehaw.org 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

And owning a truck in the the US, I feel, is a status symbol for many that purchase them rather than any need for carrying/towing stuff. So extra pointless.

Edit: And even if so, they don't need to be so big.

[–] lockhart@lemmy.ml 10 points 11 months ago

It is, because it is marketed as such by manufacturers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKmIp9zQgAY

In this ad, the guy is hauling a total of 1 person (himself) and 0 cargo (unless you count his hat), all to just show off to his friends

[–] Auzy@beehaw.org 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I've noticed on facebook, that every anti-EV clown out there seems to think everyone is towing on a daily basis too.

The irony is, that the people who drive these large trucks are actually the people who tend to require the least towing capacity. In fact, I've maybe only ever seen 1 or 2 of those large Utes here in Australia actually tow anything remotely big. And for most tradies, Vans are actually a far better option than Utes anyway (much more secure)

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] stilgar@infosec.pub 1 points 11 months ago

Its a valiant attempt at being a smartass but it falls down since this is clearly produced in the US for an audience in the US.

[–] crashoverride@lemmy.world -5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

All these are points for not biking on the road. Much safer just to use shortcuts and sidewalks

[–] culprit@lemmy.ml 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

many places will ticket for riding bikes on sidewalks (if there are even sidewalks existing), and many people have no choice but to ride on the road for many routes because no alternative exists

not a solution the vast majority of situations

[–] crashoverride@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

That's ridiculous

[–] Squirrelsdrivemenuts@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Sidewalks where I live are bumpy, interrupted by trees, signposts and trash bins and occupied by pedestrians. Much better (and ultimately safer) is to cycle in the middle of the lane to force cars to give you space. You are also more visible that way to cars from sidelanes.

[–] Swarfega@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago

This is the case with bike lanes at times. They gather debris preventing you from using them. It's frustrating.