• Prison Mike@links.hackliberty.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    18 days ago

    As an American I find the thumbnail hilarious. Not that’s it’s not a “monster” pickup truck but that it is the tiniest little truck you’ll find on much of our roadways.

    • yggdar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      18 days ago

      I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. It is hilarious in a black humor way. For us Europeans that’s a giant monster, because it is, while a lot of Americans would consider it a little baby trick because they are so brainwashed.

      • doingthestuff@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        18 days ago

        In my area there are tons of bigger trucks. Delivery box vans, dump trucks hauling dirt or gravel, garbage trucks, school buses, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, box trucks with 8 meter boxes (don’t need special license to drive). Not to mention full 18 wheel semi trucks that are everywhere and especially our highways. Almost none of our trucks, are cabovers, they have huge hoods on them.

        Those pickup trucks really are usually the smallest trucks we see, and when you’re in one you still feel like you’re in a smaller vehicle compared to a lot of the other vehicles on our roads. It’s not brainwashed when it’s observable. I’ve lived in Europe the US and the roads are very different experiences.

        • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          18 days ago

          It’s perfectly ok that some vehicles are bigger than yours. You aren’t small and weak just because your car is a practical size. I have a “right sized” car and it saves a ton of money on gas, truck nuts, “I did that” stickers and bud light.

    • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      18 days ago

      Agreed lol.

      Its not literally the smallest pickup truck on American roads, a few people still have older, smaller models from the 80s or whatever…

      …but far larger trucks than in this image are absolutely everywhere.

      And I say this as someone who used to drive a hatchback and routinely laugh at all the moron truck drivers who spend an hour trying to figure out where to park their F350 duallies in a dense downtown part of American city, baffled by the idea that the urban core doesn’t have Walmart sized parking lots every block.

      These literal tank sized trucks are the smallest modern variants of American trucks. The larger ones are incredibly common and even larger than these.

      Here’s a quick example:

      The white truck in this image is roughly the same size as the trucks in the tank/truck comparison and the article’s image, the black truck behind it is closer to what more and more Americans drive, and many drive ones that are even larger than that.

    • nul9o9@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      It’s pretty big in Europes tight streets, they have tiny cars for a reason. I have no idea why someone would try to drive that truck over there.

    • BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      It used to be that you would see one every now and then, inclusive the ridiculous red blinkers, and they you would do your civil duty and point at it and laugh, because you knew he payed a lot of money to get a shitty car imported. Now, just like McDonald’s, they are everywhere. Please america, make something that doesn’t suck ass, since people have to adopt everything from over there.

  • BluesF@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    There’s one of these pricks nearby my house. We have these tiny narrow roads and this prick is taking up 30% of it with their giant truck. Why? I have never seen them put anything in it. Right now the through road is blocked and you have to turn around awkwardly… Bet they regret that thing now.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      Follow the lead of activists in Britain. Flatten the tires by pressing on the valve stem. No property damage to people that might have been out of options, and sends a clear message that large vehicles aren’t welcome

      • Destide@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        18 days ago

        Pressing on the valve stem? Just put a lentil in one and replace or use a valve core tool to take the valve core out

          • mipadaitu@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            18 days ago

            It takes less time to remove a valve stem then it does to sit there and let the air out.

            Removing the valve stem is not permanent damage either as long as they don’t let the truck sit on a flat for a long time.

      • FuzzyRedPanda@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        17 days ago

        As someone who lives in the US, I can assure you that these monstrosities are killing plenty of adults too.

        When one of them kills someone on an e-bike, the local government considers banning e-bikes instead of regulating 3-ton murder-mobiles.

  • brewery@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    Been seeing these more and more common in London, along with most people buying massive cars generally. I just don’t get it. They really struggle with the tight roads, parked cars, small lanes, car parks etc. Its embarrassing to watch frankly!

    • Baggins@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      Meet my sister in law. Hardly goes anywhere as she can’t park it. Doesn’t visit my wife anymore as she says out car park is too small. Even though workmen and delivery vans get in and out OK. She had a Peugeot 208 which she could park anywhere, but ‘upgraded’ to a 3008 to fit in with her posh friends. She’s retired. And lives in Hertford UK. Not known for it’s wide sweeping vistas. FFS.

        • TheEmpireStrikesDak@thelemmy.club
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          18 days ago

          Every time I walk through that car park, half the vehicles are those awful 4x4s. And I always think how nice it would be if all that tarmac was replaced with grass and wildflower beds and footpaths and cycle paths and bike stands and trees. But instead it’s just a rogue’s gallery of these monstrosities.

          I wish there was some sort of e-cargo bike taxi service or something so that the “but how will I carry my shopping home” crowd don’t have an excuse.

          • teft@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            18 days ago

            I wish there was some sort of e-cargo bike taxi service or something so that the “but how will I carry my shopping home” crowd don’t have an excuse.

            Time to bring back tuktuks.

          • chingadera@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            18 days ago

            Unfortunately they won’t need one, it’s usually just a dick measuring contest on how absurd the vehicle is vs how much they paid for it. It’s more of an education/social problem, unfortunately.

  • misk@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    18 days ago

    Those have to park somewhere and can’t do so legally due to size and permissible gross weight. I usually get out of my way to report incorrectly parked SUVs, BMWs, Audis and such (we have a nice app from an indie dev for that in Poland). I’ve been averaging a dozen or so towed or wheel locked cars per week based on responses from city guard. I’ll keep on doing this until those fuckers learn to stay away from our cities.

      • misk@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        edit-2
        18 days ago

        We have guys like that too, some even document their work on YouTube and gave me much courage and inspiration. You need to reach critical mass where people don’t park badly because other people don’t do it either.

      • misk@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        edit-2
        18 days ago

        Depends entirely on willingness to cooperate so it differs from place to place. My city guard will not fine driver unless they come and confirm offence in person but I’m sending so many reports that I have a fairly high success rate. I also asked nicely to respond to my emails with separate case numbers for each offence so that I can track them.

      • WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        17 days ago

        BMW and Audi are like the poor man’s Porsche. They are often owned by pretentious, self absorbed arseholes who don’t know how to drive, or couldn’t care less about endangering other road users.

  • riodoro1@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    17 days ago

    Thats so much bullshit. Pretty much only assholes are buying them here. Fucking ban them.

  • witty_username@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    Parking spaces in the Netherlands do not easily accommodate these child-killing machines. So, they often end up clumsily parked over multiple spaces or blocking sidewalks. I have taken to submitting complaints to my municipality every time I see this happen.
    It is not much but I am doing my little part. I did notice that one of these abominations has gone absent from my neighbourhood. I like to think my complaints have contributed to this

    • Thorry84@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      Have you gotten any traction on this with the police or municipality?

      I’ve seen a lot of these huge American trucks parked like assholes and I’m seeing more and more custom lifted trucks. The other day I was riding my bicycle from work and saw this huge custom lifted thing. It was as wide as a bus and generally enormous. It was going 60kph in a 30 zone. Then proceeded to jump the kerb, drive across the bicycle path and park on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant. Four douchebags in suits stepped out.

      I was shocked and didn’t really know what to do. I thought about taking a picture, but was worried such characters could be organized crime. I thought about calling the police, but frankly I don’t think they would take it seriously. So I just went home bummed out about the state of the world.

      • witty_username@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        18 days ago

        With the municipality I think I did. I use the relevant web portal to report the hindrances. I make sure to include photos.
        Never tried contacting the police directly

    • Piece_Maker@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      17 days ago

      Even in the States where spaces are generally big enough to accommodate these things they still block sidewalks and park across multiple spaces. People who drive these stupid things are just arseholes

    • Caveman@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      They should fine them for not parking correctly. I’m also on the opinion that you should need an extra licence to drive something that big

  • Technus@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    So it’s not an uniquely American problem after all. Fuckers everywhere want bigger and bigger cars.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      It’s not just people wanting bigger vehicles. It’s an intentional move by vehicle manufacturers to push light trucks, which have less strict safety and emissions standards, leading to higher profit margins.

  • exocortex@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    We need Paris-Pickup-Parking-Prices everywhere. They’re 18€/h. If you want your stupid tank within city limits pay for it.

    • Lennny@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      With significantly fewer school shootings in Europe, kids need to learn fear from somewhere. Why not fear the yank tank?

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    Reminds me of America in the 80s when for a brief time the Jeep Cherokee or Ford Bronco were cool sort-of-rare vehicles. A few years later it was obvious it had become a trend and was A Very Bad Thing and I couldn’t wait for it to die out.

    Still waiting.

  • gencha@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    18 days ago

    While I am not necessarily a fan of needlessly large trucks, I can buy an actual commercial transport vehicle or an actual bus and nobody would give a shit. You can get a 12 seat bus, drive it around alone all day long and never come up in these discussions. Hell, buy an RV of any size and you’re off the hook.

    And then this “despite safety fears” bullshit. When in the history of man has a car buyer been thinking: Hmmm, I wonder if other people would be safe around me when I drive this vehicle? Nobody gives a shit.

    Car is about ME, not the people around me. This will never change. Making cars about YOU and your emotions is what their entire marketing is all about. You have to be incredibly naive to expect that it won’t work.

    • Skua@kbin.earth
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      18 days ago

      You can get a 12 seat bus, drive it around alone all day long and never come up in these discussions.

      I’m pretty sure it would come up if people started actually doing it en masse

      • gencha@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        18 days ago

        Where I live, this is common and unnoticed. I see plenty of VW vans being driven by a mother on her way to the store after dropping off the kids at school. Maybe pickup trucks outrank those in other countries, but the mindset is all the same.

        I’m not trying to apologize for trucks, but we need to expand our view.

        • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          18 days ago

          Right, because a minivan is a high-hood vanity “utility” vehicle purchased by affluent individuals who never regularly carry a bunch of kids in them, but just want the appearance of a cool suburban soccer mom.

          You’ve missed the point entirely.

          • gencha@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            18 days ago

            Pretty sure you missed my point entirely as well. So I guess we’re even

            • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              18 days ago

              Your “point” was dumb and no one was willing to let you know. I didn’t miss it, I dodged it.