I went to a local pub with a friend a few weeks back and when I came out after dinner, I found that a very large Dodge RAM had parked next to me. It was so big, the bottom of the windows were at about the same level as the roof of my car (a 2002 Suzuki Ignis). Its just insane.
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Firstly we never had these buge Ute’s before i agree with other people ok. I don’t like them really not being able to see around them. Maybe tbey should park elsewhere i say. Same on roads can’t see around.
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There are plenty of large commercial vehicles on the road and mostly the drivers understand this requires additional care control and drive/park them accordingly.
The problem is not with the vehicles but the people who buy a truck because it is cool, fashionable and the latest mode of conspicuous consumption but have no idea how to manage it and don’t care.
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Im not changing my opinion ok people fall for wanting bigger tho gsand this is one of many i say. Part is, right about how you say people go for flashy things. End of the carpark ares nevhad huge amount of oversize utes ok
Got to SMH about American ‘culture’ such as it is. Big everything and now with ‘guns’ for show. And more of us seem to be buying into it.
We have not seen anything yet. Ram sales are up more than 50 per cent so far this year. It is a lost cause because they would not be importing them if people were not queued up to buy them.
edit: and another…
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This is pretty poor journalism to be overly kind, but somebody seems to be starting to pay attention. No cause-effect of any sort beyond vague statistics but I am for anything that might put a brake on the increasingly large and inappropriate ‘yank tanks’ (regardless of their national origins and brands) invading our shores.
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I agree!
And I’d like to see some real stats about road death correlation with types of vehicles involved.
Are proportionally more of these vehicles involved in pedestrian / bicycle / motorbike deaths and injuries? If so, could that be because it’s harder to see those people / vehicles from inside the big 4WDs (in time to stop or dodge, which is also harder to do in the big vehicle)?
If they are involved in more accidents of all types, is driver complacency partly to blame? That is, believing the big vehicle will protect them, and perhaps not being quite as careful as they might be in a smaller vehicle?
Also, how many drivers of larger vehicles are aware of how much harder these vehicles are to control than smaller ones are, before they drive them on the roads and find out the hard way? While you’re just going in a straight line or navigating gentle curves, they lull you into a false sense of security by feeling no different from a car. But they are much harder to stop, harder to change direction in, more likely to lose traction and skid when braking, and have a higher centre of gravity, so will tip over or roll more easily.
Should extra driver education and specific licensing be required for such vehicles, not just imposing levies?
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Those are US stats, but presumably the Au results would be similar, allowing for the different mix of car types and brands.
Interesting that these stats suggest “muscle cars” are being driven aggressively, as they top the list of crashes where the other driver died.
The stats are only driver deaths, not counting passengers or serious injuries rather than deaths. Serious injuries (as I’ve complained about elsewhere on the Community) are IMHO a very important aspect of the road ‘toll’ - and not commonly mentioned in news articles.
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I can’t find any oz figures at that level, they have if a bus, fixed truck or articulated vehicle was involved but not the type or make of passenger car that I can see.
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It’s time to ramp up the insurance these owners have to pay.
People should NOT be dying at an increased rate because someone wants a bigger toy.
They need to legitimately show cause why they have REAL need of such monsters, and pay registration according to the shadow they cast!!
Ok, maybe a bit silly 
but the point is made.next thing they will be putting a tray back on a Scania or Kenworth tractor, and calling it a ute!
Tax 'em.
Hit up their insurance.
Scale up their registration.
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Since nobody can reign in what manufacturers sell and more and more people buy, belatedly…
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I am sceptical a 20cm increase is going to help. The photo in this article looks like it could have been taken locally. The inability to fit a vehicle into a car park as well as being able to open the doors might be inadequate driver skills or an impossible fit as well as both being contributory, but. Maybe large SUV and ‘big ute’ drivers should be required to get a special endorsement similar to those heavy vehicle categories for road trains, targeting ‘big vehicles in built up areas’ on a regular license?
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Given that the outrageous fuel economy of many such vehicles and the rapidly growing price of fuel, combined with expensive parts (especially tyres) many of the owners of such vehicles seem to not have a hip pocket nerve at all. As many of these trucks never go off road or carry anything like the loads they are capable of the enjoyment of them seems to have no connection to rational behaviour.
The ideas of Veblen goods and conspicuous consumption may offer some insights. I think the (often false) idea that they are safer may contribute too.
If various subsidies and tax concessions were removed paying them could become a badge of recognition in the pick-up lane at the local school.
Of course there are other excellent reasons why Oz needs far better vehicle emission and fuel consumption standards.
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It’s an aside.
It’s worth considering whether the additional business costs of more expensive fleets or losses to revenue through concessions work against Australian businesses being more productive. A business may suggest the current arrangement has improved productivity. An undesirable consequence the shifting of the cost burden onto the wider community in more than direct economic terms.
Open to consider whether the greater the attention on the justification and need, the greater the reaction of the industry and owners? IE irrespective of how it affects others. The automotive industry and industry organisations representing many of their customers have significant voices.
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To date the global auto industry focuses on catering to the US market even if not exclusively. To satiate Americans desires the ‘big SUV’ has become ‘today’s car’. Since that is what is being built, that is what is being exported/sold. As more people watch US centric movies and tellie they see them as normal and want one. Small city cars common in Asia don’t seem to get traction here as drivers fantasise they are in remote WA while driving down Flinders St.
Sans a black swan event led by governments that have had enough pressures on infrastructure that cannot be met I’ll not hold my breath for change. ‘Sense’ is not an obvious element in the equation that consumerism dominates. Let those inadequate roads and car parks choke while the only lever being applied is usually financial in the form of fees and fines, but in a world where people eagerly pay for vanity rego plates what hope is there those levers will be more than superficial band-aides.
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The feds are considering applying economy/emission standards to encourage EV uptake and to join the rest of the developed world in reducing pollution and running costs. It has been “under active consideration” for many years so one must not get too excited but should they take some sensible action that will discourage gas guzzlers to some degree. There may be a market for huge EVs though.
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The extent to which larger vehicles are becoming a problem can be exaggerated by forgetting about the size of vehicles in the past and media reports written with a view of sensationalising an issue.
Whilst there is little doubt that the average height of vehicles has increased, there have always been large vehicles around. Below are details of random vehicles sizes from the last century and today.
| Year | Model | Length (mm) | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Cadillac Deville | 5867 | 2032 |
| 1980 | Falcon station wagon | 4982 | 1859 |
| 1985 | Holden 1 tonne | 4990 | 1887 |
| 1990 | LTD | 5220 | 1857 |
| 1995 | Toyota Hiace people mover | 5130 | 1690 |
| 2000 | Nissan Navara single cab | 4975 | 1820 |
| 2023 | Nissan Navara single cab | 5120 | 1850 |
| 2023 | Ram 150 | 5916 | 2474 |
| 2023 | Land Cruiser | 4995 | 1980 |
| 2023 | Camry | 4905 | 1840 |
| 2023 | Rav 4 | 4615 | 1855 |
The issues relating to the size of parking spaces has always been there. It is perhaps only the RAM and similar vehicles that might have worsened the issue.
Media reports bemoaning the growth in the market share of SUVs, conveniently overlook the fact that many of those vehicles are of similar length and width to a Toyota Corolla.
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