Item — HN Reader

> Yet all car safety regulation on the 59% that are

I don’t think you meant literally “all”, but one that comes to mind that definitely is intended for pedestrian safety is around requiring that EVs make audible noises when they’re moving at slow speeds (the fake humming as they move forward, and the beeping as they reverse).

2 comments

Forget about EVs.

Most regular SUVs should be taken off the road.

Look at this example: a dozen kids aligned in a neat row in front of the SUV and the soccer mom drivers can see none of them!

https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/driveway-danger...

This is one of the things I really like about driving a minivan. Excellent visibility compared to just about any other vehicle, including sedans. A combination of higher sitting position with larger windows and sloping hood really opens up sight lines. My son has a Mazda 2 and I hate driving that thing. Feels like the columns and ride height really kills visibility.

100%. I have a Mazda cx-5. Visibility sucks looking left & right because the A frame is so thick.

My thought: demand a certain level of visibility from car manufacturers, and they can figure out how to design around it. Like, I must be able to look left and see the pedestrian 3 feet away from walking into my car. Blind spots like that in the front are ridiculous

And I got a CX-5 because the CX-50 has even worse visibility!

How often do you come across kids sitting on the ground in a parking lot? If they want to make a point about visibility at least have them standing up.

Well... if you just take 2 minutes to read the article, you will see that a mother killed her own son in the driveway.

That alone should be enough to get SUVs off the road, in my book.

Yup, and I still don't know how she was able to do that, knowing that he was there. If you know that you can't see well out of your vehicle, make sure the kids aren't anywhere near it when you're driving. Hell, when my kids were young, they weren't even allowed to be outside on the same side of the house that I was mowing.

> Hell, when my kids were young, they weren't even allowed to be outside on the same side of the house that I was mowing.

Why let them outside at all? An eagle could snatch them or something, you never know

would your book also outlaw pools as some parents negligance have caused kids to fall in and drown?

Not sure if you have kids but it's pretty terrifying to navigate through parking lots with toddlers. It's the most stressful part of my day, honestly. And yet what choice do I have in the US but to put up with it? Safer city planning is pretty much banned except for the most expensive places in the US.

Fair point, I edited my comment to reflect it!

However I think your EV examples shows an important attitude about what types of vehicles can be regulated. EVs are fair game for regulation, oversize trucks and SUVs are not. That's an attitude not based on safety, but on societal priorities.

This two-class system extends even beyond safety regulations, into emissions regulations too. Trucks and oversize SUVs get a free-ride out of everybody else in society.

Blame the chicken tax.