I recently got a new vehicle and went to great lengths to find a smaller electric that would fit my needs. My wife argued that this was a bad move, however:
> Tall vehicles have bigger blind spots and are more likely to strike a person’s torso or head.
New vehicles have a billion sensors and cameras that eliminate blind spots and warn you aggressively if you're about to do something stupid, so it's a moot point.
> US automakers offer no alternative, and car bloat pushes buyers to upsize – if only to avoid being at a disadvantage on the road b/c others have big cars.
This is a reason why it's _better_ to have a bigger car. If you're in an accident and you're the smaller car you're going to be worse off, and since so many people are driving tanks these days you're putting yourself at a much higher risk if you don't also drive one.
And while it's true that the roads and planet are worse off, until _everyone_ around you also starts downsizing their cars, it's a matter of balancing the minuscule amount of environmental good that you as an individual driving a slightly smaller car might achieve versus the additional risk that you're putting yourself in by driving a smaller car.
> Tall vehicles have bigger blind spots and are more likely to strike a person’s torso or head.
New vehicles have a billion sensors and cameras that eliminate blind spots and warn you aggressively if you're about to do something stupid, so it's a moot point.
> US automakers offer no alternative, and car bloat pushes buyers to upsize – if only to avoid being at a disadvantage on the road b/c others have big cars.
This is a reason why it's _better_ to have a bigger car. If you're in an accident and you're the smaller car you're going to be worse off, and since so many people are driving tanks these days you're putting yourself at a much higher risk if you don't also drive one.
And while it's true that the roads and planet are worse off, until _everyone_ around you also starts downsizing their cars, it's a matter of balancing the minuscule amount of environmental good that you as an individual driving a slightly smaller car might achieve versus the additional risk that you're putting yourself in by driving a smaller car.