> The result is terrifying. Both terrifying to drive, and terrifying to realize that these things are out on the road, in the hands of a public I don't trust enough to handle this sort of power. Up on Angeles Crest, the Plaid is incredibly quick, but it doesn't have the chassis, steering, or brakes to deal with the horsepower. Especially irritating is the damping, which is never settled in the Plaid's multiple drive modes. And that yoke steering wheel is just so incredibly stupid.
It is scary. Consumer automobile trends are chasing more and bigger in every dimension and our regulators are either asleep at the wheel or on the payroll. Pedestrian deaths are trending up, we have hard data showing that pickup trucks are 2.5x more likely to kill the occupants of other vehicles in a crash, and there is no sign that anyone gives a single flying fuck about any of these lives that have been needlessly snuffed out—a pile of corpses as a monument to the pigheaded vanity of adult children. It is fucking disgusting.
It's a strange world. Small personal EVs (ebikes, scooters, and so on) are all heavily regulated, often with very limited speed limits - while 3 ton cars that are infinitely more likely to kill someone other than the driver are given a free pass.
It's a world built for cars, and we're only barely clawing it back.
> pigheaded vanity of adult children. It is fucking disgusting.
Presumably you suggest we also banish unhealthy food, cigarettes, weed, and alcohol, right? They are all responsible for significant deaths (especially when combined with any kind of driving) and are only for fun
Addiction and substance abuse are complicated topics, but ideally somebody partaking of tobacco, drugs, or alcohol is aware of the risk to their own person of doing so, and has freely chosen to partake regardless. Unfortunately, though I'm well aware of the mortal danger excessively large and powerful personal vehicles pose to me and my family on the road, the only ways I can opt out of that danger are to a) not drive (edit: or walk, or cycle, or...) on public roads, or b) drive a very large and heavy vehicle myself, thus putting yet more people in mortal danger. Neither is acceptable.
In short, yours is not a good analogy because the danger posed by the use of harmful addictive substances is to the self, while the danger posed by driving an F-450 XLT Cummings Power Stroke 8.0 Liter Ranch King Harley Davidson Edition is to others.
> In short, yours is not a good analogy because the danger posed by the use of harmful addictive substances is to the self,
You didn’t read what I wrote. I specifically called out being under the influence. A drunk behind the wheel of the Corolla is far more dangerous to pedestrians than a teetotaling truck driver. Similar to anyone at a high risk of heart attack or stroke that gets behind the wheel.
I assumed that wasn't what you meant since it's an obvious non sequitur. Driving drunk is already illegal, and the fatality rate is down over 60% since its high point in the early 80s when we really started taking it seriously as a nation. That's the sort of impact taking a public health hazard seriously can have on human lives that might otherwise be snuffed out by it.
> The result is terrifying. Both terrifying to drive, and terrifying to realize that these things are out on the road, in the hands of a public I don't trust enough to handle this sort of power. Up on Angeles Crest, the Plaid is incredibly quick, but it doesn't have the chassis, steering, or brakes to deal with the horsepower. Especially irritating is the damping, which is never settled in the Plaid's multiple drive modes. And that yoke steering wheel is just so incredibly stupid.
It is scary. Consumer automobile trends are chasing more and bigger in every dimension and our regulators are either asleep at the wheel or on the payroll. Pedestrian deaths are trending up, we have hard data showing that pickup trucks are 2.5x more likely to kill the occupants of other vehicles in a crash, and there is no sign that anyone gives a single flying fuck about any of these lives that have been needlessly snuffed out—a pile of corpses as a monument to the pigheaded vanity of adult children. It is fucking disgusting.