[jeffdavis]

Having one truck for an extended family to share is really convenient. (EDIT: E.g. one truck per 4-6 households.)

And let's face it -- cars in general are completely unused at least 95% of the time (EDIT: probably an exaggeration). And you could just as easily say that most of the seats in a car go unused most of the time, even when in use.

So it's really about the gas milage rather than the fact that it has an open bed. Sports cars and SUVs fall into the same category. It's just that a bunch of empty truck beds on the road are more visible than empty seats or over-powered engines.

[stefan_]

"If it's all unused, we might as well make it twice the size, three times the weight, whats the harm"

[jeffdavis]

Isn't that what I said: that it's a gas milage problem and not a truck problem?

Also, I advocated sharing a truck rather than owning one truck per household. So if we disagree about something, I don't understand what.

[stefan_]

It kills people, lots of them small, most of them not in the actual truck. It is a gigantic moral hazard.

[leetcrew]

poor mileage isn't the only problem with large vehicles. the extra weight makes collisions much more lethal for the people in the other vehicle.

[jeffdavis]

What is the magnitude of this problem? What are the possible solutions?

Can it be addressed with, say, liability insurance premiums (and is it already)? Do we need a stigma associated with unnecessary trucks? More laws?

[leetcrew]

> Can it be addressed with, say, liability insurance premiums (and is it already)?

if it's priced in already, I would guess that it's in a way that doesn't really discourage driving heavy vehicles. if you get in a collision in your SUV but you're not at fault, the people in the other vehicle are more likely to have serious injuries but your insurance doesn't have to pay for it. if anything, the risk is probably distributed across everyone's premiums, unless SUV drivers are more likely to be at fault for some reason.

frankly I'm not sure how best to deal with it. there are a lot of people who would do just fine with a small sedan but are unwilling to drive one because they (correctly) perceive it as less safe. this is of course a negative feedback loop where the average vehicle gets heavier and the incentive to buy a heavy vehicle for yourself increases.

perhaps there could be an additional tax for vehicles over a certain weight with an exemption for people who genuinely need it for work or have a large enough household to justify it.