[klyrs]

I don't know where you live, but in north america, trucks are getting ridiculously huge. They aren't sold like that, but aftermarket lift kits are extremely common; I fear that there's nothing sensationalist about GP. I live in Vancouver and trucks like this are quite frequent. In places like Texas and Alberta, they're downright common.

Speaking of children... little ones can walk directly under these trucks without bonking their heads

[giantg2]

"They aren't sold like that, but aftermarket lift kits are extremely common;"

The parent was talking about the design of new trucks. Aftermarket modifications would be a different topic.

[klyrs]

I'd agree, if they weren't so damned prevalent. Their dominating presence on the road absolutely factors into the real and perceived safety that is driving the race towards ever larger cars

[giantg2]

But then we would be discussing a different topic - forbidding or further restricting aftermarket modifications instead of the current discussion about all trucks and larger vehicles. It seems the stock designs are reasonable and pass various safety considerations (stability, braking, etc) that the extremely modified versions would not.

[klyrs]

No, that's not a different topic at all. If tax is based on vehicle size, then that tax should increase with aftermarket modifications to the vehicle's size.

Likewise, if an aftermarket modification violates vehicle regulations, that should be punished accordingly.

[kube-system]

Would be nice. The majority of US states don’t mandate safety inspections.

[giantg2]

Is there any evidence that annual inspections prevent accidents? If I remember correctly, there's no significant difference in accidents cause by mechanical failure in states that have and do not have inspections.

[giantg2]

The tax is usually based on weight and/or axles. Ride height generally isn't taxed as it doesn't affect those attributes.

[klyrs]

Really seems like you're being deliberately obtuse here. We're talking about how the tax code might be changed to reverse the incentives that result in pedestrian deaths. The fact that this change hasn't happened already is not news to anybody here.