Pickup trucks growing in size; a danger to other road users

At the moment I'm living in Texas, where such trucks are very common. Of the hundreds of trucks I've seen, only 1 or 2 had anything in the bed.

BHPian karanddd recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I saw this video on a Twitter thread about how large new models of pick up trucks in the US are.

It's scary that due to such high (& long) front ends, drivers can barely see what's ahead of them. A cyclist or pedestrian hit by these trucks would get crushed under the wheels, as opposed to rolling over the windshield of a normal sized car.

I just wanted to start this thread to hear what other people think about this. As a cyclist who's had a near miss with one such truck, I find them abominable.

At the moment I'm living in Texas, where such trucks are very common. Of the hundreds of trucks I've seen, only 1 or 2 had anything in the bed. They serve no real purpose in 95% of situations in which they're bought and endanger everyone else on the road.

Americans are too enamoured of these trucks (and manufacturers too enamoured of profits) for them to go away in the near future.

In my view the best thing about the Indian automotive scene is that such trucks do not exist and are not likely to become popular. I do however believe that something along those lines ought to be enshrined in the law.

The Bharat NCAP or equivalent testing body should take into account pedestrian collision safety as much as the safety of the people within the car. That is the only way to make our streets safer and better.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

What regulations can do for a cyclist who is out there saving the world is fit an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian/ cyclist detection.

But a slow and fragile cyclist has no place sharing the road with cars and trucks, just a simple slip of your shoes on the pedal on a rainy day and you're a sticker on the road - it's not someone else's fault. A dedicated cyclist lane is needed for them, I think as their numbers increase we can see such lanes in more cities.

A pickup truck's design is to be useful and serve a purpose, not to save lives - that is the job of an ambulance. Much like an 18 wheeler is designed to transport things , including that made in China / India bicycles.

The average American has a lot of stuff , they like to do things on their own, build things , live an outdoor life, haul their trailer, toys etc. There are some who may do these things only a few times in a year but it doesn't hurt to have a pickup truck when needed - and so we see newer 'softer' pickup trucks like the Ford Maverick!!

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Was expecting some practical concerns like how the beds of pickup trucks are too high for someone to climb without support, or that it would be hard to load/unload stuff or that they have grown too much in size affecting usability and mileage.

Instead we have pedestrian safety concerns. Well, same could be said for vans, buses and trucks, or most commercial vehicles even. You would be stickered on the flat nose, instead of rolling onto the windshield.

Don't get me wrong. IMO, can't fathom why F150s are the top selling vehicles in USA or when pickup trucks never see anything on their loadbed. But we can say the same for MPVs with 2-3 passengers, SUVs that don't see dirt, premium Germans that may never see 140+km/h or sports cars that live their life within urban limits.

Agree with @Kosfactor.

Here's what BHPian GutsyGibbon had to say on the matter:

The size of the bed on an F150 is designed to hold a sheet full sheet of plywood, flat between the wheelwells. Plywood, sheet rock, siding, etc all materials used in construction is sold as 4' x 8' sheets. The bed size has remained constant. The innovation in the tailgate ha been huge.

I own a Ford Ranger and use it to haul manure, dirt, lumber all the time. The big reason to upgrade to F150 is the ability to load construction materials easily.

It also matters as to where you are spotting these pickup trucks. At a Home Depot/Lowes, or the loading dock of furniture stores, you can be certain the trucks will have stuff on the bed. At campsites, pickup truck campers are very common. Camper shells are inexpensive, and make great platforms for a simple bed, with slide out drawers for storage. Football games, tailgate parties, there is no tailgate party without pickup trucks and their tailgates. Throw a shelter/canopy, a table, and a ice chest/cooler one is all set. Parks/beaches - same deal easy setup, easy to throw stuff. When Ford alone sells a million F150 a year, 95% of them cant be buying it for image sake. Pickup trucks are work horses for people doing all kinds of work, contractors to regular joe's doing household work.

I am surprised as to why households with multiple cars do not consider a pickup truck. They have seating for 5, high ground clearance, and offer ability to haul stuff like no other. Delivery of anything that is bigger than a Home Depot moving box, is really expensive, and a hassle. I cant tell you how many times my friends borrow my pickup truck. Sure, when you see my truck at work (where I do software) no truck will have anything in the bed. We don't have a Tata Ace with a driver ready to haul stuff at every single store, a pickup truck and hand truck/luggage dolly should be a mandatory first purchase for anyone with a single family home in the US. Like this one.

Here's what BHPian narayans80 had to say on the matter:

India and USA are totally different markets with different road and traffic dynamics.

USA doesn't want you to walk or take the cycle, wants you to drive everywhere even to the 7-11 2 doors away. You'll be hard pressed to find sidewalks even in university towns. Roads are wider and there are use cases for it. Pretty sure every service person drives a pickup. It is also largely temperate, so part of the year it is impractical to go on anything but a car.

Besides monster trucks like the one in that Twitter link are few and far in-between.

It is not just pickups that are big. Compare a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic from the 1990s to those from 2010s.

Coming to India, anything longer than 4500-4600 mm is simply not practical. This is why you see pseudo 7 seaters that either compromise on the 2nd row (Alcazar, Carens) or 3rd row (Ertiga twins, XUV500). Only the Innova and Carnival are an exception to this.

As a pedestrian in India, I am more worried about 2 wheelers, autorikshaws, chota haathis running over me than any big vehicle.

Here's what BHPian ads11 had to say on the matter:

I have to agree, a lot of these pickups are Too Darn Big. As a geologist I've been in some properly inhospitable areas, home ground for rugged utility vehicles. And I've used and seen a fair number of pick up trucks as well. Honestly, there's no need for them to have ballooned so much. One need only look at Hiluxes and F-150s from say 15 years ago to see the growth. I understand the utility argument but far as I can tell bed size has mostly stayed the same, and overall utility hasn't necessarily grown any more from the supersizing of regular pick ups. I have no qualms for someone who makes use of theirs but I think in the quest to make the pickups more urbane and comfortable inside, we've gone and made cabs akin to American housing! The space is lovely but is there no way to make them more svelte? Some of the centre consoles and armrests on these things are gargantuan.

I accept that the best thing is to have separate cyclist infrastructure, separate lanes. To me it feels American roads have the space for it, but their vehicles need to slim down a bit to cede some of that ample room. One wonders if this transformational infrastructure bill might bring about some of that change, even a start would be good.

I guess I come from the school of thought where every new generation needn't have to be slightly bigger than the last to also be an improvement. I always smile when I see a current gen MX-5/Miata for that very reason. It's stayed true to the dimensions that made the original a classic. Similarly I'm always pleased when OEMs keep overall dimensions the same but instead find clever ways of utilising that volume better to get more room for eg. Sadly though it seems in the case of pickups, those just form a "Compact pickup" segment to generate more revenue for the OEMs. Can't blame the manufacturers really. They're just following the money. I just wish regulators would clamp down on the very obvious blind spot problem created by the bluff front end designs of a lot of modern SUVs and pickups. It's not a new problem at all, and it's only getting worse. Designing cameras to provide 360 degree visibility feels like a cop out solution to a more structural issue.

Before design fans go up in arms about how that's impacting the asthetic of this form factor, stop. Just as the entire world has quietly accepted that long and low bonnets are no longer feasible for modern crash safety regulations and come to terms with it as talented designers made appealing bodies to get around this regulatory framework, truck and SUV designers can absolutely find it within themselves to clear new regulation and meet the consumer with good products, they just won't do it unless kicked into gear.

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