Accepting US car standards would risk European lives

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

US vs EU road safety outcomes

  • Thread anchors on stats: since 2010 EU road deaths down ~36%, US up ~30; US pedestrian deaths up ~80%, cyclist deaths ~50%.
  • Many commenters attribute a large share of this to stricter EU vehicle design rules (pedestrian impact, visibility, active safety, field‑of‑view requirements), but several note correlation ≠ causation: Covid, VMT changes, urban speed limits, cycling infrastructure, and enforcement all differ.
  • Some argue US vehicles focus on occupant safety, EU standards more on protecting people outside the car.

Oversized pickups/SUVs and “kindercrushers”

  • Strong hostility to US‑style full‑size pickups (Ram, F‑150, Cybertruck) on European streets: too tall, too heavy, poor forward visibility, severe pedestrian injury patterns vs “classic” low‑nose cars.
  • People describe real incidents of deaths and near misses where a child/dog was invisible in front of a truck; several link to blind‑spot diagrams comparing pickups to tanks.
  • Debate over whether large European vans/SUVs (Sprinter, Q7, Cayenne, G‑Class) are equally problematic; consensus that tall, flat hoods and high driving positions are the key danger, not just size.

Import loopholes, tax and insurance

  • US pickups already appear in Europe via individual approvals and as “business vehicles” (reduced registration tax, weight‑based road tax, often commercial plates).
  • Commenters note clustering near US bases and wealthy suburbs; fuel cost and taxes keep numbers low but not negligible.
  • Some describe parking abuse (blocking sidewalks, overhanging bike lanes) and weak enforcement, especially in Dutch cities.

Culture, enforcement, and street design

  • Multiple perspectives from US and European residents:
    • US: car‑dependent land use, weak enforcement (speeding, red lights, DUI), distracted driving, legal bias toward drivers.
    • Europe: more walking/cycling, narrower/older streets, growing but still limited SUV/truck culture.
  • Several argue that non‑enforcement and road design (“stroads”) explain a lot of US fatalities, not just vehicle standards.

Trade politics and NATO

  • Widespread belief this concession is driven by US tariff threats and NATO/Ukraine dependence, not by safety or consumer demand.
  • Others push back: EU also protects its own legacy auto makers and is internally split over EV transition and Chinese imports.

Policy ideas and disagreement

  • Proposals: ban high‑hood vehicles in cities; size/weight/visibility‑based taxes; strict field‑of‑view rules; harsher liability for drivers of oversized vehicles; or simply refuse US standards even at cost of a trade war.
  • Skeptics question whether focusing on a very small fleet share (US pickups) is meaningful compared to broader issues: EU SUVs, fatbike e‑mopeds, poor enforcement, and systemic car dependence.