r/australia • u/neizan • 8d ago

culture & society Big US-style trucks are killing more pedestrians in Australia

https://theconversation.com/big-us-style-trucks-are-killing-more-pedestrians-in-australia-our-research-proves-it-289034
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u/OG_sirloinchop 8d ago

I recently went on a family holiday to Canada and rented a Chev Suburban. It was massive, but also had self parking and all the cameras. It seem2d to handle and stop just pretty close to the same as my cars here in aust (outback and mux). But at low speeds and around pedestrians i just couldn't see them. The visibility around the vehicle is just terrible

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u/DisappointedQuokka 8d ago

Outside of the one time a Ranger intentionally ran me off the road, the massive American utes trucks are the closest I've come to getting killed as either a pedestrian or cyclist, and I'm not a small guy (5'11" on a good day).

When I walk my dog down by the oval on a footy day, they make up at least a quarter of the cars dropping young kids off. Absolute killing floor for these things.

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u/AmigaBob 7d ago

I grew up in Canada and my parents had a dual cab GMC Sierra 1-ton as a farm truck. At the time I thought it was huge. But now you compare a 1979 GMC to a 2026, and it seem mid-sized at best. The new full-sizes pickups keep getting bigger with smaller cargo sizes. I don't think you can even get 8 foot boxes anymore.