It isn’t even that. America, Germany, and the UK are all very similar. And those numbers are only becoming more similar over time.

Europeans need to remember that American states are often larger than European countries.

And that generations of neglect or intentional sabotage has rendered public transport completely useless outside of outlier scenarios.

People want to handwave it away, but there are legitimate safety concerns with driving smaller vehicles in the US. Not only are they less comfortable (in a country where you have to drive everywhere, for long periods of time, even for incidental items). They will get destroyed by our obnoxiously huge SUVs and trucks. Happens all the time.

Same thing needs to be remembered when people who don’t live here insist everyone should just be biking everywhere. I agree in spirit, but the reality is that biking in the US is a gamble every time someone does it. And you can’t convince a populace to do it when a normal American is 10+ miles away from a grocery store, and when most of our states experience both extreme heat and extreme cold.

The problem is truly systemic. We have a majority of civil planning intentionally implementing hostile engineering to incentivize vehicles.

As someone who goes to Italy yearly with a family of 4 and a dog often the smaller car storage notes are bullshit.

We rent to drive to our home here and then use bikes when or borrow the inlaws car but they often say 5 or 6 seater with room for 3 luggages but it often means at the expense of seats. I often travel with my daughter's stroller beneath the kids feet and a luggage or several backpacks on the floor or in the middle seat and for a several hours drive it's not comfy. Meanwhile my traverse in the states I can fit all of them plus the luggages etc on way to anywhere and we're all comfy for hours.

Not that that's a justification for larger cars but it's definitely not on par and you totally need to play Tetris or sacrifice comfort to make it work.

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Aww. Someone got angry lol.

I agree that most people don’t need SUVs. And even more don’t need a truck. But few others are forced to drive as much nor as far as Americans on a daily basis, so we don’t give a shit if people in other countries with robust public transport sometimes have to drive places in their (comparatively) small countries with their families.

TIL that a dubious 15% is also === 95%.

Edit: that is to say, this isn’t as simple as “LOL Americans fat, Americans dumb.” The same old Euro arguments don’t work on this one. Civil planning is completely fucked here. It isn’t just bad, it is actively hostile to non-drivers.

And SUVs in particular can get these massive tax advantages that cars don’t get. Same with some models of truck. Plus, marketing is highly effective and nearly totally unregulated like so much else over here.

You have morons giving themselves brain damage for the right to own gas stoves, and we have similar morons suffocating themselves and everyone else by insisting they need huge vehicles. And the government actively encourages it.

Getting in and out of a higher-riding vehicle with an upright seating position is more natural and comfortable, particularly for the elderly and/or infirm. Furthermore, we have engineered away most of the drawbacks of crossovers and SUVs.

How many Americans do you think are going to be able to afford two or three vehicles?

If you have a family and any pets , it's very difficult to travel around anywhere. At most, people are going to get a car that can fulfill as many needs as possible. Just because YOU can get around comfortably in a smaller car, doesn't mean someone else will be. Different families have different needs.

Entitlement over what? I drive a crosstrek mate. I can't get into a smaller car otherwise I'm leaving the kids behind. Your arguing with a single person. The reality of PEOPLE is that they won't change unless they don't need cars as much.... it's only logical mate.

Neither of which will be big enough to travel with. A family with kids and a dog is a crammed vehicle. If I can't afford a larger car, I'm going to get something that's less cramped and uncomfortable when theres a full load like that.

Not anymore they're not. Not in the U.S., at least.