Can cars get any wider?

[DoubleD]

caelite said:

Personally, and I know this is unpopular opinion, I think safety regulations in Europe have gone way too far, it would be better for all of us if legislators took a more pragmatic view towards safety(and emissions), rather than the, in my mind, idealistic view that they currently take. Zero road deaths is not going to happen, rather than chasing that unrealistic goal efforts should be made to make our roads run smoother, faster and with greater efficiency.

So you think that cars should be made less safe?

[skyrover]

caelite said:

Personally, and I know this is unpopular opinion, I think safety regulations in Europe have gone way too far, it would be better for all of us if legislators took a more pragmatic view towards safety(and emissions), rather than the, in my mind, idealistic view that they currently take. Zero road deaths is not going to happen, rather than chasing that unrealistic goal efforts should be made to make our roads run smoother, faster and with greater efficiency.

Simply not going to happen.

No car manufacturer is going to to it... they would be slaughtered in the press.

Lets not forget that cars are built for a global market, with the UK increasingly being marginalized by an expanding international audience.

[caelite]

DoubleD said:

caelite said:

Personally, and I know this is unpopular opinion, I think safety regulations in Europe have gone way too far, it would be better for all of us if legislators took a more pragmatic view towards safety(and emissions), rather than the, in my mind, idealistic view that they currently take. Zero road deaths is not going to happen, rather than chasing that unrealistic goal efforts should be made to make our roads run smoother, faster and with greater efficiency.

So you think that cars should be made less safe?

Kind of. I think manufacturers should be allowed to release a stripped out 'old style' car if they so choose. It should be up to consumer whether or not they want to pay for safety. As skyrover points out, there is a large global market that doesn't adhere to the standards that we do, if an Indian or Chinese company wants to bring a 0 star safety rated death trap to the UK, they should be allowed too, and consumers should be able to make the decision of whether they want to pay £2-3k on an extreme entry level vehicle with no safety equipment, or £6-8k on something like a Dacia which passes an EU standard.

As skyrover says companies that do this may recieve a slating in the media. This is good, as it informs consumers of the potential risks of getting into one of these less reputable 'old style' vehicles, however they are not forced into the safety bubble by the nanny state.

[skyrover]

caelite said:

DoubleD said:

caelite said:

Personally, and I know this is unpopular opinion, I think safety regulations in Europe have gone way too far, it would be better for all of us if legislators took a more pragmatic view towards safety(and emissions), rather than the, in my mind, idealistic view that they currently take. Zero road deaths is not going to happen, rather than chasing that unrealistic goal efforts should be made to make our roads run smoother, faster and with greater efficiency.

So you think that cars should be made less safe?

Kind of. I think manufacturers should be allowed to release a stripped out 'old style' car if they so choose. It should be up to consumer whether or not they want to pay for safety. As skyrover points out, there is a large global market that doesn't adhere to the standards that we do, if an Indian or Chinese company wants to bring a 0 star safety rated death trap to the UK, they should be allowed too, and consumers should be able to make the decision of whether they want to pay £2-3k on an extreme entry level vehicle with no safety equipment, or £6-8k on something like a Dacia which passes an EU standard.

As skyrover says companies that do this may recieve a slating in the media. This is good, as it informs consumers of the potential risks of getting into one of these less reputable 'old style' vehicles, however they are not forced into the safety bubble by the nanny state.

I suppose if we are happy to let people ride motorbikes...

[DoubleD]

It would be a backward step and it will never happen.

[paranoid airbag]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

They are you 'tard, that's what relying on modern tin IS. That's why everyone is buying SUV's.

You are free to buy a motorcycle, and rely solely on your skills. I know plenty of people who will gladly use the organs.

And I note you're quoting the biggest horsest in the thread - that car length is somehow responsible for modern jams. On a single-carriageway road, you need well over a hundred metres mean separation for smooth flow at 60. The length of the car itself doesn't mean st. You are not GOING TO GET close-packed traffic moving about 30 mph for more than a few seconds before something happens that necessitates emergency braking, and an ever-growing tailback.

Dear god, you get pissed that the halls of power ignore you, but you're proving why they do.

[caelite]

paranoid airbag said:

And I note you're quoting the biggest horsest in the thread - that car length is somehow responsible for modern jams. On a single-carriageway road, you need well over a hundred metres mean separation for smooth flow at 60. The length of the car itself doesn't mean st. You are not GOING TO GET close-packed traffic moving about 30 mph for more than a few seconds before something happens that necessitates emergency braking, and an ever-growing tailback..

For the record, that statement was in relation to bumper to bumper city traffic, in areas where space is at a premium. Smaller cars parked means more parking and more use able road space for traffic. Smaller cars in a queue reducing the length of tailbacks making them more managable. With a Kei class you can also follow Japan's lead and have kei parking, allowing supermarkets and the like to cram more cars into the same space. I don't see how smaller vehicles taking up less space could be a bad thing in our overcrowded cities.

However, as you so aptly point out. In less stressed areas where traffic flows smoothly vehicle size has minimal effect.

[TooMany2cvs]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Point of order, Sir.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is the body that defines type approval standards. It's based in Switzerland, and the head is a Slovak. TBH, I doubt she's personally directly involved in vehicle safety standards - that's the pigeon of the UNECE's World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WFHVR), which is headed by a Russian. The Parisian-based Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA) are also heavily involved.

There almost certainly are Belgians involved, though.

[PositronicRay]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

If you spent more you could make cars even safer though, compromise exists for a reason.