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naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   33194 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 10, 2022

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What about the government stopping in pushes that strongly incentivize fish shaped crossovers with fleet fuel efficiency standards and pedestrian safety laws?

Oh I'm full of ideas for how to intervene or stop intervening in the car market. Fleet fuel economy standards are a nightmare. Safety standards are fascism, we should be able to sell cheap tricycles or a modern MGB to consenting adults. I also think additional licensing should be required for any vehicle with more than 200 and again at 300 horsepower, regardless of size.

Speed limits should be eliminated. People convicted of reckless driving offenses should have mandatory mechanical devices installed on their axles that create violent noise and vibration above 65mph.

A modern MGB, you get my vote! My first car was a Sprite.

I want to be your friend.

Safety standards are fascism, we should be able to sell cheap tricycles or a modern MGB to consenting adults.

I also think additional licensing should be required for any vehicle with more than 300 horsepower, regardless of size.

These statements seem to fall on opposite sides of the debate.

Not really. Both are in favor of smaller, lighter cars which burn less gas not by virtue of complicated technical tricks but by being small cars with small engines.

If the general class of driver's license only covers up to 200 horsepower, that will stop a lot of soccer mom's from driving Expeditions they can't park properly. You can drive a full size pickup with 180 horsepower, but slowly, most people won't choose to do it. So the only people driving big cars will be those who need them or really love them, eliminating most users who can't drive them well.

Enthusiasts buying sports cars would happily take an extra month of classes and a harder test, hell throw in a track handling test.

Take out big cars and sports cars, and no one needs more than 200 horsepower anyway, and with smaller engines they'll get better gas mileage. 200hp in an Avalon or an Explorer can handle just fine on the highway, just a little slower.

Oh, you just want smaller cars by any means necessary, even if those means are government-enforced. I thought your "safety standards are fascism" remark was meant to indicate anti-government sentiment.

If we're going to have government regulations, and we are, I just want them to be actually helpful and not actively harmful. I don't think that's too much to ask.

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