Republicans Complain That Cars Have Become Too Safe, Say It Must Be Reversed

What the fuck is with this title? This has zero to do with being "too safe" and everything to do with cost. Inflammatory title.

That said, I highly doubt any cost that's saved on the car makers side will be passed down to the consumer.

Ted Cruz is blaming life-saving car safety regulations for the rising cost of cars

This is correct. They will be cheaper. The question is not how much money is spent, but it is what you get for that money.

I'm sure if we get rid of all food safety laws there will be cheaper food available as well. It will make manufacturing much easier.

Likewise, if we eliminate the EPA and the huge amount of environmental protection laws we have, manufacturing will be much cheaper and feasible to do in the USA.

Chesterton's Fence remains in effect, as ever. Fiddle with these rules at your own risk. Consequences don't care about your feelings and the universe will make sure to pay you back.

But the prices won't go down. Reductions in production costs are only reflected in sale prices when there's a market force driving the costs down. Right now, people have to own cars, and the barriers to entry into the matlrket are too high for new competitors. There's no reason for the auto manufacturers to lower prices if their costs go down. They can just pocket the difference.
They may be cheaper, but they won't be THAT much cheaper to make.
They'll get rid of the safety mechanisms to make the cars cheaper... to produce.
But you and me will still pay the same prices.
Because its corporate profits they are concerned about, not personal savings.

For the passenger? Very safe.

For the pedestrians that get hit? Ha! They're literally death machines. At this point, I'm surprised we're not putting spikes on the front of the car Mad Max style to ensure the pedestrians' death.

Y'all can buy these right now.
- Saw these idiotic rims on a smol penis indicator the other day.

The average Lemmy user seems to want more dead car owners.

Also, this thread has a lot of people voicing their opinions about what they want in a car. I too would prefer a much more basic auto for a cheaper price. But what do normal people actually want? They want all the bullshit. Auto makers also make great money on the bullshit, so they want to sell it to us. They also make great money when the bullshit breaks so they make more money on the back end.

Ah yes, it's safety that makes newer cars expensive you see. Not the wireless key-fobs, power seats, built in ipad to replace the perfectly fine knobs and buttons, autonomous driving features...

And nobody is selling the basic no frills subcompact cars in the US anymore
From what I've heard the lack of buttons is actually a cost saving measure, if you put in an infotainment system anyway
- Thank god EU is starting to get involved in the matter.
  For now it is only that cars only get a 5 star safety rating when they include buttons for a few things form 2026.
  I hope there will be laws that follow after.
- Yeah, good buttons are ridiculously expensive
- yeah i worked at a vehicle manufacturer a while ago as they were expanding into a new market with a budget model, and getting rid of all the non-critical buttons was very high priority for cost. not only do you save on materials directly, you can remodel the entire driving area which means you can redesign the safety features. less shit in the dashboard means less debris that needs to be crash-tested.

Bitch, what?

Pay people more money.

I say YES!

GOLF CARTS FOR EVERYONE !!!

Cheap, light, small, no computer, natural airflow, what else?

This but without the sarcasm lol.
I wonder if the donald has a specially designed golf cart with a gas powered engine. I can't believe that he daily drives an ev
- I mean there are still just lots of gas powered golf carts around.

My siblings in sin, American cars and street scapes are dangerous for everyone.

American safety standards have led to an insane game of cat an mouse wherein I need my car to be bigger to keep me safe. But my bigger car is more dangerous to you. So you need a bigger car to protect yourself from my dangerously large car. But now I need a bigger car to protect me from your giant car.

And 30 years later everyone is driving around a 60 thousand dollar crumple zone so tall it can't see pedestrians over the hood and needs a 6 liter engine just to move.

Same for child seats. Planning on having 3 kids under 10? Better plan on a truck or van with a 3rd row, because somehow, you can't fit seats 3 small children in the back seat of a family sedan or crossover.

Is it really the safety standards? I thought it was a combination of all the stupid "truck" exceptions and our equally stupid culture where the iamverybadasses choose their 3-ton grocery and kindergarten shuttles out of fear because they want to "win" any collisions.
- There's no one thing. I'm sure everyone is trying to game regulations.
  But, I'd wager a Honda Civic is not getting a truck exceptions. Yet a 2025 Honda Civic is 20% wider and 25% longer than a 1978. The weight has gone from 800 kilos to over 1400.
  Crumple zones need space to crumple into. Side curtain airbags require bulkier pillars. Impact beams need space making bodies wider. Instead of a sheet metal box on a chassis we have a frame reinforcing the entire cabin. We need room for crushable hood braces and plastic engine shrouds for when we hit pedestrians. It's all good stuff, but you have to buy an inch or two for this, an inch or two for that...
  Eventually a 2025 Honda Civic is both longer and wider than a 1990 Toyota Hilux pickup.
- This
I agree with you that this has happened, but it is far from the only reason that vehicles have increased in price. Now almost every vehicle comes with power windows, power locks, power mirrors, at least one if not multiple built in tv screens, wireless locks and keyless ignitions. Not to mention alot of manufacturers building in computer hardware/software to track user information and installing propietary parts/hardware/software designed to keep your local mechanic from doing repair work and forcing you to use dealership mechanics at 3-4 times the cost.
All of it is being done because it makes more money. Mark my words, if they repeal safety regulations, it will definitely reduce the safety of our vehicles, but it will have little to no effect impact on prices. I would wager my left nut that auto manufacturers are chomping at the bit to get this deregulation put through so they can reduce their cost of vehicles by increasing the danger of the consumer, but wont reduce the prices by a fraction of what they are "saving," then will proceed to have record profits while using lobbyists to pay off our crooked politicians.
- I noticed the current admin has contempt for anything that benefits the common man, and is looking for financial excuses to remove any "subsidy" type of regulation that could be protecting people from dying for the crime of being poor and/or having weak genes
The really sad thing is your bigger car isn't even really safer for you. It's just cheaper for the manufacturers (since they can classify it as a truck which has less strict safety and efficiency regulations) and a danger to others.

Cars can never be too safe. What I want is a car with no computers or telemetry whatsoever. I want a car that is private with how I use it. Like what they were pre 2000s. Just a hunk of metal to go from point A to point B.

As long as you don't get a touring bike, most motorcycles don't track you.
Those cars were absolutely more dangerous than the ones on the road now.
True self-driving cars would be the epitome of safety, because humans are the most common reason for failure in most systems.
Edit: people seem to think I'm endorsing the use of a telescreen.. I mean infotainment system, in cars. That's not what's happening. Safety technology in cars and spyware in cars are two separate discussions. It's a fact that vehicles today are safer than they were 20 years ago due in part to advancements in safety technology.
And a fully autonomous vehicle would need all of the sensors and processing to be local, so there's really no need for the Internet to be involved at all.
I'd 100% trust a purpose built system that can do millions of sensor reading and calculations a second with a full 360° view more than I would a human who can get tired, intoxicated, distracted, or bored. The technology just isn't there yet.
- Do those safety features need extensive geolocation storing data and constantly listening to me and monitoring everything I do and keeping it on record?
  No? Then remove the monitoring part. I also don't care one bit for the infotainment crap.

If you want cheaper cars, that's easy: drop the tariffs on Chinese cars and let them flood the market. Now you have cheap cars and your car makers are dead.

Or you can just announce that if the car average price has not dropped by N % by 202x, you will drop the tariff, and see that your local carmaker are perfectly capable of proposing cheaper vehicles.

And in parallel, given you figure people can no longer afford cars due to salary crunch by inflation, you can develop public transportation.

Oh well… except if the whole thing is just an excuse to deregulate for the benefits of your rich and powerful CEO pals and their shareholders…

You mean the group of people that are okay with schools being used for target practice thinks cars are too safe?! I am shocked.

I’m sure others in the thread are having a tough time embracing that they agree with Crus a little on this.

Stop shoving shot down our throats. That’s what I want to say to car companies.

ZERO computers!

I want MANUAL WINDOWS!

Manual locks.

ZERO SCREENS!!

I drive the last car mass produced with manual windows and manual locks.

It has 150k miles. Runs great.

There is zero tracking agents on it.

It’s just a car.

I was thinking about this the other day. I don’t need a car that goes over 40mph. I could get to work and get home. A literal Model T would do.

We need to look backwards for common sense.

https://www.slate.auto/en
We'll see if anyone actually buys them.
- I’m reserved. Did you reserve?
What do you have against electric windows and locks?
- When they were first introduced, they we optional and choosing them cost extra. Over the years they were integrated into all models and everyone had to suddenly pay extra. Zero choice.

If we took every conservative on the planet and put them on an island together, how long do you think it would take before the cannibalism and incest kicked in?

It would start before they got dropped off.
Holy moly this has literally become reddit.... fuckin hell.
- Because of anti-right wing rhetoric?
  Are you aware that Lemmy was originally built by people who wanted a more open and free alternative to Reddit so they could discuss Marxist-Lennism and communism and stuff? Lol
  That's my understanding, at least
Lol you're assuming they aren't doing that now?

Tbh, it would be kind of nice if sensors weren’t put in easily damaged areas of cars. They’re part of why bumpers and tailgates are so much more expensive. I wonder if cars could have all the safety features using a couple little LIDAR and camera packages instead of chips on every piece of plastic.

My question is, why does the sensor cost so much? 🤔
- Well you take a 30¢ sensor and put a GM part number on it and magically poof it costs $300.
Yep I've recently learned that a crushed bumper can total a car, there's thousands of dollars of electronics in there somehow, it's insane. I miss that car.

Clearly not the onion. My right wing father (not Republican because we are not American and he's technically a monarquist) complains that cars are too expensive due to the mandatory security features. Features that he has on his fully equipped Porsche because he wants to be safe, obviously.

as someone from the country where porsche is native and where it owns their own political party.. owning a porsche is one of the clearest signs one can send that they are a massive asshole lol
- That's true in other countries too. Or a bmw.

I just want cars to stop spying on me, just because I sit in the passenger seat does not mean I give permission to track and sell data about me

To be fair, you really shouldn't be driving from the passenger seat

They aren't even save for anyone outside the vehicle, to the point that death are increasing already. not just bikes video

I watched this, and was surprised to see this article. Like what timing on both ends.

The mandatory safety features are required because the mandatory fuel economy features mean more aero dynamic cars with worse visibility. We have mandatory fuel economy on cars so dumb big ass trucks can just guzzle gas like there's no tomorrow. We can't have regular sized trucks that get decent fuel economy for some reason that has to do with chickens.

The safety requirements have gone up because the average size of the vehicles in the US has gone up. Has nothing to do with aero, and everything to do with rollover protection. Hell, even the dreaded "giant iPad" era of interior design is due to the requirement for backup cams on all cars, due to the reduced visibility, due to the increased size of structural pillars, due to higher strength to pass rollover tests due to increased weight of the vehicle duetolargertrucksandsuvsduetotheautomakerstargetingthemostprofitablevehiclesizesduetothechickentaxonimportedtrucks.
- Exactly.
I don't know, the Crolloa, RAV4, and CR-V are among the most common cars have good fuel economy without sacrificing visibility.
If you want not so big trucks, there's the Maverick, Ridgeline, and Santa Cruz that can all get decent fuel economy.
- None of those have nearly the visibility of their older versions. Lower slanting roofs, chunky pillars, less visibility.
  All those trucks are small for modern times but not small. All modern trucks also sacrifice bed size for cab size because most people aren't using them for truck stuff anymore. They just want a truck.

Buy motorcycles. Problem solved.

Motorcycles now all have TFT screens and a variety of computer-controlled riding aids.
- "All" of them most certainly do not. You can still go buy a brand new XR650L right now that not only does not have any electronic rider aids whatsoever, it has no electronics other than its spark ignition system. Never mind a TFT dash. It still has a mechanical speedometer, driven by a rotary cable.
  Electronic features on bikes are becoming more available, for sure, but if you really want to they're dead easy to avoid.
  Anyway, I was thinking of the safety aspect. If Republicans say the want cheap and less safe vehicles, motorcycles already fit the bill.

Every day i thank the whole world i wasnt Born were these people rule.

Im very Sorry for the people that do

We can only hope the same thing doesn't spread "here" in our lifetime.
- We Will make sure It doesnt spread, and mabye that It dies

Pay them enough bribe money and they will do just that (aka: lobbyist money), no joke. 😕

Furthering that they are indeed not the "Pro-Life" party but instead the "Pro-Birth" party.

Agree but starting to even wonder about that. I've never seen them do anything that benefits births let alone even celebrate it. Seems to be "Pro-Misery especially at others expense".
- That's where the "the cruelty is the point" expression comes from
"Forced-birth" party
- "Brood-mares for more mine yearners" party
Remember, their cars are the gaint Yukons with a convoy of body guards aren't safe enough. But your car. It could literally be a gascan strapped to tricycle for all they care.
- It could literally be a gascan strapped to tricycle for all they care.

Car Companies: "the regulations are so big and heavy and workers cost so much munnies. Pls let us do less QA on the vehicles mandatory to live in america."

Republicans: "CRUSH MORE CHILDREN, who would dare inconvenience these poor sweet automotive corporations?!"

Anyone paying attention: "Yall know aside from oil companies, car companies are the most ridiculously subsidized companies on earth?"

Republicans: “CRUSH MORE CHILDREN,
That's not realistic. You want to grind up that soft flesh first.
Who would have thought that the Orphan Crushing Machine was just a stock Ford F-150 this whole time?

Replace seat belts with piano wire and make air bags with 50x the explosive charge but replace the airbag with ball bearings.

Ford pinto
- Funny thing about the Pinto....most US cars were made with that gas tank design and the Pinto had about the same number of fires from rear collision.
Ah yes the Tullock Spike
- Exactly! Except I make Lemmy shitposts for shits and giggles and am not an "economics professor" who needs to be taken seriously and never gets invited to parties.
Why do you want millions of people to die? That's pretty weird.
- Millions dead? Are you crazy? 3 months of my 2 point auto safety plan and everyone will drive very very carefully all the time! I'm SAVING LIVES!
- Reads as rather blantant satire to me. Perhaps you're the weird one weirdy.
- Natural selection has been removed. Now republicans are trying to reintroduce it.
  They'll (mainly) be the ones affected. I say let it happen.
  Then again, I don't like most people.

Definitely Not The Onion material. Heck, you could almost convince me that this is The Onion.

The Onion ate the GOP.

Jesus fuck! What the fuck is it with these fuckers!?!? really? Cars are too safe!??! WTF?

I am guessing they want to deregulate the safety laws so that they can take the money that they spend on it and stick it into their pockets and still keep the price of cars the same!

Cars in some ways are too coddling, giving people a false sense of safety. All these new features like lane keeping and blind spot warnings make people drive with reckless abandon.

They were driving with reckless abandon before...
Maybe the one thing I could see is people letting go of the steering to do something thanks to lane assist, but those same people were thigh-driving before, and I might trust the system more...
- I drove much more conservatively since getting a car with these features.
  I.e...im more likely to just go a steady speed behind someone with ACC on, whereas before I'd be passing frequently.
  And in general, it makes driving in heavy traffic far less draining. Oh it'll worry about pulling up and stopping constantly for me? Yes please.
It's easy to say that it's the same thing with aviation: every time something bad happens, we have to improve the technology and introduce safety features to planes.
Yet it's surprisingly easy to forget that that's only a small part of the entire safety process. They also improve pilot training. They set new requirements for infrastructure. New rules for air traffic control.
When I look at a lot of traffic accidents, I usually don't say "wow, a new car safety feature would have saved the day" but "why were these people given a licence again?" or "what were they thinking when they designed this bit of road?"
I don't think these politicians are thinking about this, but some of these safety features really are masking the lack of driving skill in the US.
I've seen people over rely on bad lane assist and just kinda ping pong from side to side in their lane. It's... kinda stupid.
Also, what's the deal with the side mirror light that turns on when someone is near? My car has a small convex mirror attached to the standard one and I can see my blind spot quite clearly.
- You can see your blind spot if
  Your side mirror is adjusted properly
  You look
  Blind spot monitoring helps alert you in case you didn’t

Monkey's paw curls: Car goes into reverse, runs over MAGA.

I've been seeing a lot of weird culture war coverage around this, even more than usual these days. Big fan of cheap, simple, accessible technology and tools. Cars are tools. Less components and less complexity means they are cheaper to produce and maintain. Bring back the econobox, the car I'm hype for is the electric equivalent of a 94 Corolla

Also, cars that are excessively safe for their occupants tend to make them deadlier to other road users.
I've always thought an electric 94 Ranger would be pretty dope.
- Heck yeah, plenty of room for batteries down low under the bed and it'd help out with the mini truck achilles's heel of poor traction unloaded. I've thought about a conversion like that a lot too, rwd only would be easy

Yes Ted Cruz I totally believe that if they got rid of these Safety Systems cars would magically get cheaper. No one should doubt that for a second Ted Cruz. There's no way they'll just get rid of the safety system and then pocket the extra the proceeds. Ted Cruz would never be for that I'm sure.

I agree with them whole heartedly. When they remove seat belts, they need to be the first to become a pavement puddle.

I'd really recommend the 99% Invisible episode "The nut behind the wheel". Its about the evolution of car safety features and how automakers were reluctant to implement safety features, because it implied that driving was an unsafe activity.

As a cyclist, I kind of agree. Apparently the introduction of seat belts caused an increase in cyclist deaths because people started driving less carefully.

I'm willing to bet that the design of modern trucks is killing more pedestrians than seat belts are. But go off.
The source of that claim seems to be a single article written in 1985, and has absolutely no data to support the claim that feeling safer so driving more dangerously is the actual cause, but states it as fact nonetheless.
Hello ghost of John Forrester!

To be fair, Automatic Emergency Braking sounds like it has enormous potential for things to go wrong but I say that out of concern for safety, not expense.

I agree completely. In snowy/icy conditions, it could result in more accidents because I know my car's ABS isn't tuned for slippery roads because my braking distance is noticeably shorter when I pump the brakes any time I feel the ABS kicking in instead of just letting ABS do its thing.
Pay attention to what is in front of you and leave enough distance to be able to react calmly in time. AEB sounds like "feature to make it safer for bad drivers". Which, ok, I can get that, but personally, I'd rather see things changed such that bad drivers either get removed from the road or don't get a license in the first place.

Why not? A crumple zone is a crumple zone. To the extent EVs facilitate steer by wire so we don’t need a steering column is even better