A Greens leader has waged war on American-style utes and claimed the ‘truckzillas’ were too big and dangerous for Aussie roads.
Samantha Ratnam, the leader of the Victorian Greens, said Australian roads were not designed to accommodate the monster trucks.
‘It’s an undeniable fact that super-sized vehicles are dangerous. They have blind spots up to four metres in front of the vehicle,’ Ms Ratnam said.
‘And it is no coincidence that a child is eight times more likely to die being hit by a larger utility vehicle when compared to a lighter car.
‘Not to mention the astonishing amount of pollution caused by these beasts.’
Ms Ratnam (centre) has called for increased registration and parking fees for owners of the super-sized ‘monster trucks’ in hopes of deterring people from buying the vehicles
American-style pick-up trucks like the above are growing in popularity across Australia
Ms Ratnam has called for increased registration fees for owners of American-style utes in an attempt to deter people from buying them.
‘Large utes have a role in regional areas, but these luxury vehicles that often cost upwards of $100,000, have significantly higher emissions, and are more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists than regular passenger cars,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘If we want to lower our transport emissions and reduce road fatalities, we need to see less of these monster cars on our streets.’
Meanwhile, in a local response to the growing concern, the Yarra City Council in Melbourne’s east has taken a step towards addressing the issue.
They have voted to explore the possibility of imposing higher parking fees and costs for drivers of large SUVs and trucks, a move that could potentially discourage the use of these vehicles in the area.
‘If you live in Fitzroy with the tiny streets that exist and you buy yourself a Hummer, you’re an absolute idiot and you need to be dealt with, with whatever way that council can deal with it,” councillor Stephen Jolly said.
American-style trucks continue to grow in popularity across Australia, with the highly anticipated Toyota Tundra, set to cost $140,000, arriving in early 2025.
Ford began importing the larger F-150 pick-up truck late last year.
Up to 10,000 full-size US pick-up trucks were sold in Australia last year.
Photos of the ‘truckzillas’ spilling over parking spaces in Australia have circulated on Reddit
Aussies are calling out comically oversized US utes that are growing in popularity
Russell White, CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation warned American-style utes have increased blind spots.
‘The bigger these sorts of vehicles are, there is a bigger risk of blind spots being large enough to hide vulnerable road users, so having things like front facing cameras should definitely be part of the overall safety envelope,’ Mr White said.
‘Just as we’ve seen with reversing cameras, its another tool that a driver can have so that they can have the information they need to operate the vehicle.
‘As they become more popular and there are more of them, unless something is done to look at the safety rating of them to evolve them with the time, we might potentially see more incidents on the roads.’
Many owners of the utes have been vilified for taking up multiple carparks with a debate erupting online.
‘This country is not built to fit full-sized American cars.
‘Unless you truly need that (Ford F150), you are making life worse for those driving around you and parked next to you.’
Many more Aussies expressed safety concerns about the vehicles.
‘Their height means that pedestrians are more likely to have head impact. This combined with low visibility means that they are a menace on the streets. US pedestrian deaths are at their highest level in 40 years.’
