> Kei trucks have the opposite problem: comparatively harmless to other road users; less so to drivers and occupants who tangle with hulking megatrucks.
This seems analogous to motorcycles in the US. If you mention that you ride one in polite conversation there will invariably be somebody that says that you shouldn't because they're dangerous. If you point out that such statistics are skewed by reckless operators and that you don't fall into that category then the response becomes "other people on the road don't pay attention and will hurt you". In a similar vein if you point out people egregiously running stop signals or driving in two lanes or not signaling then the common response is that "nobody is perfect" and that "you shouldn't take it personally". If you have a problem with motorcyclists then replace "motorcycle" with "small car" and much of the same still applies (particularly in rural areas with a higher percentage of truck ownership).
My theory is that as vehicles increasingly larger, more comfortable, and automated they have disconnected people from the fact that they're operating a 4000 lb mini-tank that goes faster than the quickest land animals on Earth. Plush suspension and 10-way sound systems have conditioned people to subconsciously equate auto travel with being in a living room or private train car instead of something that requires immense care to operate safely. The act of driving has been devalued for decades as peoples' attentions shift elsewhere.
It probably doesn't help that owning a car is a practical requirement in most parts of the US but I'm sure somebody more passionate about that than me can speak more effectively to that phenomenon.
But I know that motorcycles are dangerous. You can try to say that your demographic/etc is more sane, safer, etc, but the same applies to a car and you come out safer.
My anecdotal evidence is - I have known people killed on motorcycles, and they were safety conscious, sane and were killed by someone else.
That said, I think kei trucks should get a chance on the road.
Wouldn't it be hypocritical, as we allow the smart car and fiat 500 on the road?
on the other hand, if they can't get freeway speeds maybe we should restrict them on freeways.
It's also worth noting that a lot of freeways don't allow trucks. For example highway 85 in the bay area is car-only.
Of course they are, but if you wear gear and don't ride drunk then they go from being an order of magnitude more unsafe to what I would consider a mitigable risk. My point was more that society's prevailing attitude is one of placing blame on prospective victims than punishing conspicuously-bad driving. Small cars are probably a more casually-defensible case since we both mentioned them.
> It's also worth noting that a lot of freeways don't allow trucks.
In my experience this is rather unusual. I've only ever seen lane restrictions for trucks and even then it's usually for actual trucks, not the quarter-ton luxury family haulers that have emerged over the past 15 years.
