Backlash over the increasing amount of American-style pick up trucks on Australian roads is mounting, as Toyota prepares to launch their version to the market.
The Toyota Tundra is set to be release next month, following the growing amount of Ford F150 and Ram1500 amongst Aussie buyers.
But the large utes are copping a significant amount of criticism. Firstly. there’s safety concerns due to the increased blind spots in the vehicles. Other drivers are also concerned about their vision being blocked by the large utes and their inability to fit into parking bays.
Victorian Greens Leader, Samantha Ratnam, has called for increased registration fees for owners of American-style utes to deter people from buying them.
She says Australian roads and highways are not designed to accommodate the design.
“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.”
“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 some Councils around Australia are investigating options to reduce the amount of these large vehicles on smaller streets, including higher parking fees and costs for drivers of large SUVs and trucks.
