The Reason Why Are Trucks Getting Bigger

OK but they are still making small cars. If all cars suddenly got bigger i'd get it, but the fact of the matter is that people are buying bigger trucks and not small cars despite both being available.

My pet theory is that among other factors, being the biggest on the road is desirable as a repilian-brain thing. Also selling larger vehicles that are just higher and wider for more money but that are not significantly different than similar but smaller vehicles is just easy money, really.

It's a mix of tragedy of the commons and needing to be the same size or bigger than everyone else.

The negatives of big cars are not paid for, in large part, by the people buying the car. A bigger car needs more space, making towns and cities less efficient and more expensive. They use more resources, and gas which the negative effects of are not paid for in pollution and CO2. Edit: Also the danger to pedestrians, and people in smaller cars!

Being a normal sized car, amongst huge trucks is dangerous and all over a bad experience. It's hard to see around them, in a crash you come off worse (all other things being equal). So to not suffer this everyone slowly gets bigger, just to not suffer. If people were limited to a standard sized car then everyone would be better off (assuming people don't need a van for work or a people carrier if they have a large family).

As far as I am concerned cities of 1m or more people should not allow any cars to enter. Delivery trucks and public transit should do it. Yes it will make cities more expensive. It’ll also make them a whole lot more pleasant.