How tall are we talking here? According to the IIHS, the average US passenger vehicle has gotten about four inches wider, 10 inches longer, eight inches taller, and 1,000 pounds heavier over the past 30 years. Many vehicles are more than 40 inches tall at the leading edge of the hood. And on some large pickups, the hoods are almost at eye level for many adults.

This really is ridiculous. And yet I also drive one of this oversized moving metal death boxes. Why? I don’t feel safe in a smaller vehicle with such a large number of matching sized trucks and suv’s on the road. I also live in the western United States, where the ability to walk anywhere regardless of motor traffic is absolutely abysmal. That’s a rant for another day. I would gladly give up my monstrous suv for a sedan (or better still reliable public transport), if I wasn’t constantly only able to see the headlights and tires of the truck next to me.