You're not allowed to drive those? Why not?
Edit: article touches on it. Low top speed and missing safety features. They aren't fit for highways but not all roads are highways, so outright bans are stupid.
this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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The other thing to keep in mind is that a lot of US vehicles are missing the same safety features. Where's the seatbelt and airbag on a motorcycle, for example? A lot of semis also don't have airbags at all.
Even at 55mph they're actually not that unsafe in a sane country with sane cars- the driver is so high up that they're 'above' the crash (t's the same reason semis don't have air bags- they're not as needed)
... unless you're in the US and driving around a dick-measuring contest pavement princess that puts you eye level with a semi truck so you can murder small children easier, that weighs 8000lb.
Yes, they can't go 70mph, but that basically just limits them to not being able to go on highways and interstates, which is perfectly fine- frankly, we need to have less things being hauled that way, the highways will last longer and our microplastic issue will be largely solved if we stop shipping things in the single dumbest, least efficient manner.
Finally... modern kei trucks DO have a lot of those improvements. They have airbags, seatbelts, all the modern safety features, and can go 60mph. Keep in mind, in most cases semis have to go 5-10 under the speed limit anyway, which means they can basically hit the same speed limits as semis. We just aren't even currently allowed to import the modern kei trucks.
That's one of the laughable things in the article. They keep talking about the emissions and safety but they're talking about the older vehicles that are being used in the US because the older vehicles are the only ones that are allowed to be used in the US. They don't even come close to mentioning the new vehicles that are being made that have all those safety features and better emissions.
It's a plain and simple fact is that these vehicles threaten profit margins of the dealerships that sell the unnecessary monster trucks that are primarily sold in America.
P.S. The emissions thing is especially stupid since trucks tend to be exempt from a lot of emissions regulations anyhow.
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There is a reason the guy in the article bought a 1990. The US has a 25 year rule for importing vehicles that weren’t sold here. These became legal in Utah a few years ago because they made off road side by sides legal as long as you made some modifications (horn, turn signals, mirrors, etc). There’s a particular weight range they need to fall between. They also have to hold the same insurance requirements and registration as any other road vehicle. I don’t think they can be used on any road above 45.
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I don't know about other country, but this truck rider in my country (Indonesia) are relatively safe.
People usually using this for everything, like portable shop, human transportion on the back (only legal on small village or remote area), etc.
I still remember riding one on the back for scout activities :)
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I live in Japan and drive a kei-car that's kinda like a van. 660cc engine (my motorbike is 400cc). I plan on probably eventually getting one of the trucks like in the thumbnail for my farm business. Ask me anything, I guess, if you have questions about them.
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I have seen these on the roads out west...like in AZ...so cool
Probably not on interstates. But for most roads it ought to be okay.
These are all over the place in Victoria. It's still idiots in big pickups that are smoking all the pedestrians. Weird huh?
This is what is so dumb. Safety is only ever considered for the people INSIDE the vehicle. It's insane.
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These trucks work pretty great up here in Seattle and the surrounding areas. They hold very close to as much as a full size American 8ft truck, plus a lot of em have sides which fully fold down.
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They banned fucking tuktuks?!
How the hell am I supposed to be Cruisin' USA without my Sardine Supreme?
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