As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the phrase "everything is bigger in Texas" could actually apply to the entire United States. It's true that we typically abide by the "bigger is better" lifestyle in America.
For decades, we've been building bigger homes, bigger TVs, and bigger vehicles, and one post on Reddit really drives home that last one with a picture of three pickup trucks parked next to each other.Â
"Good comparison of current midsize vs fullsize in the USA. Tacoma vs Chevys," the Redditor wrote in the caption. The photo shows three pickup trucks, one Toyota Tacoma sandwiched between two much larger Chevys.Â
The unfortunate reality is that bigger isn't always better. These massive pickup trucks pose a serious danger to pedestrians, especially kids, who are hard to see in front of these monstrous vehicles and have been hit in many accidents as a result. Â
Plus, larger vehicles are often more expensive, and burn more fuel, leading to significantly more pollution. While heavy-duty vehicles only make up 10% of all vehicles on the road, they produce 25% of the planet-heating pollution from on-road vehicles, per the Union of Concerned Scientists.Â
Trucks aren't the only vehicles getting bigger and producing more pollution, either. A recent photo of two cruise ships demonstrates the ridiculous size of current vessels compared to those made around 25 years ago.
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While bigger is sometimes better — we're not complaining about 70-inch TVs — there are some things in our lives, like our vehicles, that could be downsized a bit. It would reduce the amount of materials used to create these enormous vehicles, and the vehicles themselves would produce less pollution.
Of course, ditching your vehicle altogether and choosing to walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation will save you money and help cool down the planet.Â
Other Redditors had plenty to say about the oversized truck sandwich in the comments.
"That Toyota is still a large pickup by normal standards," said one person.Â
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Another echoed that statement, "The Tacoma is a massive vehicle on its own. … The 'full size' category should really be renamed to large at the very least."
"Oversize frankly," someone added, adjusting the previous "full size" comment. "It's too big."
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