As safe as a street legal golf cart As safe as a dirt bike As safe as a motorcycle Bro its just corporate america mad at the fact we arent buying their shit.
FYI "American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a non-governmental organization that "represents the state, provincial, and territorial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws." Walter Craddock, administrator of Rhode Island's Division of Motor Vehicles, also serves on the AAMVA's international board of directors. Said document was "Best Practice Regarding Registration and Titling of Mini-Trucks," which advocates banning "mini-trucks" from highways if they cannot be proven to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Only Whoczynski's Honda falls in the category of mini-truck, however, and MiniTrucks and TFL Truck report that Rhode Island has no state laws restricting the use of such vehicles on public roads." - The Drive Massachusetts has been mass canceling kei car registrations without any clear legal authority to do so. It's not the only state engaging in this sort of fuckary. There are many who would love to outright see the 25 year Federal rule abolished, and will do what they can do to lobby and give "guidance" to state DMVs to ban Imports in the mean time. As well as Lobby legislators to ban them. Kei cars are an easy target. They're not the only imports they want to ban.
I mean, there are a million regulations keeping you safe every day of your life that you probably don't think about. Outside of the FDA lying to us about food, all the government really does is keeps you safe.
Tbh these are radically different vehicles for radically different purposes. An F150 would suck as a Kei truck and a Kei truck couldn't do anything the F150 was built for.
"A kei truck is suprisingly functional for everyday needs." That's what they're *designed* to do. There aren't many Japanese farmers taking these out to race with.
Banning Kei trucks being "unsafe" is ridiculous. They're over 25 years old which means they're exempt from safety regulations, emissions, etc. Its no different than than driving around in a classic car
It probably won't happen to really old classics. Because most classics have a mileage limit which means less miles, less chances of getting hurt. Most classics from the 70s and before if they are on classic car insurance are usually only allowed between 5 to 10000 miles per year.@@TheJestercraft
@@TwoDollarGararge I have the truck, just buy liability insurance, no need for full coverage. Oh and just say you only drive 100 miles, you can drive a gazillion miles a year for all I care!
The thing with a motorcycle you fly off and the safety is what you wear, while with something like this truck you get squished. Nothing you can do about it.
As much as I'm a fan of the little trucks, that's a bet you don't want to make when a drunk driver jumps a lane in your direction. Not your fault? The head on collision does not care.
@@robertbruce9172yeah no, there are no airbags or crumple zones, there was a crash test and the steering wheel basically impales you in a front end collision
No our government and corporations do. Don't get me wrong, love me some gas guzzlers, but I would be beyond happy to get more options in this size and cost range for daily driving, there's even van and camper versions.
@@p5ychojoe138some bit ago the US government introduced legislation that fined car manufacturers of the cars weren’t efficient enough fuel wise due to the poor efficiency of the cars. However, the legislation was less strict on anything classified as a “light truck” which included things such as SUVs and other large vehicles sold today that you would see as a car which is why they are over 80% of the vehicles used
*THIS* ☝️ I’ve been saying this as well. Instead of American automakers IMPROVING their fleet and models, they cry about it to Congress, while near cornering the car market and basically expect us to spend $50k+ on their vehicles.
Had one for 3 years now. 1993 Honda ACTY. I drive in Kauai , Hawaii where highway speed limit is 50mph max, mostly 40mph. Local streets are 35mph. It’s perfect for here. I use it mostly to carry shit and to use it to carry green waste from my house to dump site. Or to casually go camping at the beach. It’s really practical with 6ft bed that can be turned into flat bed. I wouldn’t drive this on mainland though. Drivers are pretty chill on Hawaii and with slow speed limit it’s ok.
This is simply the insurance company looking out for itself. If you go to insure your kei truck They can use the study as part of their database to justify increasing your insurance rates. Same thing if your 18-25 male and own a wrx or gti They have internal numbers that.Suggest that if you're in that Age range in drive one of those vehicles There is a higher chance you are doing things that they don't like that makes you more risky. Compared to say an 81-year-old woman that drives a golf GTI
We have had plenty of k trucks running around our town and it's actually perfect! Never once heard any accidents involving them around here and they seem functionally fine.
Banning them is not about safety at all, it's about the American "Kairetsu" of auto makers grouping together because they're scared that nobody wants their 6 figure trucks that get crappy mileage. A Kairetsu is a group of companies that are supposed to be competing against eachother, but they still group together to block outsiders from gaining entry into the market. The same thing happened to Tesla until they finally got too big to be blocked.
it's "Keiretsu", and you're absolutely right. Just watched a NHK America documentary on Keitora, modern ones are remarkably spacious and equipped with all of the safety features that we've grown accustomed to.
That's not what happened to Tesla. What happened to Tesla is that they failed to make any profit for over a decade and were kept afloat entirely through government subsidies, while Musk paid himself literal billions funded by the taxpayer.
That absolutely didn't happen to Tesla at all. If anything it's the opposite: Tesla got as big at it is due to the government requiring the traditional auto manufacturers to either make electric cars or purchase "credits" in a company that already does. So before many companies had their own EVs they were basically required to subsidize companies like Tesla. TLDR: The government made the auto industry pay Tesla for years
@@justalurker3489 This was long before any electric vehicle mandates ever became a thing. When Tesla only had one car design to sell they were selling them online. The big 3 American auto makers and the oil companies grouped together to stop it from being sold by pressuring a demand for showroom sales instead of individual online sales. This happened in multiple states in America. The big 3 are definitely a Kairetsu when they want to be. They will either buy out new designs and squash the brand, or stomp them into the ground with legal formalities. They even crushed their own electric car. There was a documentary on it called *_"Who killed the electric car?"_*
It is more safety, these cars were made for Japanese countryside (which is mostly rice fields) and not American highways, plus there are no crumple zones, no airbags and the car can’t even reach highway speeds, basically it’s a death trap
The problem isn't the kei trucks. It's the trucks we have here that are too big and too expensive for a lot of people to want. Some of us just want something reasonable.
@@only1muppetJapan is at the other side of the globe so it's pretty reasonable, I even thought it cost like 20 grand just to get it to the US soil, I tried one of these before, it's super nice, and it's more functional than most modern trucks, I'd get this over anything if I have a job delivering stuff in a small town
If its not a heavily subsidized government company that used subsidies to bribe regulators, it's unsafe. Competiton is unsafe to communist companies and if it's not a truck that costs $1500 to build c at the price tag of a luxury v12 supercar, then it's not safe..and most car companies have shares in insurance companies and vice versa. There is communism but then theres Godzilla communism on steroids
A Korean version has a 2 cycle engine where you put the gas in one tank and the oil in another and it mixes the two together for you. Gets over 45 miles per gal.
And the last part, is exactly why they don't want this here..... Let's see if my comment gets immediately removed again, now that I've changed my name.
@@DaleDenton-ov5pgMotorcycle-pedestrian accidents are scarce for sure, but it doesn't mean they're any less dangerous. I can list down 5 different motorcycle-pedestrian accidents within the week here in my country, two of which are fatal for both the rider and the pedestrian.
@@TheAnnoyingBoss well hell then buddy of that the thought we should ban all cars, buses, planes, trains, heavy equipment, even ships then right? We should go back to the stone age? Or maybe we can establish a sense of realism and recognize that his vehicle serves no legitimate purpose on the highway compared to other, safer options.
And only idiots make claims on their kei truck. Dumb people ruining a good thing and also being too irresponsible. If you're gonna drive one, be low key about it. The more noise we make the more the government looks at us with their itchy ban finger. It's always been that way but stupid people don't know how to behave.
@@plaguebane03 Yep. I've been saying that for years. All insurance companies see you as a sack of money, nothing more. Car, health etc. They'll spend thousands (or tens of) on investigators so they don't have to give that money to you.
All the haters saying it’s unsafe are probably the ones jealous that a 25 or 30 year old Kei car is still running strong even with its OEM engine vs their EVs or modern american cars that have too much issues after just 30,000 miles or even less on it.
@@LilnormieX Just always watch your surroundings in advance and be a defensive driver if you ever retained that knowledge in driving school since most will throw out the window once they get their drivers license. If you can’t handle that then you shouldn’t be driving any kind of motor vehicle at all. And obviously safety ratings back in the 80’s and 90’s for JDM Kei cars weren’t the best but they sure will outlast and be a good fuel saver given that you have done all of the necessary maintenance (for a 25+ year old Kei car) which isn’t hard.
@@benny6712 ok so, what will defensive driving do when you max out at 50 mph against a drunk heavy duty truck There are so many better cars that even when slower or smaller will have a better chance of survival like the Vw polo or any European hatchbacks
@@LilnormieX 😂 dang, you have problems. Since owning my 1995 Pajero Mini for about 4 years now I’ve never come across someone driving drunk like that but I will tell you that I have come across many dumb drivers that instead of stopping at a stop sign before entering into the highway I’ve seen it going to happen in advance that I’ve done my defensive driving to avoid them. If you love your European vehicles then good on you, I am talking for the people who own and love the Japanese Kei cars that owning one isn’t a death trap that people like you trip over about. Again it’s on your driving skills and judgment to spot a potential danger and know what to do even from a vehicle that just tops out at 50mph to 60mph which isn’t even that fast to be uncontrollable. But good luck with your GDI euro vehicles! Frequent carbon buildup in the intake manifold is APITA 👍
@@benny6712 oho I have problems, mate you’re comparing the wrong cars, the pajero mini is a mini suv with proper safety, the Honda acty in this video does not, there’s a giant difference between passive and defensive driving, anticipating a vehicle’s trajectory is passive driving and not defensive driving, defensive driving is using both offense and defense to try and get out of a heated situation Plus you talk like you know shit about European cars, I’ve had a 1.2 TDI for 20 years now and the engine is running like it came out of the factory, so much better than any Japanese bullshit you throw
Look up the "chicken tax", its the real reason the trucks are being restricted, if a farmer needs a small truck thats actually practical they'll buy one that fits their needs. American companies said "admins too hard, fix" and now they dont need to sell small trucks. Combined with cafe light truck exemptions = boom can only buy huge trucks now, small ones literally illegal. Law makers pointing the blame to safety and not bribes.
Chicken tax made it easier for big manufacturers to circumvent emissions. Thats they dont make little trucks. They make big teucks with same emissions a little would have. (In fact little ones have more emissions. Thats just another dumb thing that needs to go, like daylight saving time)
@@CartoonWeasel cafe says basically smaller truck should have smaller emissions than big truck with big emissions, tech at the time make it harder (=more expensive) to make small trucks with small emissions so big trucks it is. Then they realise that they can call an SUV a truck and boom they're exempt too
See what their doing in Minnesota Public Schools... kids can not learn with live animals or specifically aquatic ones in the land of 10,000 lakes so that leave all those schools with only chickens. New laws are very strange .
I hate this motorcycle argument. When you're in a car it's a cage that crumples upon you, to make it safe you keep the person safe inside. With a motorcycle you have the safety gear on your body. Totally different.
@@TeJoeTheHoe You are allowed to hate the argument. "In 2021, the fatality rate for motorcyclists was 30.20 per 100 million vehicle miles (VMT), which is almost 24 times higher than the fatality rate for passenger car occupants. This rate accounts for 14% of all traffic fatalities. According to the National Safety Council, deaths have increased 19% over the last 10 years, while death rates have increased 29%. In 2021, 6,084 motorcyclists died in crashes, which is the highest number recorded." Looks like that external safety equipment is doing a bang up job. Some of us still choose to accept the risk, be it motorcycle or Kei truck.
@@A10Cobra6000 motorcycle crashes is actually so extremely low considering theres 350 million people here and more motorcyclists than ever. 6000 is sorta actually impressively low. You look at what if 20 million people own a bike and only 6000 die or whatever the number is clearly its worth it. Also most motorcycle accidents are the rider crashing by themselves and theyre less fatal not on the major interstates to boom how about them apples. I still think about making a motorized carriage 1802 style but with like f150 tires. Maybe a roll cage. Maybe
Usually you can find this in Asia. For example my country Indonesia. They modified Mitsubishi L-300 with body skirt and livery or stickers (sometimes they also modified it's engine too).
My dad got one. It was a Suzuki carry. Gers 60mpg due to a vortex injector kit from the factory. It gets up to 80mph, even has a crawling gear. He had to fight in court to get it legal for the road after it was a farm truck for years. The final argument made other than speed capabilities, seat belts and other highway safety concerns is "the only thing between you and the road or another vehicle is a piece of sheet metal and glass about 1.5ft from your face." So my dad says, "that's more than what a motorcycle gives you"
Being in California I was daily driving my Acty for the first year, taking it to car meets and shows an hour away, it was great on gas for being so small, even with the pedal to the floor it held up well in high rpm’s considering it will only do about 50 I was pinning that throttle and it never over heated or gave me any issues, I sold it because of popularity, I wasn’t the only one on my side of town anymore and people were mistaking others for me when I wasn’t driving mine for two weeks once, yeah I’m childish and that’s not a good reason but I like being different, and you can’t be different when 3 kei trucks pop up on your city and you haven’t met any of them before hand lol. Now I drive a mark 2 and with the popularity on those I’m getting close to selling it as well and on to the next under rated car
Our family have a Kei truck for 20+ years, Suzuki Carry specifically and it's not that even dangerous, we didn't have any accidents ever. I love that truck.
Have you ever heard of this crazy device with only two wheels calling a motorcycle? It's got this built-in safety feature where if you hit something you fly off.
Just finished another trip to Japan, helping again with the family rice field of sis-in-law. And yes, they still have the old Suzuki Carry, with a 350kg rating. BUT, this thing is SO strong, it yearly carries rice from the fields, I have roughly calculated the weight it carries to be OVER 6,700 kg. Almost 20 times the rated capacity. These things are indestructible. And I ride in the back sitting on the rice.
I think that TFL hit the hammer on the nail. When they pointed out that a World War 2 Jeep is legal for US highways while being much deadlier than the K truck. If you mod a vehicle recklessly, of course it will be dangerous.
A guy donated one to the place that I work, and I've been driving it around for the last couple years. It has been the most fun that I've had in a stick shift ever. We put a plow on the front and we used it to plow the entire grounds one day. We had just received a foot of snow, and our location is about 50 acres.. I think it's completely worth it 😂
Kei trucks aren't just old, kei cars and trucks are literally the go to vehicle in japan and they're constantly making newer, better, and safer models each year. Another great thing about them is how customizable they are, not just for racing or aesthetic but they can also be turned into mini campers, food stands, people have even made them into portable saunas. For anyone that wants to learn more about them there's a series called japanology that did an episode on kei vehicles
But they aren't as overpriced as commie vehicles that are subsidized to put unreliable features on junk that costs $1200 to build. If exporters want so sell these trucks to communist countries they have to bribe the politicians there, be side capitalism is illegal and free trade is only for companies that exist out of taxpayer money
Actually they’re popular in Egypt and yes they’re kinda not safe. Light af and flips easily specially in high speeds. In some countries they call the passenger seat “martyr seat”.
I want one of these for my eventual property so I can modify it for offroad and add a dump bed and hitch for small trailers. I think it would look pretty nice in a matte olive with offroad tires and a slight lift. The examples you showed here are cool too though. Hopefully they aren't outlawed by the time I can afford said property 😂
Size & age alone has nothing to do with it. When he says they have no safety features he's not joking or exaggerating. Those tiny little cars that I would never want to own, like the Smart car, DO actually have safety features, and as ridiculous as they are, they are significantly safer than these k trucks in an accident. If you've ever had the opportunity to examine one closely, and you know anything about mechanics you'll understand.... We're talking about something that literally could crush and kill you in nothing more than a 20mph accident because you're sitting in front of EVERYTHING ...the engine, frame, chassis ALL of it is behind or under you, and the only thing protecting you from impacts in front of you, is literally one layer of thin sheet metal, and a massive sheet of glass, and all of that is just a few inches from your body. There's more to protect you on a motorcycle than there is with these things, because you have the front end of the motorcycle the fairing the handlebars the tank and part of the engine, between you and any object you're crashing into in front of you. Plus with a motorcycle, you're not trapped in it. That doesn't stop me from wanting one... And in my opinion, it does not justify banning them, because the added danger is ONLY to the occupants of that vehicle. it's not like it's causing danger to EVERYONE ELSE on the road, that would be different and would justify banning for safety reasons. What would make more sense, is if they make mandatory warnings inside the vehicle and to anyone buying them, that are always visible for any passengers. After that, if a person wants to take a risk for THEMSELVES, that's THEIR business
Put a cheaper more efficient truck in the market and then put them on the highways against the more larger and expensive trucks, see all the dangers this truck represents?
I've driven mine daily for the past six years in NC where they are street legal. Yes in an accident I'd most likely be squashed. However I've mostly ridden a motorcycle for the last 30+ years and realized it's my choice to take that risk. Govt or some Karen shouldn't mandate what risk level we each choose. Also my Mini Truck is crazy useful, gets 50+ mpg, and makes everyone else on the road smile .
It’s only unsafe when you turn it into something it’s not designed to do. We have these as well and we call them MultiCabs. It’s fine in slow streets like in rural areas.
This just proves that we don't want a two story 8 ton gas guzzler just to get around! American automakers should bring back the L.U.T! Just saying! 😂🤷🏾♂️
If you've looked at modern cars it simply isn't possible to make a small car a 24 civic is as big as a 90s accord a ford Maverick is as large as a 90s f150 Vehicles have to meet certain standards to be considered a truck and get those juicy lower emissions and safety standards so no more small trucks
@@alexanderstelly4531 What you're forgetting is. We're dealing with human beings, not robots and feeling safer. In a lifted, heavy station can is actually a better selling point than a car. That is actually safer emotions. Emotions sell cars. And you try to make it logical.
I feel like the 6 foot hood is a pretty effective crumple zone which I suppose you could call a safety "feature". I don't know much about 60's-70's muscle cars though, for all I know the fronts of those cars do not crumple in a good way.
Lol! I live in Oregon, and some of my neighbors up the road own and operate a nursery and farm. They have 2 of these trucks and use them every day. They seem quite useful to me.
It’s unsafe sure, but buyers can also see that crumple zone is like 4 inches. Also doesn’t help that in Japan kei cars and hatchbacks are the most popular cars, and not the ford f150
The fact imports have to be old in order to be imported is one of many stupid rules we have. For such a free country, it's incredible we can't even buy a new foreign car.
I own one, custom boxed the back and use it doing residential services in the city. I love it. 5 years in and I don't regret it. I save $26k a year driving it versus my ram 1500
I’ve been looking at them down the street from my house and they look sweet! They are 4x4 and a motorcycle engine. Perfect for taking dump trips or moving shit around the yard!
@@TheSergio1021 why would that be useful if the thing is 4'x5' and can't carry more that 400lbs? It definitely can't tow. I'd like to own 1, but they're not a useful trucks, and they're NOTHING like a 1/2 ton pickup. 🤡
@@TheSergio1021 @TheSergio1021 4'x4' bed, with 400lbs payload capacity, and no towing ability... that is not a truck, and it's NOTHING like a 1/2 ton pickup! 🤡 lol
Fun fact: The Philippines uses kei trucks for its public transport, especially in rural areas. Known aa multicabs, these kei trucks have been heavily modified to last which makes them rather... heavily worn especially on the driver's seat, which usually has the innards of the electronics all hanging out. Worst case scenario the speedometer is no longer functioning and _the dashboard is bent or just straight up broken._
Yup, Indonesia also use a lot of Kei car because it can Cary a lot of things with their small size, it was completely safe and only American people will find it unsafe because they think driving at high speed isn't the reason why people losses control and die on car crash😂
@@Blockofsoap ah yes, because 165MPH is considered safe here. Yknow which country does allow that? Germany (and the Isle of Man in the UK), why don’t you to after them for having unlimited speed? Or the 140 KM/H freeways in Poland?
No you're talking about a totally different ball game here.... You're correct that some of those older cars especially the sports cars have very little, to zero safety features, but most every one of them are still marginally safer just by design. Most of them have half the car or more in between the driver/passenger and any kind of frontal impact. These things are awesome but in terms of safety it's almost as if they decided "let's make a really capable cool vehicle, that is the most dangerous design possible for the occupants. Literally, motorcycles have more stuff in between the rider and a frontal impact than these things do ...and you're not trapped inside of a motorcycle. With these things you are, and even though they're light, they still have all of the weight of the vehicle trying to crush you between whatever is in front of you, and all the mass of that vehicle, while trapping you inside of it. They still shouldn't be banned. 🙄 And I'd still love to have one... But they are legitimately, far more dangerous to the occupants than motorcycles, and pretty much any other vehicle on the road INCLUDING the old classic sports cars. And I grew up around my uncle's "import salvage yard & garage" that was always stocked full of little tiny cars like the MG midget, fiat 500, triumph, Fiat Spyder, etc. The closest thing I would compare this to is the old BMW isetta. It literally has one door, and that door is the entire front of the vehicle, and when it opens the steering wheel comes with it. But even that is safer than the k truck in a frontal collision. Vehicles like the Smart car (yes, I hate them too😆) actually do have safety features and are designed with some safety in mind, and I have been tested improving to protect occupants reasonably in crashes up to 35-45 mph. But with these things... You could literally be crushed and killed in a 15 -20 mph collision against a non-moving object, because you're going to be trapped inside with absolutely nothing but one thin strip of sheet metal a few inches from your body, and a giant sheet of glass. Then the rest of the way that the vehicle is going to be pinching g trapping you as well. At least with a motorcycle you aren't trapped inside of it, and you've got the front tire forks handlebars front half of the motorcycle between you and the object you crash into. That's a LOT MORE than this thing has in front of you. IF the cab were located in the middle, behind the front end, then yes, your argument would be valid, because essentially that's what some of the older tiny sports cars are. ...but that means you have the front of the vehicle, part of the frame and in some cases the engine, between you and whatever you crash into in a frontal collision. Even as little as that is, it is SIGNIFICANTLY more than these things have.
@mrfixitusa6165 yes but it's far from the most dangerous car legally on the road. It's purely getting in trouble and facing bans because of corruption and lobbying, that's literally it. There is no legitimate reason to ban them
@@moomaniac2932 I have agreed in nearly every comment I've made in any of these threads, that there's no legit reason to ban them. But you would be hard pressed to find a vehicle that is less dangerous than these, in a frontal collision. That's still no reason to ban them.... But they are legitimately one of, if not "the most" dangerous vehicle that one can ride in on the highway.
My state doesn't require helmets when riding a motorcycle...but a kei truck is "too dangerous"......mmmkay. They're oddly fine with me dailying my 89 wagovan with no abs, no airbags and no crumple zones though??
Models years from 1999 onwards have ABS, airbags, and all the 'safety' features legislators say are required. So one year from now, what new excuse will they come up with to ban them?
Here in the PH, Kei trucks are king. They are used from utility, to firefighting to any possible job that you need. Oh and we convert it to LHD as RHD is illegal here
To be over here at a reasonable price I would buy one and use one every day as my personal transporter and daily work unit. They are extremely capable and in comparison to big American pickups they absolutely sip fuel and just work... The minimal electronics is a good thing
In the Philippines, we call them multi-cabs, and they're just as safe because we use them not only as family cars or for daily commutes, but also for public transportation. Those for public transportation feature a longer cab to accommodate people in the back. They're also extremely reliable.
@@user-lw1pm8qi1h not a moped, a 4 stroke engine motorcycle. A moped would not survive a daily trek up a mountain dirt road even with only one passenger.
I've seen two or three of these in my travels around the US and always thought they had a cool factor about them and when I've seen them IRL they were being operated at reasonable speeds by their owners which didn't seem unsafe. I think the US auto industry hates how inexpensive they are and try to limit competitors. Ride or drive what you want try not to be dangerous to others. 👍
part of the issue is that the chicken tax practically eliminated the market for light vehicles, leading to the explosion of large suvs, trucks, and vans, which has completely changed our road and town infrastructure. it has also made crashes more dangerous. these factors have made light vehicles and mini vehicles obsolete.
It's not the chicken tax that eliminated the market. It's actually the EPA emissions standards that did. Basically under the emissions standards they have multiple classes that have to meet certain EPA standards in emissions. The larger the vehicle the less they are required to meet. Because these standards can add a lot of extra costs to producing new vehicles. Car manufacturers have been slowly building their vehicles bigger and bigger in order to meet higher classes to avoid penalties thus increasing the size of vehicles we see today. So if we want to actually see a return to smaller vehicles then we need to fix the EPAs emissions standards.
@@noticedruid4985 Ah yes, the EPA killed the competetition... Because Emissions. Meanwhile the Light Trucks y'all are marketing as family cars are heavier than British/EU small lorries that carry more cargo with better fuel efficacy. Shit, the van industry is raging to go in the US market: fuel efficiency, crash safety for occupants and pedestrians and excellent enclosed cargo bay's.
As mentioned at the start of the short, Kei trucks’ original purpose was being the work horse of agricultural and commercial farm/business owners in Japan. Being cheap, reliable, fuel and space efficient and capable of navigating tight and unconventional spaces, they are the perfect work truck in Japan. But that’s just it, they are a “work truck”. They are bare bones vehicles only meant for pulling weight, not safety moving passengers. If you want the convenience and affordability of a kei truck, but the safety, features, and style of a normal car, we have the “kei car” in Japan, which makes up the majority of cars on the road here (any car with a yellow license plate is a kei car). I live and work in Japan and the kei car is a life saver on the budget. If you own one, your yearly vehicle and road tax is significantly reduced and you even pay lower tolls on some highways! It’s also super easy to park and store! And with cars and trucks being smaller, speed limits being generally lower, and drunk driving being highly strict (and punishable with heavy fines and prison), driving here is far less dangerous than in the States, so we don’t worry too much about traffic accidents.
That is a good point, I would also add that the entirety of Japan is smaller than many states here, with much more rural area in between metro areas. We also have burdensome regulations (such as regarding vehicle size/emissions ratio) that actually prevent our own auto makers from producing light trucks and such.
@@FeboKipKruiden aside from the federal regulations, light trucks would be very popular with many people. They used to be very common, but these days it’s easier for auto makers to just make larger vehicles to avoid dealing with the regulations that come with a light truck.
@@wtfwhereamia look at sales numbers also show a decline in small trucks. Before then ended sales. But that was partly impacted by larger trucks getting increased fuel economy. People who bought new trucks could have ordered the smaller ones instead. But people like roomy and sitting up higher. Personaly I still have my old ranger and love it. But use an f150 for work.
My 1969 Chevrolet C20 truck came from the factory without seatbelts and of course, airbags. I have recently been into a very heated battle with an officer with the local city PD. He's not very accepting about the fact that I have been successful in the process of not only informing him and a couple more city cops that I have a very well established exemption from prosecution when it comes to the seatbelt law. This tool has a personal vendetta against me and my sweet baby that was just recently the recipient of a blueprinted and balanced 383 Stroker, suspension and body lift and some new Mickey Thompson MTZ 35's. It's been a long process...6 years.
The fact that they're unsafe for occupants is absolutely no problem for one reason. If you chose to drive one you're accepting the risks involved. The government is not here to be your parent, they have no right or responsibility to say "no you can't do that it's too dangerous."
They won't be deemed safe untill the the DMV and insurance companies can figure out how to make money off of them. The farmers here in WV love them and are probably our best hope for getting them road legal.
The exporters aren't subsidized with taxpayer money enough to bribe their way in and they don't care because there are actual capitalist countries that allow individuals to participate in commerce directly without a bribe or permit
State DMV makes money off them every time one is registered and renewed like any other street legal vehicle. Likewise you need auto insurance to drive them on public roads. The only insurance companies losing out are those who won't insure them, to the companies who do insure them.
That not why ahole legislators, DMV administrators, and lobbying organizations like the AAMVA, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a non-governmental organization that "represents the state, provincial, and territorial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws." want to be nanny state tyrants and ban them at the state level, even though they are legal to import under the federal 25 year rule.
In Vietnam, those cutie are everywhere, and they are like cheap horsepower that you need for cargo transporting and some even turned into cops patrol cruiser
Bed size is small, but most people don't need big. It's all about mind set, and why not stick it to big Auto. They created the big truck environment for huge profit, not practically.
As an owner of one for a few years, it is super reliable. Borderline indestructible. Just like with any car, you need to drive safe. And just like any vehicle that doesn't have a front hood, you take that into consideration when purchasing it. There is a demand for it. If lawmakers don't like it, allow something that can fit the niche, and we won't buy them.
@xecoda For these reasons you mentioned, k trucks are not safe and will be banned(not should). That will be banned, primarily because they are cheap and fuel efficient.
@@ecchicookie it's actually something that can be controlled, we'd just rather spend our time building laws to prevent import of a vehicle that will disrupt the market instead of building laws to make driving drunk attempted murder.
US laws are nuts. Here in the Philippines, we convert it into a public transport vehicle that we called them the "Multicab Jeepneys". They have a capacity of around 10-16 passengers depends on it's chassis length which ofcourse can be modified. And these tiny kei trucks worked like magic. And even with it's stock parts without any modifications to the engine, it's still as strong as a bull like it was the same vehicle working on the farmlands. It's magical and a gas saver too. And these American politicians surely doesnt want it.
I had mine for 6 years now, never had a problem with it. Driving around town with these minitrucks is fun, kinda safe too for me just because how slow it is. Maintenance is not that expensive since my country has so many of these, so there's parts everywhere. It's a 1998 model with carburetor, so old but still hauling fruits and veggies all day everyday for 6 years, that's how reliable these mini trucks are.
@@DaniSC_real I once did, we called it "hollow blocks" weighs around 2 kilos a piece, with 150 pieces of it. Also with 8 bags of cement weighing 40 kilos per bag, carried those for 30+ km... never had a problem.
Size alone has nothing to do with it. When he says they have no safety features he's not joking or exaggerating. Those tiny little cars that I would never want to own, DO actually have safety features, and is ridiculous as they are they are significantly safer than these k trucks in an accident. If you've ever had the opportunity to examine one closely, and you know anything about mechanics you'll understand.... We're talking about something that literally could crush and kill you in nothing more than a 20mph accident because you're sitting in front of EVERYTHING ...the engine, frame, chassis ALL of it is behind or under you, and the only thing protecting you from impacts in front of you, is literally one layer of thin sheet metal, and a massive sheet of glass, and all of that is just a few inches from your body. There's more to protect you on a motorcycle than there is with these things, because you have the front end of the motorcycle the fairing the handlebars the tank and part of the engine, between you and any object you're crashing into in front of you. Plus with a motorcycle, you're not trapped in it. That doesn't stop me from wanting one... And in my opinion, it does not justify banning them, because the added danger is ONLY to the occupants of that vehicle. it's not like it's causing danger to EVERYONE ELSE on the road, that would be different and would justify banning for safety reasons. What would make more sense, is if they make mandatory warnings inside the vehicle and to anyone buying them, that are always visible for any passengers. After that, if a person wants to take a risk for THEMSELVES, that's THEIR business.
Its a neat little practical utility cruiser US and NHTSA banning it for "lack" of safety features. Meanwhile they let a $80,000 pickup truck taller than the average adult with huge blind spots and a front end built like a battering ram roam around going fast at residential neighborhoods and school zones.
I just made a comment before I seen yours, right they are becoming common here in Pike and upson co, see them with tags going down county and state rds every day
These little truck and even vans are cool as all hell. When I moved to the Philippines they were everywhere and still are. Own one myself and love the hell out of it.
In AZ, you don't even have to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, and you are allowed to ride in the bed of moving trucks. Definitely no more dangerous, lol.
Not any more dangerous than big pick trucks and suvs that are being driven in the US where they can't see pedestrians and need to feel safe because of their bad driving
Saw a demonstration Derby and after 25 or 30 minutes they just called it, half of the cars were still out there because they just bounced off of each other. So on a bad day you'd just go flying off like a field goal kick.
@@douglascunningham6319Yea I call BS on this claim. Every demo derby I've ever been to has a cash prize for the winner. I've never in my life been to a demo derby where they just 'call it' and have never been to one that's lasted over 10 minutes. They don't just stop them, they battle till there's a winner
SUBSCRIBE SO I CAN PAY FOR MY RAMEN ADDICTION AND MAKE MORE CAR VIDEOS TY🎉🎉
You're probably eating at Salt-Bae's Spot every day big fella! That yellow one at the start is nice.
Subscribed so you can eat your Salt-Bae Ramen Kobe beef steak rubbed(or sprinkled) with Gold.
I want one for a tiny RV but too much money
I see no difference than a US mail jeep in safety
Put some bass in your voice sheesh.
As safe as a street legal golf cart
As safe as a dirt bike
As safe as a motorcycle
Bro its just corporate america mad at the fact we arent buying their shit.
Or that stupid one wheel thing and it’s clones
Classic America
Don't forget pedal bicycles! Ya know the zero emissions they want to force on us!
WAHHHHH WHY WONT YOU BUY OUR NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES WAHHHH
FYI "American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a non-governmental organization that "represents the state, provincial, and territorial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws." Walter Craddock, administrator of Rhode Island's Division of Motor Vehicles, also serves on the AAMVA's international board of directors.
Said document was "Best Practice Regarding Registration and Titling of Mini-Trucks," which advocates banning "mini-trucks" from highways if they cannot be proven to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Only Whoczynski's Honda falls in the category of mini-truck, however, and MiniTrucks and TFL Truck report that Rhode Island has no state laws restricting the use of such vehicles on public roads." - The Drive
Massachusetts has been mass canceling kei car registrations without any clear legal authority to do so. It's not the only state engaging in this sort of fuckary. There are many who would love to outright see the 25 year Federal rule abolished, and will do what they can do to lobby and give "guidance" to state DMVs to ban Imports in the mean time. As well as Lobby legislators to ban them. Kei cars are an easy target. They're not the only imports they want to ban.
The government worrying about my safety is the funniest joke I've heard all year
Right?
It's not like the tax money goes to health insurance :eyes:
There not east to drive😮
I mean, there are a million regulations keeping you safe every day of your life that you probably don't think about. Outside of the FDA lying to us about food, all the government really does is keeps you safe.
mfw "safety regulations" also give the federal government supreme power over my life 🥴🥴🥴
It just proves that you don't need that 90k big truck when this little truck works just fine
Tbh these are radically different vehicles for radically different purposes. An F150 would suck as a Kei truck and a Kei truck couldn't do anything the F150 was built for.
Same bed size, too. Might need a bigger vehicle for towing, though.
Yeah, try pulling my tractor with one... But, they have their place. Around the farm, or mall crawling
And the perking!!!!! No more 12 points turns or door dings😂
@@ryannaylor4256 No more "Coal Rolling" douches either. 🤔
"A kei truck is suprisingly functional for everyday needs."
That's what they're *designed* to do. There aren't many Japanese farmers taking these out to race with.
Lmao
Banning Kei trucks being "unsafe" is ridiculous. They're over 25 years old which means they're exempt from safety regulations, emissions, etc. Its no different than than driving around in a classic car
Yea classic cars are just as danger for “passengers” but just as fun
Whats next Model T, Motorcycles, walking. No escaping your safety bubble or you will be Executed.
It probably won't happen to really old classics. Because most classics have a mileage limit which means less miles, less chances of getting hurt. Most classics from the 70s and before if they are on classic car insurance are usually only allowed between 5 to 10000 miles per year.@@TheJestercraft
@@TwoDollarGararge I have the truck, just buy liability insurance, no need for full coverage. Oh and just say you only drive 100 miles, you can drive a gazillion miles a year for all I care!
How can they be unsafe, but the stuff you see on „just rolled in“ is perfectly fine?
Motorcycles are jam packed with safety features!
Comes standard with a built in eject-o seat.
The thing with a motorcycle you fly off and the safety is what you wear, while with something like this truck you get squished. Nothing you can do about it.
@@readysetnogoand face shaver
🤣
@@readysetnogohey my bike had one of those! Even got to use it once 😅
Like always, it's the person behind the wheel that's safe or unsafe.
As much as I'm a fan of the little trucks, that's a bet you don't want to make when a drunk driver jumps a lane in your direction. Not your fault? The head on collision does not care.
@davidmalkowski7850 I guess I've not seen this magical vehicle that survives head on's. I think it's one of those things where size doesn't matter.?
@@davidmalkowski7850how is that any different from a classic car or motorcycle
@@robertbruce9172yeah no, there are no airbags or crumple zones, there was a crash test and the steering wheel basically impales you in a front end collision
It's a genius design if you ask me, majority of people do not need the payload or towing capacity of a typical full size pickup.
Swap to a KEI van.
America really hates fuel efficiency
No our government and corporations do. Don't get me wrong, love me some gas guzzlers, but I would be beyond happy to get more options in this size and cost range for daily driving, there's even van and camper versions.
And American auto makers reeeeallynhate competition
@@p5ychojoe138some bit ago the US government introduced legislation that fined car manufacturers of the cars weren’t efficient enough fuel wise due to the poor efficiency of the cars. However, the legislation was less strict on anything classified as a “light truck” which included things such as SUVs and other large vehicles sold today that you would see as a car which is why they are over 80% of the vehicles used
americans get almost free gasoline so they don't care
Hahaha.
They're perfectly fine. The American auto industry lobbied hard to keep them out
This is the answer. I would have bought a,couple in a heartbeat
Which is ironic, given that GM produced them for the UK market (the Bedford Rascal)
This x1000..... And the gas companies don't want a tiny gas efficient truck to eat at the truck market
@@claytonculbert2107not even that
*THIS* ☝️
I’ve been saying this as well.
Instead of American automakers IMPROVING their fleet and models, they cry about it to Congress, while near cornering the car market and basically expect us to spend $50k+ on their vehicles.
Had one for 3 years now. 1993 Honda ACTY. I drive in Kauai , Hawaii where highway speed limit is 50mph max, mostly 40mph. Local streets are 35mph. It’s perfect for here. I use it mostly to carry shit and to use it to carry green waste from my house to dump site. Or to casually go camping at the beach.
It’s really practical with 6ft bed that can be turned into flat bed. I wouldn’t drive this on mainland though. Drivers are pretty chill on Hawaii and with slow speed limit it’s ok.
Even on the main land, you don't need to get on the highways...
Rear-ended SmartCar has entered the unsafe vehicle chat
So by this logic, should we ban motorcycles too? Cuz I’d rather get hit in a kei truck then on a bike
This is simply the insurance company looking out for itself. If you go to insure your kei truck They can use the study as part of their database to justify increasing your insurance rates. Same thing if your 18-25 male and own a wrx or gti They have internal numbers that.Suggest that if you're in that Age range in drive one of those vehicles There is a higher chance you are doing things that they don't like that makes you more risky. Compared to say an 81-year-old woman that drives a golf GTI
You definitely don't if you have proper motorcycle gear...
Motorcycle safer. You’ll be instantly crushed in a kei car. Motorcycle you’ll be launched and have a better chance.
Kei is 100% mortality rate
@@AndrewKidd14145 stop yapping
Since when does the government give a shit about my safety?
Sending you in Afghanistan is for your safety.
When it means US companies loose money and don't want to actually compete in a supposedly "Free Market"
If you weren't robbed in taxes you could buy a better truck.
@@rascalme9754 the hell you mean "better truck", these things are peak.
Govt just wants to keep your money safe..by taking it away so you can't harm it!!😅
We have had plenty of k trucks running around our town and it's actually perfect! Never once heard any accidents involving them around here and they seem functionally fine.
For farmers or small town folks that only use it in town, it’s worth it! I’d never use that on a highway, EVER!
Banning them is not about safety at all, it's about the American "Kairetsu" of auto makers grouping together because they're scared that nobody wants their 6 figure trucks that get crappy mileage.
A Kairetsu is a group of companies that are supposed to be competing against eachother, but they still group together to block outsiders from gaining entry into the market.
The same thing happened to Tesla until they finally got too big to be blocked.
it's "Keiretsu", and you're absolutely right. Just watched a NHK America documentary on Keitora, modern ones are remarkably spacious and equipped with all of the safety features that we've grown accustomed to.
That's not what happened to Tesla.
What happened to Tesla is that they failed to make any profit for over a decade and were kept afloat entirely through government subsidies, while Musk paid himself literal billions funded by the taxpayer.
That absolutely didn't happen to Tesla at all. If anything it's the opposite: Tesla got as big at it is due to the government requiring the traditional auto manufacturers to either make electric cars or purchase "credits" in a company that already does. So before many companies had their own EVs they were basically required to subsidize companies like Tesla.
TLDR: The government made the auto industry pay Tesla for years
@@justalurker3489 This was long before any electric vehicle mandates ever became a thing. When Tesla only had one car design to sell they were selling them online. The big 3 American auto makers and the oil companies grouped together to stop it from being sold by pressuring a demand for showroom sales instead of individual online sales. This happened in multiple states in America.
The big 3 are definitely a Kairetsu when they want to be. They will either buy out new designs and squash the brand, or stomp them into the ground with legal formalities.
They even crushed their own electric car. There was a documentary on it called *_"Who killed the electric car?"_*
Ironically, GM, Ford, etc, all sell kei trucks rebranded in other countries.
In my opinion the ban has more to do with sluggish sales of the big three automakers and less to do with safety.
We're also tired of paying for crap we don't need and that breaks yet is required for the car to be in legal operation.
ford chevy and dodge? or gmc?
Chevy *is* GMC lol
Look up chicken tax,
It is more safety, these cars were made for Japanese countryside (which is mostly rice fields) and not American highways, plus there are no crumple zones, no airbags and the car can’t even reach highway speeds, basically it’s a death trap
Meanwhile motorcyclist: “what the hell are safety features?”
The red truck was built by CboysTV here in Minnesota it’s got a 1000cc sport bike motor in it
They cant say this is unsafe when the cybertruck exists
people be hatin on tesla for no reason bruh
@@shawn5015lol 13 year old Elon simps never get old
@@shawn5015 Trust me bro, the cybertruck is the perfect ps1 looking car to die in
tbh, if the cybertruck is not as hyped as right now, people wont even care.. also, they didn't hold their promises. That's also one thing@@shawn5015
no physical gear shifter
The problem isn't the kei trucks. It's the trucks we have here that are too big and too expensive for a lot of people to want. Some of us just want something reasonable.
Have you looked into what it actually costs to get one shipped? You pay roughly 3k for the truck, but you pay 12k to get it here 😂
@@only1muppetJapan is at the other side of the globe so it's pretty reasonable, I even thought it cost like 20 grand just to get it to the US soil, I tried one of these before, it's super nice, and it's more functional than most modern trucks, I'd get this over anything if I have a job delivering stuff in a small town
@@atheniamathueis644120 grand? I paid $800 for shipping in this century.
If its not a heavily subsidized government company that used subsidies to bribe regulators, it's unsafe. Competiton is unsafe to communist companies and if it's not a truck that costs $1500 to build c at the price tag of a luxury v12 supercar, then it's not safe..and most car companies have shares in insurance companies and vice versa. There is communism but then theres Godzilla communism on steroids
@@only1muppet Oh wow sounds like they should start making them here then 🤦♂️
A Korean version has a 2 cycle engine where you put the gas in one tank and the oil in another and it mixes the two together for you. Gets over 45 miles per gal.
It could have a serious roll cage, and they'd never allow that here, for the reason you just stayed at the end.
...the engine... burns oil on purpose?
@@verytonk It's a 2 cycle. Like a chain saw. Yes it burns oil on purpose. It's how its lubricated.
And the last part, is exactly why they don't want this here..... Let's see if my comment gets immediately removed again, now that I've changed my name.
2 stroke you mean
Practicality and safety don't usually go hand and hand.
Banned but motorcycles are legal. Makes sense. F the government.
Motorcycles aren't really dangerous to pedestrians
@@DaleDenton-ov5pgMotorcycle-pedestrian accidents are scarce for sure, but it doesn't mean they're any less dangerous. I can list down 5 different motorcycle-pedestrian accidents within the week here in my country, two of which are fatal for both the rider and the pedestrian.
@@DaleDenton-ov5pgso youre saying trucks suvs should he banned and semis because they are?!?!
@@TheAnnoyingBoss well hell then buddy of that the thought we should ban all cars, buses, planes, trains, heavy equipment, even ships then right? We should go back to the stone age? Or maybe we can establish a sense of realism and recognize that his vehicle serves no legitimate purpose on the highway compared to other, safer options.
Modern american pickup trucks aren't safe. @@DaleDenton-ov5pg they're way too big to be safe (for anyone but the divorced douche that's driving in).
Insurance companies just don’t want to pay money. They’re not concerned over our well being
yep their sole function is to make as much as possible and payout as little as possible even at the insurance holders expense.
And only idiots make claims on their kei truck. Dumb people ruining a good thing and also being too irresponsible. If you're gonna drive one, be low key about it. The more noise we make the more the government looks at us with their itchy ban finger. It's always been that way but stupid people don't know how to behave.
@@plaguebane03 Yep. I've been saying that for years. All insurance companies see you as a sack of money, nothing more. Car, health etc. They'll spend thousands (or tens of) on investigators so they don't have to give that money to you.
Yet motorcycle insurance is cheap. It makes zero sense. Just leave us alone lmao
All the haters saying it’s unsafe are probably the ones jealous that a 25 or 30 year old Kei car is still running strong even with its OEM engine vs their EVs or modern american cars that have too much issues after just 30,000 miles or even less on it.
Yeah but does that EV impale you when you get a 20 mph collision
Don’t think so
@@LilnormieX Just always watch your surroundings in advance and be a defensive driver if you ever retained that knowledge in driving school since most will throw out the window once they get their drivers license.
If you can’t handle that then you shouldn’t be driving any kind of motor vehicle at all.
And obviously safety ratings back in the 80’s and 90’s for JDM Kei cars weren’t the best but they sure will outlast and be a good fuel saver given that you have done all of the necessary maintenance (for a 25+ year old Kei car) which isn’t hard.
@@benny6712 ok so, what will defensive driving do when you max out at 50 mph against a drunk heavy duty truck
There are so many better cars that even when slower or smaller will have a better chance of survival like the Vw polo or any European hatchbacks
@@LilnormieX 😂 dang, you have problems.
Since owning my 1995 Pajero Mini for about 4 years now I’ve never come across someone driving drunk like that but I will tell you that I have come across many dumb drivers that instead of stopping at a stop sign before entering into the highway I’ve seen it going to happen in advance that I’ve done my defensive driving to avoid them.
If you love your European vehicles then good on you, I am talking for the people who own and love the Japanese Kei cars that owning one isn’t a death trap that people like you trip over about.
Again it’s on your driving skills and judgment to spot a potential danger and know what to do even from a vehicle that just tops out at 50mph to 60mph which isn’t even that fast to be uncontrollable.
But good luck with your GDI euro vehicles!
Frequent carbon buildup in the intake manifold is APITA 👍
@@benny6712 oho I have problems, mate you’re comparing the wrong cars, the pajero mini is a mini suv with proper safety, the Honda acty in this video does not, there’s a giant difference between passive and defensive driving, anticipating a vehicle’s trajectory is passive driving and not defensive driving, defensive driving is using both offense and defense to try and get out of a heated situation
Plus you talk like you know shit about European cars, I’ve had a 1.2 TDI for 20 years now and the engine is running like it came out of the factory, so much better than any Japanese bullshit you throw
It’s not safety, it’s corporate greed. You know what other cars don’t have safety features? Any car that old that doesn’t have a computer.
Look up the "chicken tax", its the real reason the trucks are being restricted, if a farmer needs a small truck thats actually practical they'll buy one that fits their needs. American companies said "admins too hard, fix" and now they dont need to sell small trucks. Combined with cafe light truck exemptions = boom can only buy huge trucks now, small ones literally illegal. Law makers pointing the blame to safety and not bribes.
Chicken tax made it easier for big manufacturers to circumvent emissions.
Thats they dont make little trucks. They make big teucks with same emissions a little would have. (In fact little ones have more emissions. Thats just another dumb thing that needs to go, like daylight saving time)
The craziest thing is thats supposed to apply to old trucks, not trucks that are already 25 years old. But the government is retarded.
@@CartoonWeasel chicken tax was 25% duty on imported trucks, CAFE regulations are the emissions regulations with the massive loophole
@@CartoonWeasel cafe says basically smaller truck should have smaller emissions than big truck with big emissions, tech at the time make it harder (=more expensive) to make small trucks with small emissions so big trucks it is.
Then they realise that they can call an SUV a truck and boom they're exempt too
See what their doing in Minnesota Public Schools... kids can not learn with live animals or specifically aquatic ones in the land of 10,000 lakes so that leave all those schools with only chickens. New laws are very strange .
Motorcyclists wondering - Safety Features? What's that?
I hate this motorcycle argument.
When you're in a car it's a cage that crumples upon you, to make it safe you keep the person safe inside.
With a motorcycle you have the safety gear on your body.
Totally different.
@@TeJoeTheHoe You are allowed to hate the argument. "In 2021, the fatality rate for motorcyclists was 30.20 per 100 million vehicle miles (VMT), which is almost 24 times higher than the fatality rate for passenger car occupants. This rate accounts for 14% of all traffic fatalities.
According to the National Safety Council, deaths have increased 19% over the last 10 years, while death rates have increased 29%. In 2021, 6,084 motorcyclists died in crashes, which is the highest number recorded." Looks like that external safety equipment is doing a bang up job. Some of us still choose to accept the risk, be it motorcycle or Kei truck.
Sir, that would be the 🪖 helmet.
@@A10Cobra6000 motorcycle crashes is actually so extremely low considering theres 350 million people here and more motorcyclists than ever. 6000 is sorta actually impressively low. You look at what if 20 million people own a bike and only 6000 die or whatever the number is clearly its worth it. Also most motorcycle accidents are the rider crashing by themselves and theyre less fatal not on the major interstates to boom how about them apples.
I still think about making a motorized carriage 1802 style but with like f150 tires. Maybe a roll cage. Maybe
Are we exempt from the ban if we wear helmets and leathers?
Or am i not onto something here?
Best UTV ever after a little lift and mud tires, i love mine.
Usually you can find this in Asia.
For example my country Indonesia. They modified Mitsubishi L-300 with body skirt and livery or stickers (sometimes they also modified it's engine too).
Honestly, when I see a Kei truck, it makes my day. Love seeing them out in the wild.
there is actually a honda kei truck like the red one in the video in my neighborhood except its white!
I love them I want to get my hands on one
@@dylanlindsay1993same lol
I work at a gas station and I occasionally see this camo one drive by, always fun
My dad got one. It was a Suzuki carry. Gers 60mpg due to a vortex injector kit from the factory. It gets up to 80mph, even has a crawling gear. He had to fight in court to get it legal for the road after it was a farm truck for years. The final argument made other than speed capabilities, seat belts and other highway safety concerns is "the only thing between you and the road or another vehicle is a piece of sheet metal and glass about 1.5ft from your face." So my dad says, "that's more than what a motorcycle gives you"
Waa?
Bro won the case with the line “thats more than what a mc gives you”🥶
Yeah. B.S. What is the court case file number?
Are really bad for emissions though.
@@krisevol3016 they actually burn VERY clean.
Being in California I was daily driving my Acty for the first year, taking it to car meets and shows an hour away, it was great on gas for being so small, even with the pedal to the floor it held up well in high rpm’s considering it will only do about 50 I was pinning that throttle and it never over heated or gave me any issues, I sold it because of popularity, I wasn’t the only one on my side of town anymore and people were mistaking others for me when I wasn’t driving mine for two weeks once, yeah I’m childish and that’s not a good reason but I like being different, and you can’t be different when 3 kei trucks pop up on your city and you haven’t met any of them before hand lol. Now I drive a mark 2 and with the popularity on those I’m getting close to selling it as well and on to the next under rated car
Our family have a Kei truck for 20+ years, Suzuki Carry specifically and it's not that even dangerous, we didn't have any accidents ever. I love that truck.
Have you ever heard of this crazy device with only two wheels calling a motorcycle? It's got this built-in safety feature where if you hit something you fly off.
It has automatic ejection seat.
That's cool.
But they need the organs, from the donor motorcyclists. They can't ban those.
America where you can't buy a kei truck for safety reasons but you can buy a truck with a 1.5m tall grill that block you from seeing pedestrians
Just finished another trip to Japan, helping again with the family rice field of sis-in-law. And yes, they still have the old Suzuki Carry, with a 350kg rating. BUT, this thing is SO strong, it yearly carries rice from the fields, I have roughly calculated the weight it carries to be OVER 6,700 kg. Almost 20 times the rated capacity. These things are indestructible. And I ride in the back sitting on the rice.
I think that TFL hit the hammer on the nail. When they pointed out that a World War 2 Jeep is legal for US highways while being much deadlier than the K truck. If you mod a vehicle recklessly, of course it will be dangerous.
A guy donated one to the place that I work, and I've been driving it around for the last couple years. It has been the most fun that I've had in a stick shift ever. We put a plow on the front and we used it to plow the entire grounds one day. We had just received a foot of snow, and our location is about 50 acres.. I think it's completely worth it 😂
I lived in Japan for six years and I loved seeing them so I hope we see a lot more in the US
Kei trucks aren't just old, kei cars and trucks are literally the go to vehicle in japan and they're constantly making newer, better, and safer models each year. Another great thing about them is how customizable they are, not just for racing or aesthetic but they can also be turned into mini campers, food stands, people have even made them into portable saunas.
For anyone that wants to learn more about them there's a series called japanology that did an episode on kei vehicles
It hurts seeing the new kei trucks knowing I can't have them
Too bad we cant have the newer, safer ones because the government openly accepts bribes from companies.
End lobbying.
@@maxs-lz4pn i mean you CAN have them but man does dual citizenship get expensive and complicated after a while.
We can still dream right?
It's safer than my bike , let em ride
But they aren't as overpriced as commie vehicles that are subsidized to put unreliable features on junk that costs $1200 to build. If exporters want so sell these trucks to communist countries they have to bribe the politicians there, be side capitalism is illegal and free trade is only for companies that exist out of taxpayer money
Actually they’re popular in Egypt and yes they’re kinda not safe. Light af and flips easily specially in high speeds. In some countries they call the passenger seat “martyr seat”.
I want one of these for my eventual property so I can modify it for offroad and add a dump bed and hitch for small trailers. I think it would look pretty nice in a matte olive with offroad tires and a slight lift. The examples you showed here are cool too though. Hopefully they aren't outlawed by the time I can afford said property 😂
Literally no old cars have any safety features, why are they black balling the trucks specifically? Wack
Size & age alone has nothing to do with it.
When he says they have no safety features he's not joking or exaggerating.
Those tiny little cars that I would never want to own, like the Smart car, DO actually have safety features, and as ridiculous as they are, they are significantly safer than these k trucks in an accident.
If you've ever had the opportunity to examine one closely, and you know anything about mechanics you'll understand....
We're talking about something that literally could crush and kill you in nothing more than a 20mph accident because you're sitting in front of EVERYTHING ...the engine, frame, chassis ALL of it is behind or under you, and the only thing protecting you from impacts in front of you, is literally one layer of thin sheet metal, and a massive sheet of glass, and all of that is just a few inches from your body.
There's more to protect you on a motorcycle than there is with these things, because you have the front end of the motorcycle the fairing the handlebars the tank and part of the engine, between you and any object you're crashing into in front of you.
Plus with a motorcycle, you're not trapped in it.
That doesn't stop me from wanting one...
And in my opinion, it does not justify banning them, because the added danger is ONLY to the occupants of that vehicle.
it's not like it's causing danger to EVERYONE ELSE on the road, that would be different and would justify banning for safety reasons.
What would make more sense, is if they make mandatory warnings inside the vehicle and to anyone buying them, that are always visible for any passengers.
After that, if a person wants to take a risk for THEMSELVES, that's THEIR business
Money
They're inexpensive
They’re farm trucks
Put a cheaper more efficient truck in the market and then put them on the highways against the more larger and expensive trucks, see all the dangers this truck represents?
You know exactly who is getting these things banned, and you know exactly why
Why is that? Cuz I want one bad for a work truck
@@LazyLoneWolfz automotive companies lobbying so they can keep selling their newest edition pavement princess.
I've driven mine daily for the past six years in NC where they are street legal. Yes in an accident I'd most likely be squashed. However I've mostly ridden a motorcycle for the last 30+ years and realized it's my choice to take that risk. Govt or some Karen shouldn't mandate what risk level we each choose. Also my Mini Truck is crazy useful, gets 50+ mpg, and makes everyone else on the road smile .
It’s only unsafe when you turn it into something it’s not designed to do.
We have these as well and we call them MultiCabs. It’s fine in slow streets like in rural areas.
This just proves that we don't want a two story 8 ton gas guzzler just to get around! American automakers should bring back the L.U.T! Just saying! 😂🤷🏾♂️
If you've looked at modern cars it simply isn't possible to make a small car a 24 civic is as big as a 90s accord a ford Maverick is as large as a 90s f150 Vehicles have to meet certain standards to be considered a truck and get those juicy lower emissions and safety standards so no more small trucks
@@TwoDollarGararge negative! It's totally possible!
@alexanderstelly4531 yes change the laws I'm all for small cars but they get bigger by the year
@@TwoDollarGararge exactly!
@@alexanderstelly4531 What you're forgetting is. We're dealing with human beings, not robots and feeling safer. In a lifted, heavy station can is actually a better selling point than a car. That is actually safer emotions. Emotions sell cars. And you try to make it logical.
I have a 1970 Chevrolet El Camino. Only safety feature is a seat belt. It’s legal on the streets.
I feel like the 6 foot hood is a pretty effective crumple zone which I suppose you could call a safety "feature". I don't know much about 60's-70's muscle cars though, for all I know the fronts of those cars do not crumple in a good way.
Yours has a seatbelt?
@@bellowickthey do not crumple at all, hence there's no safety except seatbelts.
@@da4127
Oddly enough, it has a separate lap belt and separate shoulder belt. It’s the only think about that car that feels somewhat safe 😁
@@bellowick except if it isn't actually designed as a crumple zone
Lol! I live in Oregon, and some of my neighbors up the road own and operate a nursery and farm. They have 2 of these trucks and use them every day. They seem quite useful to me.
It’s unsafe sure, but buyers can also see that crumple zone is like 4 inches. Also doesn’t help that in Japan kei cars and hatchbacks are the most popular cars, and not the ford f150
The fact imports have to be old in order to be imported is one of many stupid rules we have.
For such a free country, it's incredible we can't even buy a new foreign car.
honestly as a farm truck its top notch, id buy one to put around the property
I own one, custom boxed the back and use it doing residential services in the city. I love it. 5 years in and I don't regret it. I save $26k a year driving it versus my ram 1500
I need one for my small town service work.
@lonniewhite5891 wish I could show you my little set up.... it's free advertising. People ask me about the truck every single day
I’ve been looking at them down the street from my house and they look sweet! They are 4x4 and a motorcycle engine. Perfect for taking dump trips or moving shit around the yard!
Those utv truck go kart things I see at Lowe's or Cabela's or something are expensive and ugly looking, the kei truck is way better than those things
K trucks make amazing off-roaders basically a side by side with a bed
Ironically, they haul stuff easier than a typical half-ton truck
Bwahaha, stick to your vtec dude... you know nothing about trucks!
@@motorhead281 I'd like to see a standard truck drop is cargo bed sidewalls to be a full flat bed 🤷♂️😂
@@TheSergio1021 why would that be useful if the thing is 4'x5' and can't carry more that 400lbs? It definitely can't tow. I'd like to own 1, but they're not a useful trucks, and they're NOTHING like a 1/2 ton pickup. 🤡
@@TheSergio1021 4'x4', with 400lbs hauling capacity, and no towing ability... that is not a truck, and it's NOTHING like a 1/2 ton pickup! 🤡
@@TheSergio1021 @TheSergio1021 4'x4' bed, with 400lbs payload capacity, and no towing ability... that is not a truck, and it's NOTHING like a 1/2 ton pickup! 🤡 lol
Fun fact: The Philippines uses kei trucks for its public transport, especially in rural areas. Known aa multicabs, these kei trucks have been heavily modified to last which makes them rather... heavily worn especially on the driver's seat, which usually has the innards of the electronics all hanging out. Worst case scenario the speedometer is no longer functioning and _the dashboard is bent or just straight up broken._
Yup, Indonesia also use a lot of Kei car because it can Cary a lot of things with their small size, it was completely safe and only American people will find it unsafe because they think driving at high speed isn't the reason why people losses control and die on car crash😂
Since when was INDONESIA the standard for road safety? Jesus christ this country is going to shit.
Left Hand Drive conversion.
@daviano_R.T. yea that truck is so unsafe cause it can't do 165mph which IS a safe😊speed
@@Blockofsoap ah yes, because 165MPH is considered safe here. Yknow which country does allow that? Germany (and the Isle of Man in the UK), why don’t you to after them for having unlimited speed? Or the 140 KM/H freeways in Poland?
These trucks are common in my country and they can surprisingly haul heavy goods. They're so maneuverable and beautiful.
Said the same thing about the Suzuki Samurai as far as being “dangerous”. Absolutely loved the one I owned. Wish I still had it.
You know what else doesn't have any safety features? EVERY SINGLE CAR from that time or earlier.
No you're talking about a totally different ball game here....
You're correct that some of those older cars especially the sports cars have very little, to zero safety features, but most every one of them are still marginally safer just by design.
Most of them have half the car or more in between the driver/passenger and any kind of frontal impact.
These things are awesome but in terms of safety it's almost as if they decided "let's make a really capable cool vehicle, that is the most dangerous design possible for the occupants.
Literally, motorcycles have more stuff in between the rider and a frontal impact than these things do ...and you're not trapped inside of a motorcycle.
With these things you are, and even though they're light, they still have all of the weight of the vehicle trying to crush you between whatever is in front of you, and all the mass of that vehicle, while trapping you inside of it.
They still shouldn't be banned. 🙄
And I'd still love to have one...
But they are legitimately, far more dangerous to the occupants than motorcycles, and pretty much any other vehicle on the road INCLUDING the old classic sports cars.
And I grew up around my uncle's "import salvage yard & garage" that was always stocked full of little tiny cars like the MG midget, fiat 500, triumph, Fiat Spyder, etc.
The closest thing I would compare this to is the old BMW isetta.
It literally has one door, and that door is the entire front of the vehicle, and when it opens the steering wheel comes with it.
But even that is safer than the k truck in a frontal collision.
Vehicles like the Smart car (yes, I hate them too😆) actually do have safety features and are designed with some safety in mind, and I have been tested improving to protect occupants reasonably in crashes up to 35-45 mph.
But with these things... You could literally be crushed and killed in a 15 -20 mph collision against a non-moving object, because you're going to be trapped inside with absolutely nothing but one thin strip of sheet metal a few inches from your body, and a giant sheet of glass.
Then the rest of the way that the vehicle is going to be pinching g trapping you as well.
At least with a motorcycle you aren't trapped inside of it, and you've got the front tire forks handlebars front half of the motorcycle between you and the object you crash into.
That's a LOT MORE than this thing has in front of you.
IF the cab were located in the middle, behind the front end, then yes, your argument would be valid, because essentially that's what some of the older tiny sports cars are.
...but that means you have the front of the vehicle, part of the frame and in some cases the engine, between you and whatever you crash into in a frontal collision.
Even as little as that is, it is SIGNIFICANTLY more than these things have.
@mrfixitusa6165 yes but it's far from the most dangerous car legally on the road. It's purely getting in trouble and facing bans because of corruption and lobbying, that's literally it. There is no legitimate reason to ban them
@@moomaniac2932 I have agreed in nearly every comment I've made in any of these threads, that there's no legit reason to ban them.
But you would be hard pressed to find a vehicle that is less dangerous than these, in a frontal collision.
That's still no reason to ban them....
But they are legitimately one of, if not "the most" dangerous vehicle that one can ride in on the highway.
@@mrfixitusa6165 agreed
@@mrfixitusa6165 Just get a motorcycle, way safer.
My state doesn't require helmets when riding a motorcycle...but a kei truck is "too dangerous"......mmmkay. They're oddly fine with me dailying my 89 wagovan with no abs, no airbags and no crumple zones though??
It's funded by an insurance company. That's why if you crash your motorcycle without a helmet that's your fault. You were being a idiot
If the state does not do a yearly safety inspection they can just stfu in my opinion. have they seen some of the junk people are driving???
Models years from 1999 onwards have ABS, airbags, and all the 'safety' features legislators say are required. So one year from now, what new excuse will they come up with to ban them?
That truck is probably the safest birth control
Here in the PH, Kei trucks are king. They are used from utility, to firefighting to any possible job that you need. Oh and we convert it to LHD as RHD is illegal here
PH?
@@anuglypugduckling the Philippines
@@anuglypugducklingPhilippines
its funny seeing america slowly getting all the toys the rest of the world has had for decades haha
not just ph, in asia they're backbone of business owners
To be over here at a reasonable price I would buy one and use one every day as my personal transporter and daily work unit. They are extremely capable and in comparison to big American pickups they absolutely sip fuel and just work... The minimal electronics is a good thing
😅😮0😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😮😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😢o
They don’t really sip fuel but would still probably be better than most f150s
Im hitting 22 average mpg on my 2016
Has safety belts. Intended for farm use. Shows them being used for racing.
I use my Suzuki as a work truck and farm truck. Pretty good for around the yard. We nicknamed it Suzi.
In the Philippines, we call them multi-cabs, and they're just as safe because we use them not only as family cars or for daily commutes, but also for public transportation. Those for public transportation feature a longer cab to accommodate people in the back. They're also extremely reliable.
Well a family of 7 can fit on a moped in the Philippines so...
@@user-lw1pm8qi1h not a moped, a 4 stroke engine motorcycle. A moped would not survive a daily trek up a mountain dirt road even with only one passenger.
Left hand drive conversions and it’s dashboards converted to LHD
Kei Truck Hooligan is definitely a vibe I can get behind.
I've seen two or three of these in my travels around the US and always thought they had a cool factor about them and when I've seen them IRL they were being operated at reasonable speeds by their owners which didn't seem unsafe. I think the US auto industry hates how inexpensive they are and try to limit competitors. Ride or drive what you want try not to be dangerous to others. 👍
It always becomes dangerous when fun is to be had and price can't be beat! I lived in Japan for years, and no one had issues.
part of the issue is that the chicken tax practically eliminated the market for light vehicles, leading to the explosion of large suvs, trucks, and vans, which has completely changed our road and town infrastructure. it has also made crashes more dangerous. these factors have made light vehicles and mini vehicles obsolete.
It's not the chicken tax that eliminated the market. It's actually the EPA emissions standards that did. Basically under the emissions standards they have multiple classes that have to meet certain EPA standards in emissions. The larger the vehicle the less they are required to meet.
Because these standards can add a lot of extra costs to producing new vehicles. Car manufacturers have been slowly building their vehicles bigger and bigger in order to meet higher classes to avoid penalties thus increasing the size of vehicles we see today.
So if we want to actually see a return to smaller vehicles then we need to fix the EPAs emissions standards.
@@noticedruid4985we need to close the loophole, not gut emission standards
@@noticedruid4985 Well, all of the above and the fact that too many Americans are obsessed with large vehicles.
@@noticedruid4985 Ah yes, the EPA killed the competetition... Because Emissions. Meanwhile the Light Trucks y'all are marketing as family cars are heavier than British/EU small lorries that carry more cargo with better fuel efficacy. Shit, the van industry is raging to go in the US market: fuel efficiency, crash safety for occupants and pedestrians and excellent enclosed cargo bay's.
chicken tax is a different thing. epa laws make large vehicles much more profitable than small vehicles.
As mentioned at the start of the short, Kei trucks’ original purpose was being the work horse of agricultural and commercial farm/business owners in Japan. Being cheap, reliable, fuel and space efficient and capable of navigating tight and unconventional spaces, they are the perfect work truck in Japan. But that’s just it, they are a “work truck”. They are bare bones vehicles only meant for pulling weight, not safety moving passengers.
If you want the convenience and affordability of a kei truck, but the safety, features, and style of a normal car, we have the “kei car” in Japan, which makes up the majority of cars on the road here (any car with a yellow license plate is a kei car).
I live and work in Japan and the kei car is a life saver on the budget. If you own one, your yearly vehicle and road tax is significantly reduced and you even pay lower tolls on some highways! It’s also super easy to park and store! And with cars and trucks being smaller, speed limits being generally lower, and drunk driving being highly strict (and punishable with heavy fines and prison), driving here is far less dangerous than in the States, so we don’t worry too much about traffic accidents.
That is a good point, I would also add that the entirety of Japan is smaller than many states here, with much more rural area in between metro areas. We also have burdensome regulations (such as regarding vehicle size/emissions ratio) that actually prevent our own auto makers from producing light trucks and such.
@@wtfwhereamiso it would be possible in some areas, and not in others in the states?
@@FeboKipKruiden aside from the federal regulations, light trucks would be very popular with many people. They used to be very common, but these days it’s easier for auto makers to just make larger vehicles to avoid dealing with the regulations that come with a light truck.
I mean most Americans don’t know how to drive a manual transmission so it makes sense we have a bunch of shitty drivers
@@wtfwhereamia look at sales numbers also show a decline in small trucks. Before then ended sales. But that was partly impacted by larger trucks getting increased fuel economy. People who bought new trucks could have ordered the smaller ones instead. But people like roomy and sitting up higher. Personaly I still have my old ranger and love it. But use an f150 for work.
My 1969 Chevrolet C20 truck came from the factory without seatbelts and of course, airbags. I have recently been into a very heated battle with an officer with the local city PD. He's not very accepting about the fact that I have been successful in the process of not only informing him and a couple more city cops that I have a very well established exemption from prosecution when it comes to the seatbelt law. This tool has a personal vendetta against me and my sweet baby that was just recently the recipient of a blueprinted and balanced 383 Stroker, suspension and body lift and some new Mickey Thompson MTZ 35's. It's been a long process...6 years.
The fact that they're unsafe for occupants is absolutely no problem for one reason. If you chose to drive one you're accepting the risks involved. The government is not here to be your parent, they have no right or responsibility to say "no you can't do that it's too dangerous."
They won't be deemed safe untill the the DMV and insurance companies can figure out how to make money off of them. The farmers here in WV love them and are probably our best hope for getting them road legal.
The exporters aren't subsidized with taxpayer money enough to bribe their way in and they don't care because there are actual capitalist countries that allow individuals to participate in commerce directly without a bribe or permit
State DMV makes money off them every time one is registered and renewed like any other street legal vehicle. Likewise you need auto insurance to drive them on public roads. The only insurance companies losing out are those who won't insure them, to the companies who do insure them.
That not why ahole legislators, DMV administrators, and lobbying organizations like the AAMVA, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a non-governmental organization that "represents the state, provincial, and territorial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws." want to be nanny state tyrants and ban them at the state level, even though they are legal to import under the federal 25 year rule.
If you think the AAMVA will EVER deem them safe... Um no! 😂
@@ButterfatFarms they are classified as ATV's in WV so no registration or insurance is levied.
Awww they care about your well-being and safety.
Right? I like sarcasm and your comment was spot on.
it's just an excuse to ruin our fun.
Yep daddy govt uses women and soy boys for more power to control you
No its deeper than that its obviously lobbying by auto companies to keep selling there expensive aluminum cans
My favorite mod I've seen is turning one into a mini rollback to haul mini jeeps 😂
In Vietnam, those cutie are everywhere, and they are like cheap horsepower that you need for cargo transporting and some even turned into cops patrol cruiser
These trucks are awesome
Perfect for local driving, and the mpg is amazing.
Spend $5k vs $70k.
Many people don't want or need a huge 4 door truck
It looks like many people want to ruin them though
Today's trucks are oversized, glorified sedans without a trunk. You can't do any real work with them. A 5' bed?
Bed size is small, but most people don't need big.
It's all about mind set, and why not stick it to big Auto. They created the big truck environment for huge profit, not practically.
As an owner of one for a few years, it is super reliable. Borderline indestructible. Just like with any car, you need to drive safe. And just like any vehicle that doesn't have a front hood, you take that into consideration when purchasing it.
There is a demand for it. If lawmakers don't like it, allow something that can fit the niche, and we won't buy them.
@xecoda For these reasons you mentioned, k trucks are not safe and will be banned(not should).
That will be banned, primarily because they are cheap and fuel efficient.
Can’t upvote this comment enough. Loved the old Toyota FJs while living in S. America. Wish there was something comparable back here in the US.
Driving safe doesn't do anything when a drunk driver hits you going 90mph, it's not something you can control.
@@ecchicookie it's actually something that can be controlled, we'd just rather spend our time building laws to prevent import of a vehicle that will disrupt the market instead of building laws to make driving drunk attempted murder.
i have a bonnet , nothing under it but i do have a bonnet .
“Unsafe” a lobbyist keyword
unsafe for U.S car makers company 😂
US laws are nuts. Here in the Philippines, we convert it into a public transport vehicle that we called them the "Multicab Jeepneys". They have a capacity of around 10-16 passengers depends on it's chassis length which ofcourse can be modified. And these tiny kei trucks worked like magic. And even with it's stock parts without any modifications to the engine, it's still as strong as a bull like it was the same vehicle working on the farmlands. It's magical and a gas saver too. And these American politicians surely doesnt want it.
My 1970 truck has lap belts and uh that’s it. Yet I’m still allowed to drive it with zero issues
Trucks with a build date before Jan 1, 1968 didn't require seatbelts.
Most state exempt trucks built before that date from seatbelt laws.
@@gk5891 Exactly. They’re so up in arms to not let us import things due to “safety” but forget where they came from
@@gk5891and yet the kei trucks do have seatbelts...
@TachyonDriver
Yet pre-'68 USA Trucks in which you are not required to wear seatbelts are fine.
@@gk5891 I know. Similar to old vehicles here in the UK. If it did not leave the factory with seatbelts then it does not have to have them fitted.
Funny thing is, in Georgia, you can still register a side by side but not any kei cars😅
Had one for 2 years in Japan. One of my favorite vehicles ive ever owned.
It’s great for farms and local towns because it’s what’s it’s designed for
I had mine for 6 years now, never had a problem with it. Driving around town with these minitrucks is fun, kinda safe too for me just because how slow it is. Maintenance is not that expensive since my country has so many of these, so there's parts everywhere. It's a 1998 model with carburetor, so old but still hauling fruits and veggies all day everyday for 6 years, that's how reliable these mini trucks are.
What state is it registered in? I have a 94 Acty in Ca with a Maryland Title.
@@briandrmoreau3710 I'm not in the US bro... philippines
@@k0tetsuuudo you also use the kei trucks to transport bricks and cement?
@@DaniSC_real I once did, we called it "hollow blocks" weighs around 2 kilos a piece, with 150 pieces of it. Also with 8 bags of cement weighing 40 kilos per bag, carried those for 30+ km... never had a problem.
But those little smart cars are legal. Huh
Yes, because they have somehow passed the test barely.
Yeah cause they only have 10hp and top out at 30mph😂😂😂
Size alone has nothing to do with it.
When he says they have no safety features he's not joking or exaggerating.
Those tiny little cars that I would never want to own, DO actually have safety features, and is ridiculous as they are they are significantly safer than these k trucks in an accident.
If you've ever had the opportunity to examine one closely, and you know anything about mechanics you'll understand....
We're talking about something that literally could crush and kill you in nothing more than a 20mph accident because you're sitting in front of EVERYTHING ...the engine, frame, chassis ALL of it is behind or under you, and the only thing protecting you from impacts in front of you, is literally one layer of thin sheet metal, and a massive sheet of glass, and all of that is just a few inches from your body.
There's more to protect you on a motorcycle than there is with these things, because you have the front end of the motorcycle the fairing the handlebars the tank and part of the engine, between you and any object you're crashing into in front of you.
Plus with a motorcycle, you're not trapped in it.
That doesn't stop me from wanting one...
And in my opinion, it does not justify banning them, because the added danger is ONLY to the occupants of that vehicle.
it's not like it's causing danger to EVERYONE ELSE on the road, that would be different and would justify banning for safety reasons.
What would make more sense, is if they make mandatory warnings inside the vehicle and to anyone buying them, that are always visible for any passengers.
After that, if a person wants to take a risk for THEMSELVES, that's THEIR business.
@@mrfixitusa6165 Ill give ur comment a like for the effort but i aint reading that novel lol.
Saw a smart car on the dyno(don’t ask) it made a whopping 40 up.
Its a neat little practical utility cruiser
US and NHTSA banning it for "lack" of safety features. Meanwhile they let a $80,000 pickup truck taller than the average adult with huge blind spots and a front end built like a battering ram roam around going fast at residential neighborhoods and school zones.
People be saying fuck corporate America for not buying their shit but we gotta remember that the Toyota Tacoma is a species
We had these at a place I worked years ago. We called them "Twinkie Trucks." And we loved them. I would love to have one now.
Government bans these trucks for your safety. The same government does not ban the sale of heavily taxed cigarettes.
Cigarettes won't kill you in an instant
@@Shrimp_Insurance they'll turn you into a tar-coated zombie instead
@@daturbojet2409 Over years yeah
Government needs to stop telling us what to do.
Lol, you'll see these everywhere in the Philippines. They're known as multicabs, and they're even used for public transport purposes.
As someone who lives in Georgia, I have def seen these around in even my small town 😅. Needless to say the ban isn’t doing much
I just made a comment before I seen yours, right they are becoming common here in Pike and upson co, see them with tags going down county and state rds every day
These little truck and even vans are cool as all hell. When I moved to the Philippines they were everywhere and still are. Own one myself and love the hell out of it.
It can run forever with a proper care and maintainance.
They come in different bodies as well but we filipinos call them multicabs.
What kind of Kei truck do you have sir 😁
In AZ, you don't even have to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, and you are allowed to ride in the bed of moving trucks. Definitely no more dangerous, lol.
Not any more dangerous than big pick trucks and suvs that are being driven in the US where they can't see pedestrians and need to feel safe because of their bad driving
The sweet irony is small light trucks and cars are allot more unsafe on the roads when everyone is driving around in 6500lbs trucks…
Saw a demonstration Derby and after 25 or 30 minutes they just called it, half of the cars were still out there because they just bounced off of each other. So on a bad day you'd just go flying off like a field goal kick.
@@douglascunningham6319Yea I call BS on this claim. Every demo derby I've ever been to has a cash prize for the winner. I've never in my life been to a demo derby where they just 'call it' and have never been to one that's lasted over 10 minutes. They don't just stop them, they battle till there's a winner