Greens politician Samantha Ratnam wages war on American-style utes

A Greens leader has launched an extraordinary attack on American utes, claiming the ‘truckzillas’ are too big and dangerous for Australian roads.

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said Australia’s highways were not designed to accommodate monster trucks.

‘It is an undeniable fact that super-sized vehicles are dangerous. They have blind spots up to four meters in front of the vehicle,” Ms Ratnam said.

‘And it’s no coincidence that a child is eight times more likely to die if hit by a larger commercial vehicle, compared to a lighter car.

“Not to mention the astonishing amount of pollution caused by these creatures.”

American style pick-up trucks like the above are becoming increasingly popular across Australia

In response, Ms Ratnam called for higher registration fees for owners of American utes to deter people from buying them.

“Large vehicles play a role in regional areas, but these luxury vehicles – which often cost more than $100,000 – have significantly higher emissions and are more dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists than regular passenger cars,” she wrote on Instagram.

‘If we want to reduce our transport emissions and reduce road deaths, we need to see fewer of these monster cars on the streets.’

Meanwhile, in a local response to growing concerns, Yarra City Council in Melbourne’s east has taken a step towards tackling the problem.

They voted to explore the possibility of imposing higher parking rates and fees on drivers of large SUVs and trucks, a measure that could potentially discourage the use of these vehicles in the area.

“If you live in Fitzroy with the small streets that are there and you buy a Hummer then you are an absolute idiot and you need to be dealt with, however the council can deal with it,” Councilor Stephen Jolly said.

American-style trucks continue to grow in popularity across Australia, with the highly anticipated Toyota Tundra expected to cost $140,000 and arrive in early 2025.

Ford began importing the larger F-150 pickup late last year.

Last year, as many as 10,000 full-size American pick-ups were sold in Australia.

Photos of the ‘truckzillas’ flying over parking lots in Australia are circulating on Reddit

Aussies are calling out comically oversized American units that are becoming increasingly popular

Russell White, CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, warned that US users have increased blind spots.

“The larger these types of vehicles are, there is a greater risk of blind spots being large enough to conceal vulnerable road users, so having things like front cameras should certainly be part of the overall safety envelope,” Mr White said .

“Just as we’ve seen with reversing cameras, it’s another tool a driver can have so they can have the information they need to drive the vehicle.

‘As they become more popular and there are more of them, unless something is done to look at their safety rating and evolve them over time, we could potentially see more incidents on the road.’

Many owners of the utes have been vilified for taking up multiple car parks as a debate erupts online.

“This country wasn’t built for big American cars.

“Unless you really need it (Ford F150), you’re making life worse for those driving around you and parking next to you.”

Many more Australians raised concerns about the safety of the vehicles.

‘Because of their height, pedestrians have a greater chance of a head collision. This combined with poor visibility means that they pose a threat on the street. Pedestrian deaths in the U.S. are at their highest level in 40 years.”