r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DifferentCoyote4562 • 11h ago

I saw a ducky once Buick brake lights are too low

Gallery image

Gallery image

Not my pictures, but saw this car today. The brake lights are definitely not where you'd expect them and annoyingly low

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u/Dadskander 9h ago

It's because laws in the US around cars are primarily focused on cars, not "Sport Utility Vehicles" which are used as a means to circumvent many regulations and fuel economy standards. The issue here isn't just taillight height, it's that every other car is so high up compared to 30-40 years ago that now these lights look like they should be against regulation.

Instead, I feel like we really should bring back cars. They're far more fuel efficient, have better bumper to bumper crash alignment regulations, and handle better in most on-road situations (many SUVs are tippy and/or fail the moose test).

Its wild to me that my 1996 Honda Accord was a 2.2L full size sedan with a 4-speed auto transmission that regularly got 32mpg; yet a brand new CR-V from 2026 (after 30 years of improvements!) has a 1.5L engine and CV-T transmission gets only 33mpg.

After 30 years, we should be seeing far better fuel economy than a standard vehicle from the 1990s

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u/vaspat 7h ago edited 7h ago

Modern CRV is more than a 1000 pounds heavier and has three times cargo capacity, it's actually quite impressive that it achieves similar or better mpg.

A much better comparison (especially for your point) would be a modern civic: about the same size, like 100 pounds heavier and gets 36 combined without hybrid while offering not that many more horsepower (130 vs 150).

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u/Dadskander 4h ago

I understand the engineering challenge, especially being an engineer myself with friends in the auto industry, but the fact remains that in 30 years it's not that much of an improvement. If you argue that ICE tech is fairly limited, then I think the argument is hybrid should be more widespread.

I agree too that the vehicles are different, but I'd also say that they socially fit the same niche, being that we've all had the SUV trend shoved down our throats. Far fewer people are buying sedans today, I think the numbers of sedans vs SUVs are about flipped today compared to the mid 90s.