Saw this shared on Mastodon and it really made me think of National and their Atlas Network aligned astro-turf organisation the Taxpayer’s Onion who campaigned against what they termed the ‘ute tax’.
If the results of this 2004 study hold true 20 years later, and in New Zealand, then knowingly or not, they in effect have campaigned for and enacted legislation that will kill more New Zealanders.
"A 2004 study found that for every life saved by a motorist who switched from a car to a light truck (SUV or pickup), 4.3 other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists were killed. "
That statistic also suggests that the safety fears driving people to SUVs are completely overblown and over-egged.
As I note above - that’s for a single cab ute with no deck. This is far more representative of what is actually being sold in NZ and is 2232kg, with a 3250kg GVM:
https://www.drive.com.au/showrooms/ford/ranger/12db6d74afb32f1f/
There are four door, dual cabs with a tray that weight less than two tonnes. You’re still full of it.
And those 2wd XL rangers are everywhere, fleet buyers love them. Especially for tradies and service techs.