Frazz by Jef Mallett for April 14, 2023

Where did Holden Caulfield’s namesake go?

The only pickups that tall are toys, not practical for use. Can we say roll over?

I have seen several that I swear could drive over my full-size sedan and not touch anything, save for the tires scraping the sides. I think they are in preparation for the End Times, or part of some mating ritual.

The water-filled ruts in the trail to our deer stands are so deep that the local ATV club had to hire a contractor to fill them.

This is worth repeating: “Big truck, small *”. (Not ‘elbow.’)

Sometimes I really like Frazz simply for pointing out things like this. Not that I don’t like Frazz comics all the time. This was just fun and cool. Thx Jef

True, Frazz. Pretensions used to include a very well made and designed limo. Now the trend seems to be aiming at a maxed out version of ugly.

Could this be a poke at those coal-rolling trucks that are popular with those who like to wear a certain red baseball cap? (No, not a Phillies hat)

So one group tries to get their rides as high as possible, while another group does exactly the opposite.

I once drove a Fiero under the trailer of a semi that was blocking our street…

I think it’s funny when I see a vehicle with about $10,000 worth of suspension work to lift it, $2,000 in tires, another $2,000 in rims – and the axles are approximately the same height – so no real clearance improvements – just looks – and you know, it’s never going to see a dirt road…

From an NBC News report:An estimated 744 children were killed that way from 2016 to 2020, mostly in driveways and parking lots. In the majority of deaths, the child was hit by an SUV or a pickup truck.

Those numbers rose sharply in 2020, and advocates worry they will continue to rise, as Americans increasingly buy large vehicles with big front blind zones, instead of smaller cars with greater visibility.

Front cameras could help prevent these deaths, safety experts say. New vehicles sold in the United States are required to have a backup camera for rear visibility, but no such regulation exists for front blind zones. While some vehicles do come standard now with front cameras, or with front sensors that can detect obstacles and may prevent accidents, they are often expensive or luxury vehicles.

But front blind zones can extend a dozen feet or more for some of the country’s most popular vehicles, according to Consumer Reports, much further than drivers may realize. In a demonstration at the Consumer Reports Test Track in Connecticut, NBC News found it took at least nine elementary school children sitting in a line for someone in the driver’s seat of four different SUVs and pickup trucks to see the top of a single child’s head.

If it were safe and practical (which I fully acknowledge it absolutely is NOT), I’d love to have a monster truck. And there’s no way I’d ever own a standard sedan – I’d feel like I was scraping my butt on the ground. But as long as I’m sitting high enough to be able to see over the roof of the Prius in front of me, I’m happy. My reasonably-sized standard SUV serves that purpose and is good enough for me. :)

That’s right. You smell things because you breath in little microscopic particles of the things. It works for chocolate and horse manure.