this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2024
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The actual story is that some guy helped her out:
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/nx-s1-5230186/a-woman-was-loading-1-500-pounds-of-gravel-into-her-car-when-a-stranger-interrupted
It still pisses me off. Who knows how many idiots drive around with tons of gravel in their cars?
The (lack of) quality of US drivers ed never ceases to amaze me.
the under rating of cars weight limits never ceases to amaze me, most cars can absolutely haul a half ton safely but few are rated for it, most half ton trucks can haul a couple tons safely, yet are only rated for half of one.
"Can haul" and "can haul safely" are different.
She was loading bags of gravel into a Toyota Corolla. Sure, it'll drive, but will it brake?
If she should crash into something there's also a huge difference in having a heavy passenger wearing a seat belt and loading the back seats with bags of gravel.
This right here. Towing capacity is "will it go" and payload capacity is "will it stop" One should try not to go over on either.
They probably assume people just stuff their shit into the trunk so I guess the weight limit usually also includes a safeguard for weight distribution limits.
They also add a bit of a buffer for manufacturing tolerances along with allowing the rating to stay the same throughout the projected life of the vehicle.