Put down your pitchforks. I’m not here to hate on kei trucks. They’re simply adorable, affordable, and convenient. But as drivers fight for their availability in America, there is an aspect about these pint-sized vehicles that you need to know. 

One thing drivers ignore about kei trucks 

Have you ever seen someone cruising through traffic in a Smart Car and worried about their safety? Didn’t the little vehicle look like a tiny deathtrap? 

Well, that’s how the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) feels about the increasingly popular kei truck. They’re hard to register for United States roads because they fail to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. 

They are built with lightweight frames, and because of their small size, they could get pummeled by larger trucks and SUVs. Plus, they don’t have airbags, modern crumple zones, proper lighting, or glass. 

According to Ars Technica, some states restrict kei cars and trucks from working as farm vehicles. In some places, they can travel up to 20 miles away from the farm. 

In Alabama and Arkansas, the vehicles have speed restrictions and are banned from highway use. But many states, such as Georgia, New York, and Maine, have banned them completely. 

Currently, imported models are 25 years or older. This means that they have outdated safety standards, and the Smart Car is much safer. 

Some models are limited to a top speed of 25 MPH. While many models can keep up with the flow of traffic, they could be hard to spot by drivers in massive dump trucks or full-size SUVs. 

In Japan and other countries where these affordable vehicles flourish, they aren’t constantly in danger of being run over by America’s oversized vehicles like the Chevrolet Suburban, which has been popular for decades.