> Kei trucks have the opposite problem: comparatively harmless to other road users; less so to drivers and occupants who tangle with hulking megatrucks.

This seems analogous to motorcycles in the US. If you mention that you ride one in polite conversation there will invariably be somebody that says that you shouldn't because they're dangerous. If you point out that such statistics are skewed by reckless operators and that you don't fall into that category then the response becomes "other people on the road don't pay attention and will hurt you". In a similar vein if you point out people egregiously running stop signals or driving in two lanes or not signaling then the common response is that "nobody is perfect" and that "you shouldn't take it personally". If you have a problem with motorcyclists then replace "motorcycle" with "small car" and much of the same still applies (particularly in rural areas with a higher percentage of truck ownership).

My theory is that as vehicles increasingly larger, more comfortable, and automated they have disconnected people from the fact that they're operating a 4000 lb mini-tank that goes faster than the quickest land animals on Earth. Plush suspension and 10-way sound systems have conditioned people to subconsciously equate auto travel with being in a living room or private train car instead of something that requires immense care to operate safely. The act of driving has been devalued for decades as peoples' attentions shift elsewhere.

It probably doesn't help that owning a car is a practical requirement in most parts of the US but I'm sure somebody more passionate about that than me can speak more effectively to that phenomenon.