It clears the tire by a few inches. Its far from necessary unless your putting BIG tires on with NO lift... It would be one of the many contact points. Mostly it just looks stupid so a lot of people cut it off.
I wasn't saying that. What I mean is that (as much as europeans don't want to admit it) our life styles are all about that comfortable and similar. In both Europe and the United States you will find similar jobs and people.