SUVs and the greedy devil in you
First of all, laugh at the Future SUV.
I am not a fan of the SUV. I’ll admit the desire to “see above traffic”, but that just amounts to seeing above SUVs nowadays. I wouldn’t want to deny a fellow American his or her well deserved indulgence however…but can you picture a highway transporation accident-free utopia similar to Minority Report? Complete with fashionable speedsters of course…
The debate SUVs pose is are they dangerous, not only for their passengers but they are more dangerous for all other people on the road in smaller vehicles. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that bigger cars destroy little cars just as big fish eat little fish. Only we’re supposed to be more civilized than fish, right? So does it make sense to buy a car that jeopordizes the lives of fellow Americans? How unpatriotic…
The deal is, people are a) suckers of trends b) think SUVs will offer them more safety. This is America after all, and ME ME ME comes before YOU YOU YOU…
Ahhh, the safety issue…well, it doesn’t appear that SUVs really offer more safety than an average size car. Can soccer mom’s just go back to the good old days of the wagon? I smell a wagon comeback. They offer better fuel economy, just as much room, and don’t kill people in normal size cars. Now, THAT is an American choice.
“Our main results are that sport utility vehicles are not necessarily safer for their drivers than cars,” the report said. “On average they are as risky as the average mid-size or large car, and no safer than many of the most popular compact and subcompact models.”
More on SUV safety, from blown tires to rollovers…
For the owners of small cars, no matter how many spoilers or sweetass gold rims or neon ground glow, your ass is toast if one of those Excalibers hits you. I have sort of a problem with that. Obviously there is a necessity for trucks and bigger vehicles on our highways, but really, if you don’t have a tanker of gasoline or freight of waffles to haul, do you need the cargo space? That Excalibur on my ass at 90mph is tantamount to waving around a loaded gun…
Well documented info on SUV safety. On the design factors implicating SUV’s:
The increased damage results in large part from the design of these vehicles. On average, light trucks and SUVs are designed to ride eight inches higher than a car. SUVs also have a more rigid frame - usually consisting of two steel rails. Most cars only use one rail. These two design factors greatly increase the damage caused in a crash with a passenger car.
August 29th, 2002 at 7:53 pm
Well - I think the only reason that people buy SUV’s is because someday in thier minds they may need to traverse their well manicured sod, azelas and rhododendrons. Seriously, those plants are quite an annoyance when they’re blocking the driveway.
August 29th, 2002 at 10:55 pm
The SUV that rear-ended me and near-totalled my small, inexpensive, efficient, foreign built two-door just about entered the back window with it’s bumper. Dude then sped off with no opposition, leaving his Tom Jumper front license plate embedded in my trunk. Do I think all SUV drivers are capabale of a malicious felony act such as this one? Hell yeah.
August 29th, 2002 at 11:33 pm
You can have my SUV when you pry it out of my dead cold hands. You can have my BMW tomorrow. Apparently Ford reads MUS because they discontinued the Expedition.
August 29th, 2002 at 11:42 pm
In general, people who buy SUVs are really wanting the flexibility and capacity of a good minivan (like the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna) but are more concerned about image than usefulness. I exclude here the folks who really need to go off-road, not your average Atlanta commuter who burns more than his/her weight in fuel to drive back and forth to work. Alone.
August 30th, 2002 at 1:41 pm
I’ve never heard so much whining in my life.
I have an SUV and I use it on my farm and I also
drive it to work here in the ATL. I think there
are more important things to complain about.
BTW, you have a choice to buy small, compact, foreign
cars don’t you? I also have a choice and I choose the
SUV for these reasons:
1) More Room
2) 4 wheel drive(which i use)
3) More Room
4) If one of those small, compact foreign cars pull
out in front of me, they’re toast.
August 31st, 2002 at 9:29 pm
two words: penis extender
September 3rd, 2002 at 10:20 am
I’m going to remind you of this the next time you need to borrow my truck to haul something…
September 3rd, 2002 at 3:04 pm
Ok, everyone is misunderstanding the issues here…
First of all, trucks are a necessity, without a doubt. Just not everyday, and not for everyone. Of couse you have to use them to move shit and haul bricks and underpants. Obviously. Jesus. But it IS THE FUCKING CASE, that many SUV owners don’t haul jack shit or need a vehicle of that size!!!
The FACTS are that most SUV-Trucks are unsafe for everyone else on the road in a normal vehicle. They way they are currently designed that is.
This is problematic, and ought to be dealt with legally. Obviously you can’t convince the consumer to be responsible. As was apparent with a previous poster, some SUV drivers do not care about anyone but themselves and see people in normal size, economically and environmentally sound cars as, “toast”. Great. I suppose those people see their Mothers, Sisters and Girlfriends who may drive smaller cars as “toast” too.
With that sort of consumer attitude you’ve got to legislate.There needs to be a safety standard and if consumers aren’t responsible enough to boycott dangerous things, then those dangerous things need be removed or re-engineered. They simply shouldn’t be allowed to be sold if they violate safety standards. Very, very simple. IDEAS: Lower the trucks closer to the ground so that the 10,000 lb bumper isn’t eye level with other drivers. Decrease the weight. Decrease the rigidity of the frame, which greatly contributes to impact violence. Come on, it’s the age of engineering miracles…this stuff is all possible, companies just don’t want to spend the extra engineering/materials money, they’d rather let people die.
My answer….make the mother fuckers comply…
September 4th, 2002 at 9:06 am
Wow…touchy!
There are too many SUV’s on the road to even think about entertaining your ideas. So why dont you just think of your own safety for a moment and just go buy a fargin truck/SUV…seems like a lot less trouble.
Or…you could always take the bus. You’ll be surrounded by metal and squishy people. There is after all…safety in numbers.
Now, quitcher bitchin’.
September 4th, 2002 at 2:21 pm
Lord of Traffic Safety:
Why are there wrecks? SUV’s you say? Uh…NO! Like most of the logic impaired you want to take the resonsibility away from the DRIVER and blame it on a inanimate object. Typical.
Almost makes as much sense as “they’d rather let people die” .
September 4th, 2002 at 7:21 pm
Fact: when SUVs collide with normal size automobiles they will do more damage than normal size automobiles colliding with normal size automobiles.
Fact: this is due to their design, SOME of which may be inherent in simply being a larger vehicle, but most of which can probably be controlled by engineers (mass, height, frame strength, etc.)
Fact: drivers are responsible for accidents, obviously. this doesn’t take the burden from manufacturers in giving us safe vehicles. and part of safety is not killing the passengers in any other vehicle you may collide with on the road. drivers will always be to blame…and that’s why we need to prevent them from being able to drive large dangerous cars.
Necessary Conclusion:SUVs are immediately made as safe in collisions with smaller cars as other normal size vehicles are. Of course it will never happen. But it should, and you know it…
September 5th, 2002 at 3:42 pm
I agree that if SUVs are deemed inherently more dangerous than your average car, any near term redesign must be legislated. I know far too many people who consider bigger to be better to think that manufacturers would pipe the money into a redesign. People don’t hesitate to purchase them because they truly are the ideal means of family transportation. Junior and juniorette sit in the back with headphones sedating them, watching Barney on the video screen while mom spits fire down the highway.
It’s a size thing. They’ll keep getting bigger as long as people continue to deal with low miles to the gallon. The decision not to buy will be made for some people through their wallets.
September 7th, 2002 at 4:20 am
SUVs are on the way out already. Too small. People are starting to use Winnebagos as commuter vehicles. Winnebagos for all.