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Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-65
Just because the people in the SUV's don't get hurt, does not make them any safer... Most of the accidents listed on here could probably have been avoided in a smaller vehicle that stops quicker and handles better.
See, so many people think that because they are "safe" in their big truck they are in a safer vehicle. To me safe is avoiding the accident all together, not crushing the occupant's of the smaller car and going on my merry way. If you live by that mentality then I hope you sleep well at night. That is a whacked mentality and selfish to no end. SUV's are just not safe for anyone...
If everyone had a normal size car for what they need to do the roads, we would be much safer overall.
Again, I am talking commuting solo every day. I know there is some need for a large vehicle for travel and boating and such. It is about having the intelligence to know when a SUV is a good choice, and I don't see it too often.
My favorite is the 5' tall woman on the cell in her Tahoe or Expedition that can't even see over the wheel, doing 75, cutting everyone off left an right... Yeah, that's safe!! I see these type of drivers ALL THE TIME!! I don't know about you, but I'd rather they were tooling around in Civics if I have to deal with them during my morning commute.
17:42.
So where you live, it is only the SUV drivers that go 80+ mph on the expressways, weaving sloppily in and out of traffic?
How about all of the teeny boppers in the tricked out Civic's and Corolla's, with the stupid fart cannons for tail pipes and airplane wings on the trunks? Where I live, it is these drivers that are the most reckless.
And do not even get me started on the idiots that ride around on the rice rocket motorcycles doing 100+ mph on the expressways. The SUV drivers are the least of my concerns.
I'm afraid I have to agree with 17:42. I drive the expressways here a lot and it is NOT kids in Civics I worry about (their cars are too small to do any damage). It is the "respectable" businessman (or woman) blasting along at 80mph+ while yakking on a cell phone in their Expeditions, Suburbans and Hummers and weaving all over (or OFF) the road.
We were recently driving at 80mph ourselves when a late model Explorer driven by a middle-aged, clean-cut gentleman passed us so fast the wind rocked our car. He had to be doing at least 100mph. About 5 miles further on his flipped Explorer was upside down in the median and he was frantically trying to get rid of several beer cans before the police were called (he had his seat belt on and was not injured). Small cars DO handle much better than top-heavy glorified bread trucks, so kids in Corollas, Hondas and Focuses probably ARE safer drivers overall.
Other than ego or safety concerns, very few people have ANY use for an SUV. I DO agree that family members are safer in larger, truck based vehicles, but if 99% of the car buying public switched back to more sensible vehicles, we'd ALL be much better off. I know dozens of people who own SUV's and not a single one of them EVER pulls a trailer or hauls anything. Our friends and relatives who own Hummers have never ONCE pulled anything, hauled anything or driven off of a paved road. Why buy something that you have no use for??
"And do not even get me started on the idiots that ride around on the rice rocket motorcycles doing 100+ mph on the expressways. The SUV drivers are the least of my concerns."
So, you'd rather get plowed into by a 6000+ pound vehicle doing 80 then a 700 pound motorcycle doing 100? Good luck! I'd take my chances with the motorcycle any day...
Hopefully gas prices will spell the end of the mobs of gas-guzzling and unnecessary SUV's. I hope gas prices DO stay high for a while, or go higher, so people in the U.S. will be forced to drive more sensible vehicles.
You don't need a 6000 pound, 8 mile per gallon vehicle to take the kids to soccer and pick up the groceries, and that is all that 99.99% of all SUV's are ever used for.
Here, here to that... Too bad we all have to pay for that change to occur but I'll be glad when there are less SUV's around to clog up the roadways!!
I was happy to read that GM is dropping the Hummer. The high cost of fuel is making it no longer a viable means of transportation. What government regulation couldn't do to curb the rampant waste of our natural resources, it appears high fuel costs will accomplish.
The H3 is small whats the big issue? It makes sense I guess to buy 2 very small vehicles and follow one another instead as a family... maybe sell a H3 and buy a sensible V8 Land Cruiser or a Range Rover, Expedition, Suburban.
Who said anything about driving a really small car? There are plenty of choices like the Impala, Accord, Camry, Fusion... that can take the average family of four anywhere they need to go AND get at least 30 mpg doing it.
I know the argument can be made for all the extra stuff you need to take with you, but that issue needs to be rectified as well, as it is more of a lifestyle thing than a necessity.
I know when I was a kid we had the five of us all in the car with luggage and everything we needed, and we fit comfortably with no car-top carriers or extra storage space outside of the car. We also didn't take every last thing we owned on every trip with us. Vacations are to get away from it all, not to bring it all with you!! Ha Ha Ha.
I got a kick out of comment 18:59 (which is 100% CORRECT!!) It reminded me of a couple of friends of ours who recently went "camping" out west. They drove their 4-mile-per-gallon $250,000 motor home (complete with jacuzzi and big screen TV) and towed their Mercedes behind it. ON TOP OF THAT, the wife drove their 7-mile-per-gallon GMC Suburban towing a 20 foot enclosed trailer with their "luggage"!! (and they didn't even have kids with them!!) Don't you just love some people's idea of "roughing it"?? Whatever happened to carrying your tent and gear in the back of a Ranger?? That's how I went "camping" the last time!!
It's funny that the Republicans are always shooting down environmental legislation and talking about "letting the market forces decide", and now for once, the market (high gas prices) really is causing people to stop driving less fuel efficient cars. I bet the oil lobby is madder than hell! Demand drops, and yet prices rise, so once again, where is this magical "free market" that is supposed to work so well?
As sad as it is, Americans are generally not remotely concerned with pollution or the environment. If gas were still $2 a gallon, folks would still be lining up to buy 8-mile-per gallon SUV's to impress the other soccer mom's.
I'm hoping the high cost of gas hangs around long enough to spell the end of the SUV mania once and for all. Our roads would be much safer, and you could actually see to back out of parking spaces in a normal vehicle once more.
Why a gloried panel truck with windows added, rear seats and $10,000 tacked on the price tag ever became so wildly popular is beyond me. I assume it was due to the $10,000 added to the price, as that made it an "expensive" car.
One word to the above...MARKETING!! The car companies made people think SUV's were stylish, safe and the "thing" to be seen in... The safety thing gets me every time... it is so far from truth it is ridiculous. If people would do a little simple research, BEFORE purchasing, they'd see how unsafe their oversized vehicles really are and how easily they flip over..etc. etc. They'd run from their SUV's screaming... It is too bad the rest of us have to pay more to end this reign of the SUV...
Yes, I'm VERY glad the SUV / Monster truck craze has been brought to a screeching halt by the price of gas, but every time I see these ridiculous "SUV's are UNSAFE" rants I want to scream. Truck based SUV's are the safest vehicles built due to their massive steel truck frames and great weight. Several members of my family are doctors and I can assure that after seeing so many mangled kids who were crushed to death in Corollas and Civics they DEMAND that their children all drive truck based SUV's. We lost a very dear friend when she collided with an F-150 in her Acura RSX (the F-150 driver drove his truck home from the accident).
Yes, SUV's can roll over. SO WHAT?? If you are belted in it's no more than a carnival ride. I've seen Explorers that rolled 8 times and the driver and passengers were unhurt. I witnessed a teenager roll a new Explorer 5 times right in front of me. He walked away. If someone is too stupid to wear a seat belt, then yes, they can get killed. That can be the case no matter WHAT they are driving. I've never even heard of a properly seat-belted driver or passenger of an SUV being hurt badly or killed, and I'd venture to bet that such cases are either VERY rare or non-existent. One of my clients was hit head-on in his large GM SUV by two kids in an Accord. They both died. He got a sprained wrist.
Again... safety as relative to whom? Most of the accidents in SUV's could be avoided in smaller better handling cars.
Yes, you are safer in your three ton steel box, but if you only care about YOUR safety then I guess you can live with that. I guess it is typical human nature... sad...
I, on the other hand, would like us all to be safer and drive reasonably sized cars that don't crush Civics and Corolla's.
Oh, and GM and FORD just got totally ripped AGAIN for their unsafe trucks. You get t-boned in anything truck like and you'll likely be hurt badly or killed... so much for your safety. They score extremely low on side impact crashes... among other things.