So happy I can walk everywhere. Imagine if all of suburbia had not been designed around automobiles. Imagine cohesive public transportation systems and sidewalks everywhere. (I realize that, sadly, most towns don't even have sidewalks except in the most downtown parts.)
I got sick of the horrible fuel milage which was about 14 miles per gallon.
I realized I was contributing to the smog in my area by driving a vehicle which exceeded my "needs". After reflection I decided it was a waste of resources to continue guzzling fuel for just myself.
Fellowship
You never cease to amaze me.
Few people would look at themselves with such actual scrutiny and admit their mistake.
---
As for SUVs. The thing that bothers me the most is the vanity and the obviouse implied aggressiveness.
I posted once along time ago that I think that it is not a coincidence that SUVs become more popular as there is more and more news of large scale social strife and large scale weather related uncertainty (GLobal Warming)
Now it seems more pertinent than ever, social strife, bad weather, impending trouble: the designs reveal everything that you need to know:
they are overtly militaristic and overtly aggressive looking, they are about the illusion of power.
They are all about the assertion of one's fragile little penile EGO into an uncertain world: "look at how rich and powerful I am"
They offer the false sense that should the world come to an end escape to the backroads is always a possibility
THey offer the illusion that one is rugged and outdoorsy while at the same time contributing 10times more to the degredation of the outdoorsiness that one pretends to be in touch with
But truly the thing that gets me is that they are merely a symptom of a larger social trend, a movement towards aggressiveness and self-centered egotism, the kind that says "me mine me mine and fuuck you" . . .
I know that many SUV drivers are agressive personality types: angry business women and the kind of men who intimidate you (or try to) with their body language while doing somethng innocuous like shopping . . . this of course, is a generalization, but it is based on experience . . . and the funny thing is is that I think that many of the people I have run into who are like that have no problem with it . . . they actually think that it is really what I want to be like and so they continue with the misguided fantasy that everybody who sneers at their SUVs and likes to shop in peace without intimidation is actually jealous . . . but that's what egoism is: self-absorbed.
The implied power, which is illusory, is also really a sign of living in fear . . .
and the funny thing is is that I think that everybody knows it at a level just below consciouse registration . . . we all know that people get SUVs, and big expensive ones in particular, because they are a symbol of power over death . . . and someone who needs that kind of symbol is living in fear.
Besides the philosophical points, just two things of note:
From talking with family who have SUVs: they are living a sheer delusion about the vehicle's utility. . . and when they are not, then they create the need in order to fit the vehicle. Their justifications sound like hollow plaints: "we need it cause of the kids" . . . yeah . . . but I get by in a smallish Suburu and even manage to haul all sorts of lumber almost every week and lots of building materials and my kid's stuff as well . . .
The other day . . . while visiting Pittsburgh, I was in a very busy parking lot (Whole Foods) where the parking is organized with yellow cones and peole are asked to be patient and wait for the cars in front of you to park. As I was walking I notices a HUGE and very expensive new SUV with a blond on a cell phone waiting in line, whe spotted a car leaving a spot and proceeded to barrel over four cones and cut through the line of cars and in front of the car that should have taken that spot . . .it was a crass display of everything that that kind of vehicle implies for me . . . as she passed I said "you pig!" through the open window.
yes suvs do roll easier, but so do busses and yet we let millions of school kids on them each day without a second thought, and why you ask, because the drivers know how to drive the things, they know and exercise common sense procautions for lager vehicle operation, something most suv drivers don?t do, because they ASSume that it will be just like the old family sedan.
the problem is that SUV driversbarrel down the road thinking they own it, where as busdrivers don't, well ok they might. anyways how do you know buses rollover just as easy as SUVs? how come you don't read about more bus rollovers then? stats please
Few people would look at themselves with such actual scrutiny and admit their mistake.
---
Thanks for the kind words. What is really troubling to think about is down the road when all these SUV's and trucks become older and spew out more emissions and get even worse fuel milage than they do when they are new. Just imagine the air quality and the strain on fuel supplies. I am just thankful I have realized the trends at play here and made the conversion to a car that gets more than double the fuel milage and is a LEV auto. Just imagine the air quality we will face with all these older SUV's and trucks being driven in their older years. I wish more people would look at cleaner burining cars. My next car will very likely be a hybrid.
I really don't get it why people dislike station wagons. Here in Germany, I think the station wagon percentage grew considerately over the past years. Many peoply would like to drive cars like these (and would have a better driving experience than in a SUV):
In Detroit, you'd be safer walking around at the corner Woodward and 8 Mile at 2 am with a sign around your neck saying you pockets are stuffed with $100 bills and you walk with a limp than riding this thing.
In Detroit, you'd be safer walking around at the corner Woodward and 8 Mile at 2 am with a sign around your neck saying you pockets are stuffed with $100 bills and you walk with a limp than riding this thing.
What's sad is the the oil companies could probably afford to buy on for every person on the planet (thereby making them not worth stealing) for about a day's worth of oil revenues. (Made up figure. Anyone want to number crunch that one? Substitute automakers if you want)
I'd love any of those station wagons. Those are nice, sensible cars.
Anyway what is really sad is that Asia is this huge target for peddling SUVs/cars in general. Asia is bad enough emissions wise, just wait 'til SUVs flood the roads there. It's death by extremes. Either you have thousands of crappy mopeds and tiny cars or giant new trendy behemoths.
I can only imagine how thick the air in Bangkok will be once SUVs become popular.
Cool. Glad to see some sanity there. I can't say I'm surprised that it's a *Volvo* that rates high. They did start with a car, after all, and not a truck...
Now, can anyone explain to me the rationale behind *chrome* brush guards?!?? *sigh* Talk about your yuppie bling...
Chrome brush guards should be forbidden. They are dangerous for walkers. I vote for banning them.
Why SUVs Are Unsafe, or The Unbearable Heaviness of Being an SUV
1. Mandated Safety: The US government views trucks in a different light than passenger cars. There are different regulations for gas mileage and safety. The gap on safety is closing, but it?s still there. In general, trucks and truck-based SUVs are designed to lower safety standards.
Many car manufacturers now say that their trucks and SUVs meet government standards. This is a tricky statement. Car manufacturers normally set safety targets for their vehicles. For example, if the government mandates a maximum of 1000 for the head injury criteria (HIC), manufacturers will have an internal goal of 60% of that, or 600 HIC for their passenger vehicles. This builds in the engineer?s safety factor into their testing.
For trucks, however, they don?t have the same internal goal as passenger vehicles, and so they will accept meeting this federally-mandated level. Again, the manufacturers are designing to lower standards, but they don't tell you that.
(This doesn?t mean that all SUVs have bad performance. Unibody, or car-based SUVs typically have similar performance as their passenger car cousin. And sometimes we engineers get lucky with test results.)
2. Physics: It?s true that if an SUV hits a passenger car, the passenger car will take the brunt of the energy transfer. Take a step back on the physics, however. A 5000-lb vehicle takes more energy to stop than a 3000-lb one at the same speed. This usually means longer stopping distances. A large vehicle with more mass also doesn?t change directions very well due to its inertia.
Its higher center-of-gravity will make it inherently less stable (just ask any race car driver), and makes it more prone to rollovers.
Vehicle-to-vehicle accidents will favor an SUV. SUVs are in a high percentage of single-vehicle accidents, however. In these cases, the SUV has little or no advantage over a passenger car.
3. Active Safety: As mentioned in #2 above, an SUV has difficulty turning and stopping quickly. That makes accident avoidance more difficult for its driver. Swerving to avoid deer or nuns pushing baby strollers across the street become problematic. Stopping quickly is a good way to prevent most accidents. I highly recommend it. Just watch out for the SUV behind you that may not be able to stop.
4. Perceived Safety: Most people feel safe in an SUV. They ride high so they can see further. An SUV is big so they feel safer in an accident. (!)
Driver involvement is the biggest safety factor in driving. Being able to see further is useful only if drivers try to look further. Most drivers, SUV or otherwise, look just beyond their bumper. And drivers that feel safe tend not to be as attentive when they?re driving. Why look, when you?re going to be safe anyways? This passive driving mentality is dangerous.
For example, SUVs typically have 4-wheel drive which helps them drive well in the snow. The driver feels in safe and in complete control. Going in the snow is different than stopping in the snow, however. This perception of control will lead a driver to go faster in bad conditions, making stopping harder. In Detroit, you can always tell the first snow fall of the year by counting how many trucks and SUVs are off in the ditches.
Small cars can be safer because they feel unsafe. Their drivers are more attentive because they don?t want to be in an accident. If you feel safe in your car, why worry?
One last example: would you drive more carefully if you had a large spike on your steering wheel pointed at you, or a big, fluffy marshmallow?
[bConclusion:[/b] People who buy SUVs for their perceived safety are deluding themselves. It is possible that in car-to-car accidents, SUVs could be safer than some passenger cars. In single-vehicle accidents, there's no advantage. The advantage to avoiding the accident altogether belongs to the passenger car.
Buy an SUV because it has more room; because you like buying gas; because you like to jump the curb and park in your neighbor?s lawn; because you like running down stray Yugos; because you like giving car manufacturers lots of money for no reason; because you were born in Texas.
Don?t buy it for safety. That?s what Porsches are for.
Chrome brush guards should be forbidden. They are dangerous for walkers. I vote for banning them.
(Not directed at you Powerdoc, only on that subject)
They are good for protecting your grill from skull imprints from pesky pedestrians.
Plus they help the "mexican help" to get up on the hood to clean your car (god knows you or your own children would never be caught dead doing menial labor!)
Comments
So happy I can walk everywhere. Imagine if all of suburbia had not been designed around automobiles. Imagine cohesive public transportation systems and sidewalks everywhere. (I realize that, sadly, most towns don't even have sidewalks except in the most downtown parts.)
Oh well, better luck on Mars.
Originally posted by Fellowship
I got sick of the horrible fuel milage which was about 14 miles per gallon.
I realized I was contributing to the smog in my area by driving a vehicle which exceeded my "needs". After reflection I decided it was a waste of resources to continue guzzling fuel for just myself.
Fellowship
You never cease to amaze me.
Few people would look at themselves with such actual scrutiny and admit their mistake.
---
As for SUVs. The thing that bothers me the most is the vanity and the obviouse implied aggressiveness.
I posted once along time ago that I think that it is not a coincidence that SUVs become more popular as there is more and more news of large scale social strife and large scale weather related uncertainty (GLobal Warming)
Now it seems more pertinent than ever, social strife, bad weather, impending trouble: the designs reveal everything that you need to know:
they are overtly militaristic and overtly aggressive looking, they are about the illusion of power.
They are all about the assertion of one's fragile little penile EGO into an uncertain world: "look at how rich and powerful I am"
They offer the false sense that should the world come to an end escape to the backroads is always a possibility
THey offer the illusion that one is rugged and outdoorsy while at the same time contributing 10times more to the degredation of the outdoorsiness that one pretends to be in touch with
But truly the thing that gets me is that they are merely a symptom of a larger social trend, a movement towards aggressiveness and self-centered egotism, the kind that says "me mine me mine and fuuck you" . . .
I know that many SUV drivers are agressive personality types: angry business women and the kind of men who intimidate you (or try to) with their body language while doing somethng innocuous like shopping . . . this of course, is a generalization, but it is based on experience . . . and the funny thing is is that I think that many of the people I have run into who are like that have no problem with it . . . they actually think that it is really what I want to be like and so they continue with the misguided fantasy that everybody who sneers at their SUVs and likes to shop in peace without intimidation is actually jealous . . . but that's what egoism is: self-absorbed.
The implied power, which is illusory, is also really a sign of living in fear . . .
and the funny thing is is that I think that everybody knows it at a level just below consciouse registration . . . we all know that people get SUVs, and big expensive ones in particular, because they are a symbol of power over death . . . and someone who needs that kind of symbol is living in fear.
Besides the philosophical points, just two things of note:
From talking with family who have SUVs: they are living a sheer delusion about the vehicle's utility. . . and when they are not, then they create the need in order to fit the vehicle. Their justifications sound like hollow plaints: "we need it cause of the kids" . . . yeah . . . but I get by in a smallish Suburu and even manage to haul all sorts of lumber almost every week and lots of building materials and my kid's stuff as well . . .
The other day . . . while visiting Pittsburgh, I was in a very busy parking lot (Whole Foods) where the parking is organized with yellow cones and peole are asked to be patient and wait for the cars in front of you to park. As I was walking I notices a HUGE and very expensive new SUV with a blond on a cell phone waiting in line, whe spotted a car leaving a spot and proceeded to barrel over four cones and cut through the line of cars and in front of the car that should have taken that spot . . .it was a crass display of everything that that kind of vehicle implies for me . . . as she passed I said "you pig!" through the open window.
Originally posted by a_greer
yes suvs do roll easier, but so do busses and yet we let millions of school kids on them each day without a second thought, and why you ask, because the drivers know how to drive the things, they know and exercise common sense procautions for lager vehicle operation, something most suv drivers don?t do, because they ASSume that it will be just like the old family sedan.
the problem is that SUV driversbarrel down the road thinking they own it, where as busdrivers don't, well ok they might. anyways how do you know buses rollover just as easy as SUVs? how come you don't read about more bus rollovers then? stats please
Originally posted by pfflam
You never cease to amaze me.
Few people would look at themselves with such actual scrutiny and admit their mistake.
---
Thanks for the kind words. What is really troubling to think about is down the road when all these SUV's and trucks become older and spew out more emissions and get even worse fuel milage than they do when they are new. Just imagine the air quality and the strain on fuel supplies.
Fellowship
You can almost hear them repeating to themselves:
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon........
Originally posted by dmz
What's really cool is to sit on I-5 in Seattle and look at all the people riding alone in their SUVs.
You can almost hear them repeating to themselves:
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon........
And traffic in Seattle is TRULY a nightmare!!!!
Originally posted by pfflam
And traffic in Seattle is TRULY a nightmare!!!!
I've got it!!
Yuppie Season
(extra points for unsoiled Birkenstocks)
Originally posted by dmz
I've got it!!
Yuppie Season
(extra points for unsoiled Birkenstocks)
?
Originally posted by dmz
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon.
It's not a station wagon........
Exactly.
Originally posted by dmz
It's not a station wagon.
I really don't get it why people dislike station wagons. Here in Germany, I think the station wagon percentage grew considerately over the past years. Many peoply would like to drive cars like these (and would have a better driving experience than in a SUV):
Originally posted by Eugene
The final solution:
In Detroit, you'd be safer walking around at the corner Woodward and 8 Mile at 2 am with a sign around your neck saying you pockets are stuffed with $100 bills and you walk with a limp than riding this thing.
Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights
In Detroit, you'd be safer walking around at the corner Woodward and 8 Mile at 2 am with a sign around your neck saying you pockets are stuffed with $100 bills and you walk with a limp than riding this thing.
What's sad is the the oil companies could probably afford to buy on for every person on the planet (thereby making them not worth stealing) for about a day's worth of oil revenues. (Made up figure. Anyone want to number crunch that one? Substitute automakers if you want)
Anyway what is really sad is that Asia is this huge target for peddling SUVs/cars in general. Asia is bad enough emissions wise, just wait 'til SUVs flood the roads there. It's death by extremes. Either you have thousands of crappy mopeds and tiny cars or giant new trendy behemoths.
I can only imagine how thick the air in Bangkok will be once SUVs become popular.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Cool. Glad to see some sanity there. I can't say I'm surprised that it's a *Volvo* that rates high.
Now, can anyone explain to me the rationale behind *chrome* brush guards?!?? *sigh* Talk about your yuppie bling...
Chrome brush guards should be forbidden. They are dangerous for walkers. I vote for banning them.
1. Mandated Safety: The US government views trucks in a different light than passenger cars. There are different regulations for gas mileage and safety. The gap on safety is closing, but it?s still there. In general, trucks and truck-based SUVs are designed to lower safety standards.
Many car manufacturers now say that their trucks and SUVs meet government standards. This is a tricky statement. Car manufacturers normally set safety targets for their vehicles. For example, if the government mandates a maximum of 1000 for the head injury criteria (HIC), manufacturers will have an internal goal of 60% of that, or 600 HIC for their passenger vehicles. This builds in the engineer?s safety factor into their testing.
For trucks, however, they don?t have the same internal goal as passenger vehicles, and so they will accept meeting this federally-mandated level. Again, the manufacturers are designing to lower standards, but they don't tell you that.
(This doesn?t mean that all SUVs have bad performance. Unibody, or car-based SUVs typically have similar performance as their passenger car cousin. And sometimes we engineers get lucky with test results.)
2. Physics: It?s true that if an SUV hits a passenger car, the passenger car will take the brunt of the energy transfer. Take a step back on the physics, however. A 5000-lb vehicle takes more energy to stop than a 3000-lb one at the same speed. This usually means longer stopping distances. A large vehicle with more mass also doesn?t change directions very well due to its inertia.
Its higher center-of-gravity will make it inherently less stable (just ask any race car driver), and makes it more prone to rollovers.
Vehicle-to-vehicle accidents will favor an SUV. SUVs are in a high percentage of single-vehicle accidents, however. In these cases, the SUV has little or no advantage over a passenger car.
3. Active Safety: As mentioned in #2 above, an SUV has difficulty turning and stopping quickly. That makes accident avoidance more difficult for its driver. Swerving to avoid deer or nuns pushing baby strollers across the street become problematic. Stopping quickly is a good way to prevent most accidents. I highly recommend it. Just watch out for the SUV behind you that may not be able to stop.
4. Perceived Safety: Most people feel safe in an SUV. They ride high so they can see further. An SUV is big so they feel safer in an accident. (!)
Driver involvement is the biggest safety factor in driving. Being able to see further is useful only if drivers try to look further. Most drivers, SUV or otherwise, look just beyond their bumper. And drivers that feel safe tend not to be as attentive when they?re driving. Why look, when you?re going to be safe anyways? This passive driving mentality is dangerous.
For example, SUVs typically have 4-wheel drive which helps them drive well in the snow. The driver feels in safe and in complete control. Going in the snow is different than stopping in the snow, however. This perception of control will lead a driver to go faster in bad conditions, making stopping harder. In Detroit, you can always tell the first snow fall of the year by counting how many trucks and SUVs are off in the ditches.
Small cars can be safer because they feel unsafe. Their drivers are more attentive because they don?t want to be in an accident. If you feel safe in your car, why worry?
One last example: would you drive more carefully if you had a large spike on your steering wheel pointed at you, or a big, fluffy marshmallow?
[bConclusion:[/b] People who buy SUVs for their perceived safety are deluding themselves. It is possible that in car-to-car accidents, SUVs could be safer than some passenger cars. In single-vehicle accidents, there's no advantage. The advantage to avoiding the accident altogether belongs to the passenger car.
Buy an SUV because it has more room; because you like buying gas; because you like to jump the curb and park in your neighbor?s lawn; because you like running down stray Yugos; because you like giving car manufacturers lots of money for no reason; because you were born in Texas.
Don?t buy it for safety. That?s what Porsches are for.
Originally posted by Powerdoc
Chrome brush guards should be forbidden. They are dangerous for walkers. I vote for banning them.
(Not directed at you Powerdoc, only on that subject)
They are good for protecting your grill from skull imprints from pesky pedestrians.
Plus they help the "mexican help" to get up on the hood to clean your car (god knows you or your own children would never be caught dead doing menial labor!)
(That's sardonic by the way!)
Mmm...stupidity
That says everything about what I said above.