Re: SUV Haters Unite

[Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>]

I hate to make an ass of myself, but the fact is that I feel the same 
way as Doug.  Now I realize that there are people in the world (like 
Ted and Russ, perhaps) who have one form of roadgoing truck or 
another for legitimate purposes--towing hauling, offroading, etc. 
However, I have no tolerance for people who buy SUVs to commute on 
the freeway and never have any passengers or cargo in the car, and 
put people at risk of running into a multi-ton body-on-frame truck 
with no crumple zones and bumpers at eye level.  In many cases I 
think these people buy these machines because they think they're 
safe.  Whether or not they're better off than if they were in the 
average passenger car is highly dependent on the nature of the 
accident they have, but they're certainly no safer than if they just 
bought a Volvo wagon.  And in the meantime they put other drivers at 
incredible risk, because their only means of absorbing impact energy 
in a collision is to crush the occupants of the vehicle that they run 
into.  So when a Firstone tire fails on an Explorer and a family of 
unbelted idiots gets smeered across the freeway, I don't feel the 
least bit sorry.  If they expected not to die on the freeway they 
should have worn their seatbelts and not been driving a truck. 
Additionally, they were driving a vehicle that kills people as its 
means of protecting them in a multi-vehicle collision.  So either 
they die from their own stupidity (and a flawed tire) or their 
stupidity kills someone else in a multivehicle collision later.  So 
I'd rather see them die.  The same goes for a flaming Blazer by the 
side of the road.  Certainly, their misfortune probably had nothing 
to do with the type of vehicle, but it's one less SUV on the road, 
and there is certainly some humor in the fact that, like my 
hypothetical Explorer owner in the previous example, they probably 
bought the thing to be "safe" at the expense of other people's lives. 
So yes, I'll laugh with Doug, even though our GTV6's are 
statistically a lot more likely to burst into flames.  And if SUVs 
are more likely to get targeted by carjackers in London, well maybe 
that will discourage people from driving SUVs in London, which is 
perhaps the environment least-suited to SUV use of all.  Once again, 
if people are dumb enough to buy such a vehicle because they think 
it's safe, I can only find it mildly amusing when something bad 
happens to them.  That sounds horrible, and I guess it's really not 
what I meant, just that I have no sympathy for any misfortune that 
comes to someone driving such an inherently unsafe vehicle when they 
don't actually need a truck.  Flame away...

At 9:28 AM -0500 2/23/02, alfa-digest wrote:
>Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 23:58:06 -0800
>From: "Ted Williams" <tedw@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: SUV Haters Unite
>
>"At least they are getting car-jacked in London now so maybe they'll stop
>buying them"
>
>Nick! Oh great....so now car jackings are cool....violent crime is ok...its
>preventative infact! As long as it happens to one of those stupid SUV
>driving idiots, right? Honestly, I can't take that comment too seriously.
>And then there's the bit about the friend that has a cool SUV (some of my
>best friends are SUV drivers!)
>
>
>"i saw an suv (it was a chevy blazer, seriously!) on the side of the road
>engulfed in flames.    MADE MY DAY!!!  :>)"
>
>Doug...Doug Doug Doug....I find it sad that someone finds another person's
>misfortune amusing.....remember this is only motor vehicle we're talking
>about. Now you're stoked when you see someone's car on fire? Were they in
>it? Did you get a picture.
>
>Seriously though, if it stops too slow, and you're a good driver, you don't
>drive too fast and you compensate. Seriously, there are far worse things
>happening to people everyday than driving SUVs. All this talk is silly, and
>meaningless. So everyone go on and hate us SUV owners. Bash us all, then
>maybe we'll get our own parade. Hell...we could all form our own SUV driving
>Alfa owners list...split the group in two. I don't care if this debate is
>getting the better of me, I think the idea of hating someone because of what
>car they own is idiotic, and I feel bad for anyone that is actually serious.
>
>Ugh,
>
>Ted

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