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In my opinion, Hummer H2 started the hate among people toward large SUVs. It came out at the most inopportune time for the company (GM), plus the gas prices started rising, causing the hate toward large SUVs from the "green-minded" folks.
Because certain people have to complain about everything even though it’s none of their business what others drive.
That may be true of some people. I don't hate SUVs or SUV owners or SUV drivers. But I do respond to them differently than I do other vehicles. My own response to big SUVs is driven by the simple fact that they hinder visibility for everyone not in a big SUV or big truck. Visibility is your friend when it comes to the road. So SUV drivers, whether they want to or not, increase their visibility at the cost of others' visibility.
I am a pretty nice driver. I tend to let in people if they signal (which lets me know) that they are trying to change lanes. I even do that for 18-wheelers on the freeway, because I know they, too, sometimes need to pass a slower vehicle. I don't speed up to get ahead of them. And 18-wheelers pass and then move back over. SUV drivers often act like they have cars and can drive as fast and as nimbly as others--which means they routinely block the left lane once they get into it. Thus, as long as it is safe to do so, I do not let SUVs in, I do like most people do for all other vehicles, I speed up to stay ahead of 'em. Why? Because once they get ahead of me in my lane I can't see unless I slow enough to fall twice as far behind them as I would safely be behind any other vehicle. And that creates danger for others behind me and for me (possibly being rear-ended).
What really should happen is SUVs should be deemed HPVs--high profile vehicles--and that designation should have implications for their use on the freeway and on surface streets. On the freeway, they should be prohibited from the far left lane on the highway, because in the left lane they reduce visibility for the very lane designated for higher speeds and thus designated to need more visibility. Their presence in the left lane is, thus, a contradiction. On surface streets SUVs should be prohibited from being parked closer than twenty feet from a cross-walk, because they lower visibility of and for pedestrians. These are laws a rational society would adopt, because of, you know, physics. It has long been clear, however, that we do not live in a rational society. So, . . ..
I know some people for some reasons have to drive SUVs. I have no problem with that. And if someone wants to spend their money on an SUV, I have no problem with that--no one needs to "prove" to me they "need" anything. People should drive what they want to drive and can afford to drive. That said, I do think SUVs should be driven with an understanding of how they impact (no pun intended) other drivers and pedestrians. We could work together to make things work for everyone. But in 21st century America, working together for pretty much anything seems not only impossible, it seems by many to be regarded as an assault, a crime against others' "freedom." So, there you are. I am left to simply protect myself out on the roads as best I can. And, while I'm pretty chill about it, others may not be.
That may be true of some people. I don't hate SUVs or SUV owners or SUV drivers. But I do respond to them differently than I do other vehicles. My own response to big SUVs is driven by the simple fact that they hinder visibility for everyone not in a big SUV or big truck. Visibility is your friend when it comes to the road. So SUV drivers, whether they want to or not, increase their visibility at the cost of others' visibility.
I am a pretty nice driver. I tend to let in people if they signal (which lets me know) that they are trying to change lanes. I even do that for 18-wheelers on the freeway, because I know they, too, sometimes need to pass a slower vehicle. I don't speed up to get ahead of them. And 18-wheelers pass and then move back over. SUV drivers often act like they have cars and can drive as fast and as nimbly as others--which means they routinely block the left lane once they get into it. Thus, as long as it is safe to do so, I do not let SUVs in, I do like most people do for all other vehicles, I speed up to stay ahead of 'em. Why? Because once they get ahead of me in my lane I can't see unless I slow enough to fall twice as far behind them as I would safely be behind any other vehicle. And that creates danger for others behind me and for me (possibly being rear-ended).
What really should happen is SUVs should be deemed HPVs--high profile vehicles--and that designation should have implications for their use on the freeway and on surface streets. On the freeway, they should be prohibited from the far left lane on the highway, because in the left lane they reduce visibility for the very lane designated for higher speeds and thus designated to need more visibility. Their presence in the left lane is, thus, a contradiction. On surface streets SUVs should be prohibited from being parked closer than twenty feet from a cross-walk, because they lower visibility of and for pedestrians. These are laws a rational society would adopt, because of, you know, physics. It has long been clear, however, that we do not live in a rational society. So, . . ..
I know some people for some reasons have to drive SUVs. I have no problem with that. And if someone wants to spend their money on an SUV, I have no problem with that--no one needs to "prove" to me they "need" anything. People should drive what they want to drive and can afford to drive. That said, I do think SUVs should be driven with an understanding of how they impact (no pun intended) other drivers and pedestrians. We could work together to make things work for everyone. But in 21st century America, working together for pretty much anything seems not only impossible, it seems by many to be regarded as an assault, a crime against others' "freedom." So, there you are. I am left to simply protect myself out on the roads as best I can. And, while I'm pretty chill about it, others may not be.
Absolutely on point about the way SUVS block visibility of the road ahead, the same.way that trucks do. This compromises the safety of other cars on the road.
Visibility, dangerous, drive up gas prices for everyone by increasing demand, but mostly because they’re highly likely to have a gaggle of kids in that soccer mom mobile and kids are bigger driving distractions than cell phones ever will be.
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