Speeding SUV's - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

08/22/2003 08:49:30 PM · #1

Large number of SUV drivers drive like maniacs on the US roads,they think SUV gives them freedom to go anywhere and do anything!

Taken in Colorado ,IL licence plate on US40

rcrawford

Nikon D300

08/22/2003 11:58:18 PM · #2

That is a provocative assertion; do you have any data to support it?

goodtempo

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

08/23/2003 06:12:19 AM · #3

Very true, but this might be more accurate:

Large number of drivers drive like maniacs on the US roads!

Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM

08/23/2003 06:14:27 AM · #4

Originally posted by goodtempo:

Very true, but this might be more accurate:

Large number of drivers drive like maniacs on the US roads!

But I also think that self-esteem comes stronger with the size of the vehicle!

medic391

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

08/23/2003 06:25:02 AM · #5

It's not the size that matters, It's how you use it.

autool

Canon EOS-20D

08/23/2003 06:25:51 AM · #6

Pitsaman,

I think the picture would have been a good entry in "Trends". IMO they are just plain dangerous to both their occupants and everyone in their way. In California they go barreling by you and the drivers have a look of complete confidence that they are protected from everything. It's a big ego trip for them unsuspecting folks.

medic391

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

08/23/2003 06:31:24 AM · #7

As my screen name implies, medic is a medic. I have seen way too many accidents in the last 8 years. It's not just the drivers of suv's. It's anybody who drives too fast and exceeds their ability to handle what they are driving. There is an unwritten rule in EMS, 90% of all trauma is caused by stupidity.

myqyl

Nikon D3100

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR

08/23/2003 07:57:48 AM · #8

Originally posted by rcrawford:

That is a provocative assertion; do you have any data to support it?

Anyone that drives a small car in Southern California has plenty of supporting data in their rear view mirror... Usually about 6 inches from their rear bumber.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

08/23/2003 08:02:30 AM · #9

Here are some facts from the Detroit Project:

Myth: SUVs are safer than cars.

Reality: SUVs are no safer than cars for their occupants, and pose much greater dangers for other road users. SUV occupants die slightly more often than car occupants in crashes. The occupant death rate in crashes per million SUVs on the road is 6 percent higher than the death rate per million cars. The occupant death rate for the largest SUVs, which tend to be driven by middle-aged families, is 8 percent higher than the occupant death rate for minivans and upper-midsize cars like the Ford Taurus and Toyota Camry, which are typically driven by similar families. SUV occupants are much more likely than car occupants to die in a rollover, which accounts for about 1,000 more deaths a year than if the same people had been in cars. In collisions with other vehicles, however, SUVs are nearly three times as likely as cars to kill other drivers, inflicting another 1,000 unnecessary deaths a year among motorists who would have survived if hit instead by cars of the same weight. SUVs also contribute much more than cars to air pollution, causing up to 1,000 extra deaths a year among people with respiratory ailments.

dacrazyrn

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

08/23/2003 09:13:21 AM · #10

Originally posted by medic391:

I shall concur, being the one that recieves these people after medic391 scrapes em up. It is almost always someone not obeying the traffic laws and speeds. Going back and forth to work (I am in CO) I see it constantly. The interstate is 75mph, and the highways are 65mph, alot of people think that whatever the speed limit says, 10mph over is the limit.
I am not too sure about the "facts" in that Detroit study, either. Why would SUV occupants be much more likely to die in a rollover than someone in a car? They contribute more air pollution than cars? All vehicles have to pass emmisions, right? That is a standard. I have seen some old, circa 70's cars that blow out enough pollution to account for all the SUV's on the road. Most likely the extra 1000 deaths of people with respiratory ailments, was more likely the air pollution that comes from the cigarettes they continue to smoke through their tracheostomy (hole in the throat). How come they all were 1000 extra deaths also?
I am not sure this was a very scientific study and more an opinion.
Edit: I just looked this up and it is all provided by Americans for fuel efficient cars. I like the idea, but I don't like the messages they provide. It is not only SUV's that cause air pollution.

Message edited by author 2003-08-23 13:19:31.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/23/2003 10:00:09 AM · #11

SUVs produce more pollution because they burn a gallon of gas for every 12-14 miles they drive, where as a fuel-efficient car may be able to drive anything from 24-48 miles on that same gallon of gas.

Most people don't NEED a 6-liter V8 with 350 horsepower to drive to the supermarket. These are an egregious waste of resources, and undoubtedly have more to do with ego and marketing than safety. SUVs by Lexus, Mercedes, Cadillac, BMW -- these are not designed for people routinely on safari ....

jimmythefish

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

08/23/2003 10:07:04 AM · #12

Ford's coming out with an Escape hybrid next summer, and if it's not too expensive I'm seriously going to consider it. I'd love the space (I currently have a Miata). The interesting thing is that its specs are much better on fuel in-town (35-40mpg) as that's when the electric is used most often. The highway driving it gets ~30mpg.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/23/2003 10:12:09 AM · #13

VW JETTA TDI will take you from Chicago to Atlanta (700 miles )with one tank or 24 $ !
Explorer, you need 2 tanks or 66 $ for same distance!!!!!!!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

08/23/2003 10:13:08 AM · #14

The same is true of the Toyota Prius hybrid as well. One reason hybrids get better mileage in town is that the gas engine is turned completely off when you are stopped (at signals, etc.) and so you burn NO gas while idling.

We should be on track for fuel cell cars fairly soon. Those would be completely non-polluting if we can figure out a clean way to make and store the hydrogen.

rcrawford

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

08/23/2003 10:57:30 AM · #15

This thread points out a very interest social dynamic. I understand that to some of you SUVs are only for the weak that need their ego boosted by driving a large powerful SUV and it makes you feel very superior to point that out. I, on the other hand, drive an SUV and honestly can say that ego was never part of the equation. I also enjoy boating and need an SUV to tow my boat. Since SUVs, Boats and nice Digital Cameras are so expensive, I can't afford to buy anther car (and pay insurance on it) so I'm left to driving my SUV to the grocery store. However I don't even own a cell phone and I think that people that can't be alone in the car for 5 minuets without talking to someone are pathetically codependent and cause more death and destruction on the highway than SUVs. Of course this is just my viewpoint and doesn't make me right or wrong. Which brings me back to the social dynamic, the only way we can all enjoy any level of personal freedom is to allow other people to do/engage in activities that we don't understand. The old sayings "Live and let live" or "Mind your own business" may sum it up well.

Gekker

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

08/23/2003 11:06:44 AM · #16

My self-esteem is so high I can admit that I drive a minivan, and LOVE it! A Ford Windstar to be exact, rated safest in crash tests. So I can speed all I want, putting my family at extreme risk, knowing that if we crash, most likely we will walk away with only a few scratches! woohoo!

medic391

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

08/23/2003 11:10:26 AM · #17

I drive a 4wd ford pickup truck, not beacuse it makes me more than what I am, but because it gets me to where I need to be when the snow is knee deep.

Gekker

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

08/23/2003 11:13:30 AM · #18

Oh, good point medic, I highly recommend minivans for snowy areas, never gotten stranded yet. Keeps me on the roads and pushed through deep snow banks.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/23/2003 11:28:50 AM · #19

Originally posted by rcrawford:

I didn't mean to imply that NO ONE needed an SUV, just that in the already traffic-choked urban/suburban environs I live in, they are far too often used (and designed) inappropriately. I'm going to guess that 95% of the SUVs registered within 25 miles of me have never ventured onto so much as a dirt road, much less sullied a gully (sorry).

John Wayne NEEDED his Land Rover in "Hatari!" to capture a rhinocerous, but I'm not sure you really need Hella FouFou just to negotiate downtown L.A.

freeride21a

Canon PowerShot A70

08/23/2003 11:28:53 AM · #20

I drive one cuz i have a small penis ARE YOU DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ME!!!