[at-l] Why off topic, SUV's

[TrailR@xxxxxxx (TrailR@xxxxxxx)]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
In a message dated 1/7/2003 1:10:15 PM Eastern Standard Time,
tacombs99@hotmail.com writes:

> POG, I don't think this article is aimed at you.  In fact, I'm certain it is
> not.  The article (and the study it explains) is, in my interpretation, an
> illustration of how foolish it is to buy and use an SUV as an urban attack
> vehicle.  You do wonderful things like rescuing cold hikers in your
> car--good for you.  But put your SUV in a city with thousands of others
> like
> it, and it indeed becomes a weapon.

The article starts out calling ALL SUV owners jerks.  The bigger the SUV,
the bigger the jerk.  The Author doesn't differentiate.... SUV = Jerk

I guess it does apply, no matter what nice things you might do with your
SUV. As for the Gun reference, I agree with POG. I see why she got pissed
off...

I thought POG was "on target" with her comments. Shoot, she did good....

I also ride bicycles, so I see your bike commuter point too.

Russ (hotdog - Classs of 2003)
<A HREF="www.trailjournals.com">www.trailjournals.com</A>

Chevy Tahoe, SUV - Class of 2000
NRA Member
ATC Life member
Adventure cycling member

As a dedicated bike commuter, my life
>
> is jeopardized every day by these vehicles, even if the drivers of them are
> sympathetic and caring, simply because they are so big (they routinely run
> me off of the road into ditches, curbs, or parked cars), and because they
> are so dirty (every day i suck in tens of thousands of liters of exhaust,
> and trust me, my lungs can tell the difference between a Ford Expedition
> and
> a Honda Civic).  SUV's also harm us in other ways.  A few days ago I came
> upon the intersection of 2 three-lane, one-way streets.  The intersection
> was completely blocked, causing an angry line of motorists in idling cars,
> by a collision between a Ford Expedition and a GMC Yukon.  How can 2 cars
> completely stop traffic in SIX lanes for an HOUR?  Because they are huge,
> ugly, wasteful monstrosities.  I laughed despite myself as I rode my bike
> through the mayhem--I guess I like seeing bullies beat each other up.
> No, the working SUVs that actually are used for all of their utilities are
> not the problem.  It's the candy-a$$ed city-slicker 4-wheel drive Mercedes
> status symbols that screw it up for the rest of us.
>
> -cheeseburger
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <KarenS62@aol.com>
> To: ""Bob C."" <ellen@clinic.net>; <greyowl@rcn.com>
> Cc: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 12:39 PM
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Why off topic, SUV's
>
>
> In a message dated 1/7/2003 11:30:40 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> ellen@clinic.net writes:
>
> >http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14839
>
> Okay, I've been good and have stayed out of the flame wars for weeks now,
> if
> not months. So I figure I have earned this right to comment. I am not
> trying
> to start a flame war, but there is one line in that article which really,
> truly pissed me off.
>
> "Sport utility vehicles have become like guns: Everyone knows they're
> dangerous, but you can't exactly force millions of Americans to give them
> up
> overnight. "
>
> It's general comments like this that make me question everything the author
> has to say. Guns are NOT dangerous, it's the people who misuse them
> (typically illegal owners) that are dangerous. Just like a gun, if an
> irresponsible driver is driving an SUV then yes, it is dangerous. I have
> seen plenty of drivers who think just because they have four-wheel drive,
> they can speed on ice. Well, that just means there's 4 wheels slipping. But
> suddenly, it is that the fault of the vehicle. It's so typical that the
> tool
> gets blamed for the human operating it.
>
> Personally, I own both a SUV and guns. I am responsible in my use of both
> and am well versed in the appropriate safety measures of their operation. I
> get as good, and sometimes better, gas milage out of my current vehicle
> than
> I have from my past four which include a Suzuki Sidekick (which is that
> class of mini-suvs that even the DMV doesn't know how to classify), a four
> door Subaru Legacy sedan and a Jeep CJ7.  I often follow old cars (and the
> mini-vans the author thinks are the solution to everything) around this
> little city of mine who are spewing so many fumes you can see and smell
> them
> a half mile away. My vehicle is in good repair and runs efficiently.
>
> Now, do I really "need" an SUV?  That could be debatable. I probably don't
> even "need" a vehicle, but it is a tool that allows me to accomplish what I
> feel is important to me.  Have I used it to it's full extent? Oh yeah. I
> can
> transport five hikers, with packs, and have. I can sleep in the back, and
> have. I have needed and used my four wheel drive five times in the last
> month, including bringing two very chilled hikers from Max Patch to their
> own vehicle which they had to abandon three miles down the road. Having the
> security of a relaible vehicle with four wheel drive allows me the freedom
> to access some of my favorite hiking areas in all seasons.  Anything that
> contributes to my ability to get out in the woods is a good thing in my
> book.
>
> The real issue here is that there is an abundance of idiots in the world -
> SUVs or not. In my teens, I remember being a passenger going 108 MPH over a
> long, wet high bridge crossing the Thames River on I95 and swerving from
> lane to lane. Were we in an SUV? Nope, we were in a Mercury sedan. There is
> no doubt we were being idiots, but that had nothing to do with what
> specific
> vehicle we were in, it had to do with being 16.
>
> Our society tends to blame the "tool" instead of the human using the tool.
> This holds true for SUVs, guns, cell phones and even eating while driving.
>
> I'm stepping off my soap box.
>
> POG
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