I think you are using the argument that people drive less safe when they are in SUVs. Assuming you drive the same way, I don't see why SUV would be less safe than a sedan.
drivers are less agile in SUVs than small cars. Driving a small car makes it more likely to avoid an accident all together. There is no question that you are more likely to get hurt in an accident if you are in a small car, but what people fail to recognize is that they have a much better chance of avoiding the accident all together. It is a tad less tangible, but...
Here's my rig... I use it for hauling groceries and taking my two kids to dance class... let me tell you, you really need this kind of room when you're carrying things like tap shoes or that extra large bottle of ketchup. OK, in reality I have 2 mid-sized SUVs... at least they were mid-sized when I bought them... now they are probably subcompact SUVs. We used to live at 7,000+ where it snowed a lot and school/work were only cancelled for a foot or more of snow. Since we moved to the middle of the Mojave Desert, we don't really need them, but I've applied for a few jobs that would put us back in Winter's grip should I get selected, so we'll hold on to them for now. Plus, we occasionally go camping and a high-clearance 4wd rig comes in handy driving around the mountains and deserts of the great SW. Still, if I lived and commuted in Houston, you'd see my big ass in a Prius. I'm lucky in that at work I get to drive some tough rigs into tough places, which is a lot of fun... but even the rigs we use for fire and field don't look that different from the basic line of trucks and they don't need to... the jacked up, tricked out trucks are just ridiculous and I guarantee most of the drivers wouldn't know what to do if they found themselves off pavement on challenging terrain. You can spot these guys because they like to brag about how their bed doesn't have any scratches... well, it's a truck... it's designed to haul things. If you don't have scratches in your bed, you're a poseur. You talk to these guys and they all claim to be "good family" men yet they spend 1/3 of their income on their "hobby" of building an absurd ride while their kids wear hand-me-downs and wonder why Daddy spends so much time at the Auto-Parts store. Of course, it's the same with golf and a bunch of other stuff. Anyway, I find it interesting and depressing.
lol we must go by the way of the prius jk your preference....this is the first forum where ive done this where people have responded and taken time to think. i did this same thing on the texas kicks ass forum on myspace and they FLIPPED OUT! they were like, oil is never ending, bush is god and blah blah blah. one of them even said if god drove a car, it would be a truck. so i dont go there anymore lol.
Here's why people buy SUVs...(other than the fact there's no reason they shouldn't) Case 1: "Hi, I drive a minivan" -me Type of girl you'll get: Case 2: "Hi, I drive an escalade" Type of girl you'll get:
Chapparrall Village and Barkuloo Park, represent. What is up with the serial rapist? I'm assuming he's a Sterling and Baytown Jr. grad, or just snuck over "Le Bridge" from La Porte. Or maybe it's [former mayor-elect Bobby Credille], or [Lee High School Goverment teacher Gary Clark], who was carted out on handcuffs on Fox 26 Midday News on my last day at Baytown Lee.
I needed the space to haul things, but I wasn't insecure about my penis, so I didn't think an SUV was right for me. I got a station wagon instead, save a bit on gas, and can dodge danger just fine. Don't need to worry about picking up chicks since I already have one, but girls have said that a guy without a family who drives a station wagon has a lot of confidence.
Pollution and safety aside, I can't see why you wouldn't want a truck of some sort. Gas mileage and pollution is undebatable. Cars are less harmful to the environment than trucks. Safety - well, you've seen the arguments both ways. So, unless you really really really really want to drive like Mario Andretti or something, if all else was equal, why not get a truck? Whether you never use the bed or back space, or use it all the time, at least you have that option. As mentioned above, though, all else is obviously not equal right now. I think the safety issue is getting better - new trucks can drive as well as some new cars, and driving safe is as much a personal style than a function of what you drive. But the mileage argument, right now, is hard to get past. So I have a car. Once truck mileage's start improving, or more alternative energy choices become available in trucks, I will probably get one.
im not judging, im saying that it may not be the best thing to drive a pickup or SUV nowadays. considering all of houston is gonna be underwater in the next century.
That would be true if the SUV and small car got the same fuel efficiency. I drive a 2-door Honda Civic and I love it. I'm a single guy living in a city and there is no reason for me to drive anything larger on a daily basis. Driving a larger vehicle just means more gas and less parking spaces. That said I've been considering buying a truck or SUV since I've been working on my house and playing in a band its a real pain trying to haul lumber or a bunch or gear in a Civic. If I do get a truck I would probably only drive it once or twice a week.
Well I don't really care for SUVS or minivans (I hate minivans) because they scream soccer mom and have been popularized by the stereotypical suburbia family. I don't wanna be a part of that. I don't like cars either, because they lack power and space. So I'm just happy driving my truck, and if I had the money I'd jack it up too. It gets ok gas mileage, has a good engine, space for kids, plenty of cargo room and looks good...basically everything I could ask for in a vehicle. And when it's time to get something a little better suited for a family I suppose I'd probably get a double cab instead of an extended. It doesn't matter what type of vehicle you get, car, van, suv, cuv, truck...if you don't know how to drive them right, your gas is gonna be expensive, you're gonna get into accidents and people are gonna get injured regardless.
how does 'knowing' how to drive a truck make your gas cheaper? and if i recall theres plenty of sedans with more power than needed. take the chevy impala for example. it has a V8. heck V6s are more than enough.
One huge but often ignored benefit of a truck or SUV is the ability to see above traffic. I have a small SUV and it has saved me from a possible wreck on more than one occasion. Sitting in a small car behind a truck or SUV makes life much more difficult.
