Ramble, ramble, ramble.
Apr. 24th, 2004 06:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conulyhttp://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/04/20/global.warming.ap/index.html
Less than 2 percent of sales are vehicles that get more than 30 miles per gallon
And yet, those are the same people who go out of their way to whine about rising gas prices. I don't understand this. If you're so concerned about gas prices, why don't you change your actions? Then, if you're still upset, you can complain.
Do people think that SUVs are safer? I know I've seen commercials where larger cars (at somewhat cheap prices) are mentioned with the comment "do rich people deserve to feel safer?" There is some evidence to suggest that you are more at risk in an SUV than a smaller car. Actually, by using the highly advanced research tool known as "searching google". Just using the phrase "suv safety", the first 10 sites all made a point of mentioning:
High rollover rates for SUVs
Higher price of gas for SUVs
And my favorite:
Applying engine and fuel efficiency improvements since 1981 towards the improvement of fuel economy would have brought cars on average to approximately 40 mpg, and light trucks to 28 mpg, without any other special effort by automakers. On-the-shelf, currently available technology was also able to augment these gains.
The first two were even mentioned on unbiased sites (true or not, a site designed to fight SUVs is going to be biased).
Not that I know anything about cars. I live in a city which is decent enough to have a good public transportation system and which is fairly pedestrian friendly. Honestly, that's what the country needs, not better cars, but better sidewalks and busses. Oh, and ferries. Best part of my commute :)
Less than 2 percent of sales are vehicles that get more than 30 miles per gallon
And yet, those are the same people who go out of their way to whine about rising gas prices. I don't understand this. If you're so concerned about gas prices, why don't you change your actions? Then, if you're still upset, you can complain.
Do people think that SUVs are safer? I know I've seen commercials where larger cars (at somewhat cheap prices) are mentioned with the comment "do rich people deserve to feel safer?" There is some evidence to suggest that you are more at risk in an SUV than a smaller car. Actually, by using the highly advanced research tool known as "searching google". Just using the phrase "suv safety", the first 10 sites all made a point of mentioning:
High rollover rates for SUVs
Higher price of gas for SUVs
And my favorite:
Applying engine and fuel efficiency improvements since 1981 towards the improvement of fuel economy would have brought cars on average to approximately 40 mpg, and light trucks to 28 mpg, without any other special effort by automakers. On-the-shelf, currently available technology was also able to augment these gains.
The first two were even mentioned on unbiased sites (true or not, a site designed to fight SUVs is going to be biased).
Not that I know anything about cars. I live in a city which is decent enough to have a good public transportation system and which is fairly pedestrian friendly. Honestly, that's what the country needs, not better cars, but better sidewalks and busses. Oh, and ferries. Best part of my commute :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-04-24 11:32 pm (UTC)My mother wanted me to get an SUV because they're safer. Before I got my car (a sports coupe) I'd never driven a car other than my dad's old Camaro. Now that I have a car, I am REALLY glad I didn't get an SUV-- I hate them! And I'd probably hate to drive (I love driving). She was really nervous about my grandparents buying me a car, to boot. But at least it has a steel roll cage and you couldn't roll this thing over if you took a 90 degree turn doing 80.
I'll stop too now. ^^;;
Just want to add-- the Echo is teh oogly!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-24 11:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-25 05:19 am (UTC)SUVs make the road much more dangerous for me, though my car is technically safer than SUVs (it's built better than most, etc). That could also be because it's a Mercedes-- and you DO get what you pay for.
Miami is 75% SUV. This means that I can rarely see around the hulking mammoths around me, and SUV drivers tend to be bullies that foam at the mouth when you don't back off. I've been hit by a couple. I got rear ended pretty damn hard once too. Luckily my car's heavy, if it had been a Toyota I would have gone spinning and it would have crumpled like tin foil.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-24 11:55 pm (UTC)Anyway, SUVs just don't make any sense to me. They're big (read: hard to park), expensive, go through gas faster than I go through orange juice, and not safe for people inside the cab (rollover) or outside (big heavy SUV smash into small light sedan)
Personally, if I had a lot of people or junk that I had to haul on a regular basis, I would probably go with a minivan. But since I have neither, my bike does me just fine well.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-25 12:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-25 05:22 am (UTC)My mom has a pickup truck. She used to have a Tahoe, but we complained mightily that all the fertilizer she hauled made the cab smell. She's one of the few people I've ever met with any use for a truck. And that sucker is impossible to park. I've driven it a few times. Did I mention I hate trucks?