fishigan

Used to be..........til he got run over by a pick up truck.

fishigan

Does your mother know you are on the computer talking like this?

mirona

Snappy comeback! Congratulations, you just pulled out one of the most overused last-ditch argument enders on the internet! You could have at least gone retro and pulled out, "I know you are but what am I?" For your work on keeping web arguments lame, I would like you to present you with the key to the internet!

TexasGuy

Still amazed by the generalization in this statement. For me SUVs are willing to pull over to the left if traffic allows them when passing me. Not that I really care, in fact I sometimes find it more annoying because their tires make a rhythmic thumping sound as https://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/nc...cts.d2w/report

fishigan

Mirona, I suppose you have probably heard that alot. Could be a reason for that.

moore.speed

I drive a small car (miata) and ride a road bike. I usually try to keep off heavily used roads because of the increased danger of being hit. I wipe out enough as it is to have to worry about being hit by a car too . As far as SUVs and choice; they pollute more and take up more space (our parking spaces are much bigger here in the US than in other places). I think people are overconfident and therefore are not as alert to their surroundings because they are in a large vehicle (vans and big sedans included). This makes them more a hazard to other drivers. I know that I am a bit more alert when driving the miata as opposed to my mom's villager or mark VIII because I know I weigh about 1500 lbs less than most vehicles and I am low to the ground, with no roof to protect me. It also helps that I can brake and turn MUCH better than just about any other vehicle (a modified miata holds the all-time slalom record for a road car, I believe). I also think that some of the things said about the safety of SUVs are true in some cases. SUVs use a ladder-type frame-on-body design that has been around since the model T. It does not afford the same energy-absorbing capabilites as a monocoque (unit-body) car does in a crash. It is also heavier, with brakes and tire contact patch comparable to those found on a normal car. Coupled with their high center of gravity, these attributes mean that SUVs handle and brake poorly when compared to a passenger car or even a minivan. Soooo...accident avoidance is diminished, and given their large size, the danger to drivers of smaller cars (like me!) is increased. So it's not just about personal choice; like many decisions you make, this one affects other people as well, probably more than it affects you. I think this is the point that many people are trying to make. It is selfish to think that your lifestyle and driving preferences are more important than the lives of the other people around you.

Bibliography:
My own personal experience:
Senior, Mechanical Engineering, NC State University
Personally helped in the design and construction of 2 FSAE race cars
Driven in several major US cities (DC, Houston, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Tucson etc.) as well as mainland Japan
Driven following cars at some length: Ford explorer, suzuki sidekick, mazda miata, lincoln mark VIII, mercury villager, chevy
silverado 1500 Z71, chrysler LHS
Carrol Smith's Tune to Win
Alan Staniforth's Race and Rallye Car Source Book

krazyderek

just as a general comment, i've noticed around my area, an equal number of cars, trucks, and SUV's pull over far to the right when waitting in line for a stop sign or light. After getting mad at them (considering they just passed me a couple hundred meters ago and know i'm right behind them), i just chuckle and either try and squeeze thru, or just cut thru traffic and pass them on the outside (safety permitting, ie:red light, big string of stopped traffic).

SoonerBent

Yeah, there are probably people who buy SUVs because they have some TBP (tiny body part) issues or something. But as an owner of an Avalanche I don't like the idea of all SUVs and drivers being dumped into the same category. People are what cause the problems not the vehicle. Some people would be a-holes if they were driving a Yugo.

SS

ViperZ

There are probably people with small body parts that also buy Ultra Exotic/Expensive bike names to compensate as well

To each their own, I will not be one to cast the stone for life is ever evolving, live and let live.

CardiacKid

Unless you are taking a right at the next light, why do you do this? It's only going to save you a few seconds and really pi$$ off the cars you just passed, who now have to try and safely pass you again.
I make it a rule to try and not intentionally upset someone who has a more powerful weapon in their possession.
You do stupid things like this and then get on this site and whine about how drivers are mean. A little empathy might help.

jlin453

Good one

mirona

Seen it, not heard it, but thanks for taking so much interest in me! If you think of me as a child, why is it that you are arguing with me? You have a lot to make up for, I see. Go buy another SUV so people will think you're a big man. I've said all I have to say here. Toodles, muffin!

fishigan

I suppose I could do that. How about an Element? I still love you. Don't hate those you do not know.

jhota

where did i say we "needed" a Land Rover? i didn't. as for the idiot in your example, so what?

we've taken the Landie through water deep enough it was cresting over the bonnet (it floods 'round here sometimes). i've driven it through slop to unstick my uncle's K-Jimmy. it always has the drop hitch mounted, and usually gets hooked up to the trailer a couple times a week. it's towed home almost every other car in our driveway at one time or another. it's moved myself and three of my former roomates multiple times. it's a matter of utility, not style. when we bought it, we looked at every truck and SUV GM and Ford offered, as well as Toyota, Honda, Isuzu and Subaru. most of the Japanese stuff wasn't heavy-duty enough, and the US stuff was too big or too crappy. so we got a Land Rover - replacing our 8 year-old, 200k mile GMC 1500 pickup. the Disco has 180k on it now and is still going strong (better than the GMC was at that point, anyway). true, the GMC went through a category 4/5 hurricane and the Disco hasn't, but other than that, it's been a good truck.

so do we "need" it? probably not. my Civic wagon had a trailer hitch - but it's only 2wd and very low to the ground. plus, it can only pull so much before the trailer pushes it. none of the three Jags has a hitch (or much cargo room), so that's right out. and i doubt the Spitfire would be a good utility vehicle either. but we could make do without it. but it makes life a lot easier not to have to rent a truck when you want to pick up some drywall, plywood or topsoil.

captin pank

https://www.chicagocriticalmass.org/f...d=9&format=JPG

What my real problem with having cars, boats, motorcycles, etc. is that it's a really inefficient way to use oil. We should be saving it for our plastic products, synthetic fabrics, medical equipment, bike tires, paint, helmets, and on and on and on goes the list of products made with oil (quite impressive, really, what we can do with oil). We really need to ween ourselves off of oil as a product for transportation so that we can keep our other products made w/ oil cheap.

mirona

You would consider an Element? Those things are downright ugly! I don't care what people drive, really, just don't be a jerk behind the wheel. I drive a pickup because I need to haul construction equipment, heavy tools, and refuse on a daily basis. Any other time, I use my bike as transportation (have put more miles on bike than truck). The OP asked if most aggressive acts came from SUV's, and in my area, yes is the answer. Sorry if I've been a d**k, but in the last few years my townsfolk have traded their Benz's and Bimmers for Escalades and Navigators. For the most part, these vehicles are way too big for their way small skill level.

Oh, and if you really loved me, you would place a kindly response in this thread

jlin453

Damn, you have a lot of vehicles.

MacMan

Gotta say ... this is right on the money!

fishigan

Peace dude.
I got to thinking....I ride my bike to work every day that I can since I got it. I actually have driven the car (350Z) to work 4 times in the last 3 months. The wife drives the suv to work, to take the kids to school and to basketball camp and so on and so forth.
But, either way...we agree to be free.

dfw

The products you mentioned are made with the petroleum byproducts of fuel production. So actually the reverse is true. We need to burn more gas so those other products will be cheaper.

dfw

I take that as a definite, "No" to his question.

shimanopower

Hey knutz! I would of done the same. He deserved something for jeopardizing your daughter and expressing no remorse for it.

noisebeam

None of us were there so we can't know what really happened and will of course give you the benefit of the doubt, but a few thoughts...

I don't know of any public (vs. private drives and parking lots) residential areas that have speed limits of 10mph. It seems cyclist fell into a lapse of innattention (not an excuse) or there was some other unexplained circumstance that lead to the incident.
Riding hard (which is irresponsible in places like this) can make one less attentive, crashing and pain can make one say stupid things (like blaming your daughter) All cyclists I know want to avoid at all costs crashing, especially when riding 25mph on pavement. This means swerving to avoid potholes, let alone a young child. No cyclist, except a deranged one with issues, wants to intentionally crash into a child.
Rage can make one react stupidly in response to a person who was not riding responsibly, but also not intentionally endangering you and your daughter. After getting kicked, they probably left the scene feeling less bad about it and learning less of a lesson vs. had you (done the near impossible) and offered to help them up while calmly lecturing them about speed and attentivess. But that is easy to say after the fact.

Drivers kill people daily due to lapses of inattention and other irresponsible behaviors.

Al

mirona

Did you even read our latest correspondences, or are you just jumping in to get the last word?

dfw

Your response just reminded me of another Land Rover owner who boasted the same thing about being able to go anywhere. I was also making the point that nobody has a "need" for a vehicle. So anyone's choice on a vehicle is really just a matter of preference. So who are any of us vehicle owners to criticize someone else's choice?