Originally Posted by
CptjohnC
Pardon me, but your narrow minded prejudice is showing.
Didja ever think that some or even many of the folks in this forum might drive SUVs and still <gasp> commute on bikes? I don't happen to own an SUV, but I might someday soon (as the available alternatives for large families keep dwindling -- RIP most minivans and station wagons). Or perhaps you're right, and if I buy one I will instantly become bike unfriendly (and suicidal?).
I know that your comment is meant to be hyperbole and somewhat tongue in cheek (right?) but I don't think it is helpful or interesting.
That said, I got yelled at by one or more teenage girls in mommy or daddy's Escalade ESV yesterday as I rode on the right hand side/shoulder of a divided 4 lane hwy. But I have experienced just as many rude events from small, economy cars. And actually, I'll put Porsche, Mercedes and BMW drivers (regardless of style or model) as top on my rude parade, far ahead of the run-of-the-mill SUV.
Part of the problem with SUVs is not just the rudeness of the drivers (I don't think they are particularly worse than any other group of drivers for road rage), but the ridiculous lack of visibility they give to the sides and back. I think this contributes to a lot of right-hook accidents in SUVs and pickups, for example. So there may be a combination of intentional road rage and unintentional lack of visibility.
Statistically, pickup trucks are involved in more fatalities than any other vehicle type, just in absolute numbers (sports cars often have a higher fatality rate, but not nearly as many people drive them). This is in large part due to the fact that pickups and SUVs are far more likely to kill people in other vehicles than smaller cars are. Pickups, additionally, have problems with driver behavior (this is a well researched fact, not just a stereotype). People who drive pickups tend to drive more aggressively and drive drunk a lot more often (presumably in large part because the distribution of people who drive them skews towards young males).