OT - SUV drivers

[sabotai]

Why are they so stupid?

It's snowing horribly right now in New Jersey. I just drove for an hour and a half through it going at 15-20 MPH because any faster, and my car might lose control and spin.

What makes SUV drivers think they can keep going fast even through inches of snow? All the time, I hear stories in the news and see for myself about how an SUV slid or drove off a highway because of road conditions. All the time!

Twice on my drive home I saw an automobile in a ditch on the side of 295. And both times that automobile was an SUV. Even then, several times I saw an SUV drive fast (est. at about 35-45) in the left lane. Keep in mind that NO ONE is driving in the left lane because the left lane is COVERED by a few inches of snow. Yet these idiots just drive on through. On one of the occasions, the SUV on the side of the road was an SUV that passed me 5 minutes prior to me passing it.

Is it the marketing of SUV's that make people think that snow and heavy rain can't effect them? Or is it just the general mentality over having an SUV that makes them feel invincible?

(Yes, I do know there are responsible SUV drivers. But in heavy rain and snow, it's 95% of the people drving as though it didn't matter were in SUV's.)

[bbor]

SUV driver have to understand...although they can go through a lot more snow than normal cars...they CAN'T stop any faster.

[Blackadar]

Well, 4 wheel drive will stop you a bit faster, but only on snow. Perhaps "stop" isn't a good term. It'll keep you in control better. Couple that with ABS and you have a pretty formidable snow vehicle. Once on ice, it doesn't matter - and that's what gets the SUV drivers.

Besides, I find it funny that a lot of SUV drivers aren't driving ones with 4 wheel drive capabilities. They just wanted the look.

[sabotai]

My car has 4 wheel drive. On a few inches of snow, it doesn't matter. If you're sliding...you're sliding.

EDIT: On snow that has been "packed" down, yes, 4 wheel drive helps a lot. My mom has a Mustang that does not have 4 wheel drive and she can't even drive if there's any snow on the ground...

However, 4 wheel drive doesn't do all that much when it's SNOWING and the snow that is on the ground is not packed and still kind of loose and floating around.

[sooner333]

I'm not sure it's all just a look for people without 4x4 SUV's. Think in Oklahoma, how often does it snow enough to need four-wheel drive? Not often. However, the SUV's provide better towing capabilities because of the power. Many people use them to tow boats to lakes, etc. I'm not sure its all just a look. That being said, the SUV I drive is 4x4, but that's because we lived in California and went up to the Sierras a lot.

[Kodos]

I think SUV drivers also tend to talk on their cell phones more than other drivers when they're on the road. The sooner laws are passed to stop this, the better.

[Daimyo]

A couple years back it snowed so bad around New Year's that the interstate between Indianapolis and Chicago was closed for several days due to ice. When they finally opened it my family and I had to make the trip to get me back to college after the holidays. We saw at least 20 cars off the road on the trip and I think all but one or two were SUV's (several of which we thought we remembered passing us shortly before).

[3ric]

How many cars (not just SUVs) over there have studded winter tyres? Curious, because here, it's about 80% of the cars that has them. How many cars involved in accidents drove with winter tyres at all (studded or studless) ?

[dread]

I know as a SUV driver that my vehicle is inpenetrable and will stop at any distance no matter the speed and that cell phone use makes me more aware of my surroundings.

[aquavit]

Making a broad generalization from a small sample (friends, family), people who drive SUV's are just less intelligent drivers. People who enjoy driving and pay attention more drive smaller, quicker sedan's. SUV drivers aren't as good of drivers and don't enjoy driving as much. Some of them want the bigger car because they are more likely to get into an accident so they don't get hurt.

NOTE: Don't get your panties in a bunch SUV owners. These are my observations, I could be wrong.

[Fritz]

I love my SUV. It is large and has a big engine and I can roll over people in their pathetic little sedans and hatchbacks.

[Fritz]

oh yea, 4x4 SUVs are made to drive better in poor conditions.

[sachmo71]

Yes, because people in sedans never make miscalculations in icy conditions.

[sabotai]

"oh yea, 4x4 SUVs are made to drive better in poor conditions."

Oh yeah...I could easily tell that by the countless number of SUVs I've seen and read about that went off the road in poor conditions...

[Anrhydeddu]

Originally posted by sabotai
"oh yea, 4x4 SUVs are made to drive better in poor conditions."

Oh yeah...I could easily tell that by the countless number of SUVs I've seen and read about that went off the road in poor conditions...

Colorado, with probably among the highest per capita SUV owners, I find this very true. It seems that even a higher pecentage of vehicles along side the road after a storm are SUVs. This is probably true of the many being out-of-staters military folks who thinks that are impervious to slick conditions. I've lived in Colorado for 14 years driving (except for one year) only sedans without snow tires (don't need them). No problems because as with any vehicles, just take it slow and easy.

[Chuck]

Today, in Kentucky, I saw two Jeep Cherokees in the ditch. One had just past me not 5 minutes earlier on a two lane highway. We have just has an ice storm with about two inches of snow, sleet, and ice on the ground. I suppose when you buy an SUV you should take lessons, just like the ATVs!

[panerd]

To play devil's advocate I would suspect that most of the cars on the road are SUV's, hence most of the cars off the road are SUV'S. If the Ford Mustangs were out on the road, they would probably be in the ditches also. Now, I am not saying that SUV's can handle better, but I am saying why you see so many in ditches.

(Just like Honda Accords are the most stolen car. Why? Because there are so damn many of them)

[Anrhydeddu]

panerd, that is true except that perhaps a majority of vehicles on the road during bad weather are SUVs. But still, we should even find dozens of SUVs in the ditch in the first place???

[Easy Mac]

I saw a Honda explode on the side of the road Friday. I don't think it wrecked, just burst into flames. Really has nothing to do with SUV's just cool.

[oykib]

Jackasses...

That's what we're really talking about. I usually don't go for arguments that people have changed over time. But the whole business with SUVs gets to me. They law should require a higher level of driver's license for these things because they pose a bigger threat to the welfare of your fellow driver.

And hit people with a $500 fine when they are caught chirping on a cellphone. Or revoke their license if they are yakking on a cel while making a major traffic violation ( speeding, running a red light, etc. )

These rulles wouldn't affect the average driver. But we'd at least have a deterent for the assholes. My brother was in a wreck when he was 19 because of one of these jerks. She was driving one of these monsters and made an illegal U-turn into him. Totalled his car. He got out with a few dings because he leads a charmed life. But he was about .2 seconds from having one of his legs crushed. Anymore time difference and...

[panerd]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
panerd, that is true except that perhaps a majority of vehicles on the road during bad weather are SUVs. But still, we should even find dozens of SUVs in the ditch in the first place???

I definitely agree with you on that. There is some weather where only emergency vechicles should be on the road. (Unfortunatly, this wouldn't even be true but some a-holes wreck and the emergency vechicles have to come help them) So I agree that SUV's can't withstand all weather. My point is just that you see so many SUV's because they are the only driver's stupid enough to brave the elements. I have a teacher friend with a Jeep Wrangler who thinks that 6+ inches of snow is party time, because school will be called off. Unaware of the fact that school is being called off because it is too dangerous to be on the roads.

[Fritz]

SUVs are made to drive in poorer conditions.

[Anrhydeddu]

Only if one knows how to drive in poorer conditions; otherwise, SUVs are harder to control.

[sabotai]

I did not brave the elements by choice.

I thought the storm was going to hit around 2 or 3 PM. It hit use several hours early, so I got stuck in it.

And I saw plenty of cars. At least today, I saw a good 3-4 cars for every Pick-Up, SUV, 18-Wheeler, and everything else. But the SUVs were the only ones that foudn the ditch. Far from scientific, but it's a trend I see all the time.

"SUVs are made to drive in poorer conditions."

So what? That's not the point. The point is even in an SUV you have to go slow and easy. Sure, SUVs will handle regular rain and snow a LOT better than cars. But there comes a point where the becomes negligible. Like today. When there are INCHES of snow on a highway, unless you're driving a tank, if you don't take it slow and easy like everyone else, you're going off the road.

[kcchief19]

SUVs are NOT designed to drive in poorer conditions. They were originally designed for power (towing) and driving over uneven terrain (off-roading). Those traits remain in most modern SUVs, but they are not designed for poor road conditions any more than the next car.

There are plenty of good drivers in SUV (the percentages say they must be out there somewhere), but let's take the woman in the office next to me at work. She takes her husband's Jeep when the weather is bad (rain, snow and ice) because it handles better than her sportscar. She believes she can drive at normal speeds or higher because the SUV handles better. That would explain why she slid off the edge of a parking lot last year and just about went down a creek embankment.

And let's not forget that here in KC, Derrick Thomas killed himself by driving 90 mph on ice-covered roads ... in his SUV.

[Aylmar]

I drive an SUV. It's not for the towing power, it's not for the "look", it's simply because I'm 6'8" and I've found that to get the head and leg room that I need to feel comfortable, I have a couple of choices. Buy a large boat on wheels or an SUV. (Head room is the major issue, obviously).

The trick that most people miss when they're driving an SUV is that although you can accelerate much better than the guy in the Honda next to you, you actually need more room to stop because of the additional weight that you're carrying. I know this was mentioned earlier in the thread, just thought I'd mention it again.

On the whole, I don't think that there's a large difference between people who think that their front-wheel drive cars are impervious to the elements and the SUV drivers who can accelerate so easily in the elements that they don't always realize just how slick it actually is....

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by bbor
SUV driver have to understand...although they can go through a lot more snow than normal cars...they CAN'T stop any faster.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I've some similair experiences as well. I went to Colorado over Christmas and the entire drive through the Texas panhandle was in near-blizzard conditions. I learned to drive in Colorado and feel that I handle snow pretty well, but I was driving about 25mph most of the way because the roads were so bad. Well, I kept being passed by trucks and SUVs, and they were just blowing by me. And after a while, I started to notice a trend as well. Probably 75% of the cars stranded on the side of the road were trucks or SUVs. People just get a false sense of security riding in their huge trucks/SUVs, but they have just as difficult a time stopping as me in my little Corolla.

[Craptacular]

Don't even get me started on this issue ...

[Fritz]

Originally posted by kcchief19
SUVs are NOT designed to drive in poorer conditions.

Yes they are.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally posted by Kodos
I think SUV drivers also tend to talk on their cell phones more than other drivers when they're on the road. The sooner laws are passed to stop this, the better.

FTR, it IS illegal in New York, and has been for about a year.

[Marmel]

On my way to work today, and there was exactly 1 car off the road on the way.............yep, a red SUV.

[Fidatelo]

My dad used to own a Ford Explorer, and it was the worst highway vehicle ever. Sometimes a gust of wind would catch it and actually shift it a foot or so laterally while you were driving! I also felt totally removed from the road all the time, it was very hard to tell if you had good or poor traction at any given time.

Has anyone else read this article? It's written by the guy who does Tuesday Morning Quarterback on ESPN, and although it's not the most objective article ever he makes some pretty good anti-SUV points. While I knew they were gas guzzlers, I was very surprised to learn that they don't have to meet the same environmental requirements that you average car does.

[Craptacular]

I'm trying to refrain from ranting, but I will point out one pet peeve of mine that I was reminded of a few times this morning as I ran some errands for my job.

If you live in a jurisdiction that allows "right turn on red" at signalized intersections, I'm sure you love this one too. Why do people who are going straight (especially big SUVs), have to friggin' pull up across the stopline / crosswalk at a red light, thereby preventing a car in the right-turn lane from being able to see unless they stick their nose out in cross-traffic?? Where the f**k are you planning to go?!?! It pisses me off at 2-way stop-controlled intersections as well, but at least in that case, the other driver has something they actually need to look for.

[SackAttack]

Crap, or how about the SUV's who keep inching forward every time you move forward to try and see around them? I ran into that (no pun intended) comin' home from the mail box the other day. I'm tryin' to turn right, this SOB wants to turn left, and he pulled far enough up to block my view. I moved forward to see around him, he moved forward again. I pulled a little further forward, he moved forward again.

Never have I wanted to kick somebody's ass so badly.

Oh, I also love the ones who turn right from a straight/left-turn lane (the combination ones where you have your choice) and then flip you off when THEY cut YOU off. Grr.

[sabotai]

"SUVs are NOT designed to drive in poorer conditions. "

"Yes they are."

TO be honest, I was always under the impression that SUVs were designed for mountianous areas for people who lived on non-plains areas. Like if you lived on the side of a hill and you had a driveway that inclined at 45 degrees. (My car would NEVER get up that, and yes, I've seen some pretty damn steep driveways at homes in the mountains.)

I've never actually heard, until this thread, that SUVs were designed for poor conditions. I would think they were meant to handle poor condtions in the same way a pick-up truck or other heavy vehicle would.

Crap and Sack, I hate when those things happen. I also hate, and this goes for all vehicles, when people ignore the turn only lane and just keep going straight to avoid the line in the 'going straight' lane.

[Airhog]

Well one thing I think most of us can agree on, is there is a large number of idiot drivers!

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Airhog
Well one thing I think most of us can agree on, is there is a large number of idiot drivers!

Amen...