Friday, October 07, 2005

Another reason I hate SUVs

Scientists are saying that SUVs are more likely to kill pedestrians. And still we don't regulate them more strictly. I guess it's just more proof that Americans are idiots.

11 comments:

Alexander Wolfe said...

Is that taking into account the white suburban soccer moms driving them while they're talking on their cell phones?

Nat-Wu said...

That SUVs are more likely to kill pedestrians or that Americans are idiots? I think it counts for both.

Anonymous said...

What would be more interesting is to study the causes of the Juvenile State of America/ns so as to counter its ill-effects which has been enjoying pandemic status given the globalisation of the media and its monopolisation by America.

Nat-Wu said...

No, actually, it wouldn't. But thanks anyway.

Anonymous said...

Just as "Guns don't kill people; people kill people" so to "SUVs don't run down pedestrians; people in SUVs run down pedestrians". Any vehicle going above a certain rate of speed is going to kill rather than injure or maim severely. It's like a bullet on wheels. Driving is a priviledge and if a driver (of an SUV or not) can't avoid pedestrians, then they shouldn't be driving. Just as gun ownership is a priviledge and if a gun owner can't avoid killing people, then they shouldn't own guns. However, this being America and all, we are free to drive whatever vehicle we want to drive and we can own and use guns. We just can't (or at least shouldn't)use either to kill or injure another person.

Alexander Wolfe said...

True, but I think this situation has parallels to regulation of the gun industry. I agree that it's SUV drivers (and gun users) who kill people, not the SUVs or the guns themselves, but we would be remiss in not making some effort to balance the regulation of either with the freedom of the owners to use their own property. While SUV drivers are entitled to feel safe in their vehicles, pedestrians and the owners of smaller cars shouldn't have to feel like they are required to take measures to defend themselves against SUVs and their drivers. Greater liability after the fact is hardly of any use either, as that insurance would pay for that and the only SUV drivers it would deter are the ones who don't want to pay higher premiums, not the ones who actually are worse drivers. I do think the idea of a stricter testing standards is something worth discussing though.

Nat-Wu said...

Whitey, Anonymous, you guys miss the point. Or believe an erroneous argument. The corrolary to the line "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" is that people would be killed at the exact same rate, as if accidental shootings would be replaced with accidental knifings or something. Do either of you actually think this argument works with SUVs? The science says no. If I, in my compact car get hit by an SUV, NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED, I am much more likely to be injured than if it was by another sedan, even if it was a much larger car overall!

Anonymous, you don't know what you're talking about. Gun ownership is a right specified in the Constitution (as interpreted by everyone up to now), whereas driving is merely a privilege. We have the legal right to pass whatever legislation we want to restrict it.

Now Whitey, perhaps greater restriction on the drivers would work, and I'm not saying I'm against it, but are you arguing that SUV drivers have as much right to drive those as bus drivers and truck drivers have to drive their vehicles? I would hardly say that a typical SUV driver has as much need of their vehicle as the city has of DART buses, and we must bow to the reality that trucks are necessary because we have large items or large quantities of items that need to be moved. There is no parrallel.

If we passed a law saying people could not buy SUVs, would the industry be hurt? Why? Lost sales in vehicles? NO! They make money by selling expensive vehicles, not bigger ones. If the more expensive vehicles were only larger sedans (as used to be the case) that's where the money would come from. I seriously doubt anyone who was going to go out and spend 50k on a car would just decide that since they couldn't have an SUV they just wouldn't buy a car.

So tell me, what burden on the auto industry would there be?

Anonymous said...

you assume all americans are idiots I dive a Mazda and voted kerry AND I RIDE A BIKE so you can go to hell!

Nat-Wu said...

Who the hell are you and what the hell are you talking about?

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