Part 2: SUV Drivers are JERKS

"Yo, Mike, what you got against SUVs?" he began. I gave a quick look like, "You got to be kidding me" and then almost began to list a bevy of reasons, but stopped before I began. Instead, I put it like this: SUVs hurt people.

I'm not going to really get into the environmental problems with SUVs here; instead Im going to write about the tangible dangers caused by these trucks.

Did you know that the majority of traffic fatalities involve SUVs hitting smaller vehicles? In frontal collissions between SUVs and cars, the car driver is 4.3 times as likely to die as the SUV driver. Did you know that SUVs clog up roads and highways? Did you know that SUVs block other peoples ability to look at the entire road?

SUV drivers are also prone to be more aggressive on the road. It's like a 7'1" center in basketball being guarded by a 6'0" guard - the center is going to get his way whether or not the guard likes it. Honestly, look at the road and pay attention to SUV drivers. Just notice how aggressive they are on the road. It's not just me who believes this, experts say that "SUVs are inherently aggressive." In fact, it's believed that the biggest danger to others from SUV drivers IS that aggressive attitude - that attitude of risk. "If drivers realized that they are no safer (in fact somewhat less safe) in an SUV than in a subcompact, their concentration and driving behaviour would compensate, SUV accidents would fall, and millions of ruined lives would be spared the consequences of this unwitting recklessness. Unfortunately, as long as SUVs convey the illusion of control and safety, that's not likely to happen," said a blog on Salon.com.

I won't lie, if I'm not visibly flipping off every SUV driver I see, I'm flipping him or her off in the inside. I believe you can tell a lot about a person by what car he or she drives. And if a person drives an SUV, it tells me that he or she is either a) ignorant and believes that an SUV is actually safer than a passenger car, or b) selfish and doesn't care about anyone else. Whether it's a or b, SUV drivers are a danger to themselves, but more importantly, they are a danger to everyone else.

Part 1: I Hate SUVs

I hate SUVs. Let me lay that out there right now. I think they are too big and ugly. Not only are they big and ugly, they are uneconomical, dangerous, roadhogs and environmental villains. But people continue to buy SUVs and manufacturers continue to make bigger and "better" (not really) ones.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to try and convince everyone that if they are thinking of an SUV, think again. And if they have an SUV, I hope I can make them feel like one of the world's biggest jerks - because they are.

Fact 1:
SUVs are NOT safer than cars.
"The SUV has become the new station wagon." "I have five kids, what else can I drive?" I don't know how often I hear these comments when it comes to people driving SUVs. But let's get this straight right now, SUVs are NOT safer than cars. They never have been and never will be.

In 2002, it was estimated that there would be 70,000 SUV rollovers, which would result in 2,000 deaths. SUVs have become even more dangerous in recent years.

Check out the statistics on rollover possibilities that is provided by the government's National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

Did you know that there is a 28 percent to 34 percent chance your Ford Explorer will rollover? Will you risk yours and your children's live day after day by having them ride in a vehicle that will rollover nearly a quarter of the time an evasive maneuver is needed? My Honda Civic has an 11 percent chance of rolling over.

What does that mean in real numbers?

Say the sales of those two types of cars were equal - 320,000 Explorers were sold and 320,000 Civics were sold. That would mean that it could be estimated that 89,600 of those Explorers will eventually rollover, while 35,200 Civics would - a difference of 54,400 rollovers. (In 2003, 373,118 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Tracs were sold. That same year, 299,672 Honda Civics were sold.) Are SUVs worth that risk? Are your children worth that risk?

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