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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Some people drive big cars because they are shit drivers?

82 replies

Doyoumind · 24/01/2020 19:05

Like many places, where I live there are a lot of big 4x4 cars used for urban or suburban driving and not for driving through rough terrain.

I know there is a status thing connected to these cars but AIBU to say sometimes people who are not confident drivers drive them to feel more confident and cause a lot of problems by doing so?

My car is a small family car but I've driven a lot of cars and I know it's quite nice to be up high above the other cars.

But so often I see people struggling to park them and parking them badly because they don't seem to know what they are doing (even though they presumably have sensors and cameras).

Surely if you are not very good at driving you shouldn't be in a huge car that's too big for you to handle. Using it to boost your confidence is selfish and dangerous.

OP posts:
bellinisurge · 24/01/2020 19:10

We hired one in Ireland for a family holiday. It had one of those rear camera thingies and parking was a piece of piss. I spend a lot of time in Cheshire - the footballer bit - and I'm afraid my conclusion is that many people who drive big cars do so to protect themselves from the accidents they inevitably have.

Original poster
Doyoumind · 24/01/2020 19:14

The cameras stop you from backing into something and damaging their car but they don't make people actually park between the lines in a car park. I'm so tired of squeezing out of my car door because someone is over the lines. When you have a big car you need to park it carefully or you make it impossible for others to use the spaces around you.

OP posts:
Mollypolly2610 · 24/01/2020 22:12

Sainsburys today - parked in a quiet bit with lots of room. Every car parked neatly except one huge one - taking two spaces, parked right over the lines!

rslsys · 24/01/2020 22:23

Not a shit driver but I have a large car co compensate for my inadequate manhood . . .

RoomR0613 · 24/01/2020 22:25

but they don't make people actually park between the lines in a car park

Mine does. I think most do? It has lines that you match up with the parking space lines. It's not a particularly fancy car either.

Bluerussian · 25/01/2020 01:41

I always liked to have a fair bit of car around me and didn't like being close to the ground. That's not unusual. However I know lots of people who are quite happy to drive or be driven in, anything.

You do what is right for you.

Retroflex · 25/01/2020 03:44

I'm a good driver, always had small, sporty cars, then as my disability progressed I needed a larger one, (a relatively big 7 seater), just so that I could get my electric wheelchair and ramps in. Yes, I often use bays for blue badge holders, but if I can safely park in a "normal" bay and get my equipment out, then I do that too... No problem parking within any of the lines...

nachthexe · 25/01/2020 03:54

I drive a big car because I have lots of kids, (one disabled so gear), two dogs, carry a shit ton of stuff around, and we live in the mountains and have snow on the ground 6 months of the year. It’s pretty usual to see loads of cars off the road in ditches etc.
I mean, I’m shit at parking, but I quite like the idea of staying alive.
(I just bought a new one. It’s smooth like butter and has tons of fancy shit I don’t know how to use. It has a ‘snow’ drive setting. I bloody love it and I am the least carsy person in the known universe)

squeekums · 25/01/2020 04:53

but they don't make people actually park between the lines in a car park

The reversing camera on the pajero sport do. It's all comes up on screen, lines to where you wanna go, lines where you will go if you stay on that path. Since we got the car I haven't had to help dp back up to any trailer, he can get it lined up perfectly now. Better than when he relied on my directions lol.
Given dp used to drive trucks for a living, I know he can safely drive much bigger than the 4x4 we own in general.
Not all big car owners cant drive, ive seen many small car owners who should never have been given a licence.

midnightmisssuki · 25/01/2020 04:55

Way to generalise OP 🙄 . I have a big car because I wanted a big car.

MrsTerryPratchett · 25/01/2020 05:46

Actually SUVs are more likely to be at fault in a crash. So yes. Shit drivers.

ZooeyS · 25/01/2020 05:51

To be fair I have a big car and am a shit driver so there may be some truth in it

HopeItComesWithBatteries · 25/01/2020 06:04

It has been my experience that many people who drive small cars are terrified of driving.

Scarsthelot · 25/01/2020 06:24

I have a big car. I didnt pick it. It came with my job. In 20 years of deucing I havent had one accident (touch wood) so would not class myself as a bad driver. Although that car was picked by my predecessor whi had it a week and handed her notice in. When I get to pick in 2 years, I wont get a big car.

The car also has the parking assis where it parks for you and always between the line.

Personally, I think theres lots of shit drivers about. Small and big cars. More often tha ot it's the small cars doing 50 on the motorway slip road tryong to join everyone else at 70, making it dangerous for everyone around them.

bettybattenburg · 25/01/2020 06:29

In the UK I have a small car but when I'm home I live in an area with steep twisting mountain roads so I have a large 4x4 automatic as it handles the roads better. Nothing to do with my driving and everything to do with the roads.

RhymingRabbit3 · 25/01/2020 07:33

Plenty of small car drivers are crap too. It's just less obvious with parking because they have more room to play with.

BossAssBitch · 25/01/2020 07:36

OP, why don’t you do you and stop judging other’s choices Hmm I drive a big car because I love it. I’m also a shit hot driver Grin

IsItLunchTime · 25/01/2020 07:43

Very judgemental post OP. There are good and bad drivers in all types of cars

Rachelfromfriends1 · 25/01/2020 07:47

Drivers of small cars like fiats, minis and smartcars are the worst in my experience

ForalltheSaints · 25/01/2020 07:50

Problem would be solved if you had to take your driving test in one before you could drive one.

Take your test again or have a small car would mean most opted for a small car.

Whowantstogotothepark · 25/01/2020 07:52

Drivers of big cars are shitter drivers because they have the money to get big cars. Not because they get big cars to hide their crap driving.

www.pnas.org/content/109/11/4086?phpMyAdmin=cfc2644bd9c947213a0141747c2608b0

This study showed that drivers of high-status cars (SUVs and other expensive cars) are four times more likely to cut off drivers in lower-status cars and three times less likely yield to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings, where pedestrians had the right of way.

This study works on the premise that wealthier people (and to afford such a car you have to be) in general (MN disclaimer to warn that are of course exceptions) are more "likely to value their own welfare over the welfare of others". That means that they don't care what happens to others on the road because of their behaviour.

I believe that very few people genuinely have mechanistic problems controlling their cars. Most poor drivers are bad because they are intolerant and more likely to break the rules of the road. Which according to this study goes hand-in-hand with getting yourself a big car.

Simply (a generally), more money = less empathy = more narcissism = more likely to get a big car = worse driver. Apart from those people have a genuine need for an SUV, obviously. (This study was looking at expensive city cars.)

I can recommend a book "The Life of I" and it is a fascinating insight into narcissism in today's world. Also, personally I was delighted to find this study as I live and work in affluent areas in a major city and hate the SUV drivers.

Whowantstogotothepark · 25/01/2020 07:53

OP, why don’t you do you and stop judging other’s choices hmm I drive a big car because I love it. I’m also a shit hot driver

But everyone has a good sense of humour and is a good driver Wink

downlow · 25/01/2020 08:04

I have an XC90 mainly to protect my kids from the other idiots who drive big cars. A lot of them are shit drivers & often rude, I am definitely a better driver 🤔

Sadiee88 · 25/01/2020 08:16

@Doyoumind No you are not and mostly women & no they can’t handle them. Not all women, but a hell of a lot.

TheTurnOfTheScrew · 25/01/2020 08:54

I have a small car because I do 95% of my driving in a city. It's the sane thing to do. I often chuckle as I see people inching SUVs along narrow streets of terraces with cars parked on each side. And I can park in places that my colleagues reject for not being big enough. While plenty of people choose SUVs for a good reason (rural location, dogs, work equipment), I know more who chose one because they want to look a bit flash on the school run, and they're just impractical in the city.

I also agree that some bigger car drivers have a bullying attitude towards small cars. Before I had my small car I drove a white van. Since changing to a small car I have not changed my driving habits, but am tailgated far more, and overtaken more when driving at the speed limit.