Some people drive big cars because they are shit drivers?

[Doyoumind]

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.

The least confident, not very good drivers I know all drive a small car (think Yaris, Fiat 500 etc)

In my experience, people who are nervous about driving choose small cars.

People feel less vulnerable in big cars.

I don't think it's anything to do with the size of the car - more the size of the ego and/or personality of the person driving - whether it's a large or small car.

Driving generally in this country has got significantly worse - partly because there are far more cars on the roads, so people are less tolerant and more impatient, and it's becoming a vicious circle. Add in the 'me, me, me, sod everyone else' mentality and there's a whole world of bad driving out there!

Obviously your post is a complete generalisation, but yes, I think this on a daily basis. There's a mum at DS' nursery who drives a blue XC90 and she barely tries to park between the lines. There's only 11 spaces and she always takes up two. I don't know her, but I have a very determined picture in my head of what type of character she is!

My mum drives a small car because she's a shit driver. She's never, ever reversed into a parking space. She needs a small car so she can reverse out of spaces easily

@ForalltheSaints

Not quite following your logic. I passed my test in a Zafira... Imo its not that drivers of larger nicer cars can't park, it's that they want two spaces so no one can park close to them and bash their cars.

I always think it's because of a desire to appear superior (excluding of course farmers/disabled etc who actually do need the 4wd and/or huge space)

I've seen plenty of shit drivers driving small cars too.

I have a big car (Audi Q7) because I have 4 kids and so need the space...it’s a 7 seater. I use the camera all the time so I never park badly as there is a camera on the front too so I can see the lines. I had no problems parking before but use it to doublecheck my parking as my car is wide so I have to be more accurate than someone with a smaller car...

My car also has very good acceleration and is bulky and safer than many cars. I don’t live in the UK and there are many road accidents/some carjackings where I live so safety and the ability to get out of trouble quickly is of huge importance to me especially when I have my children in the car.

Don’t just assume that people who have big, expensive suvs have them to show off. If you can afford one, why wouldn’t you get the best car that suits your needs...I won’t compromise on safety.

I feel this sooo much. I lived in a posh commuter town once and the Waitrose car park was absolute mayhem. Massive cars and not a single one of them could be parked without difficulty, it would seem.

Obviously some people can handle their cars and some can’t, but when they can’t and it’s huge you notice.

I always assume (from experience) that big cars don’t give way, follow rules and just generally behave as if they own the road. I don’t see them as a status symbol. I have plenty of money and drive a really average sized car which is nearly 10 years old. In my area it’s the bling-people who drive these types of cars.

What a generalisation, or is it jealousy?
I passed my advanced driving a few years back with a distinction, never had a accident either. We have 2 largish 4wd and a sports type car. Not that I need to explain, but we live in London, but have 2 largish dogs, that need room to transport. One of our vehicles is a hybrid, so is clean to do town driving.
People are total idiots if they believe 4wd are driven for safety by crap drivers, get a life!

I have a medium car (civic type r), fairly decent driver, never caused an accident, not an aggressive driver but not overly cautious either.

Theres a parent at school breakfast club who drives a VW Up, no spaces so you parallel park if you drive. Sometimes she parks so far away from the curb that when she opens the driver door (fully) none of it overhangs the curb/pavement. She was recently blocked in so I offered to move the car as she was getting upset, she had at least four feet of space at the back and the front of the car.

I have no idea how she passed her driving test.

OP clearly you’ve never been stuck behind someone in the supermarket car park when it’s taken them 4 attempts to reverse out of their bay in their small car? Or stuck behind someone in a Jazz that won’t go over 40mph? Or the fiesta driver who can’t park (my friend by the way).

Some people are just shit drivers. Sometimes because they can’t park, because they’re nervous or because they’re arrogant pricks. Nervous drivers tend to take little cars, arrogant pricks tend to take big cars or saloons. People who can’t park drive everything - you just notice it more with a big car.

FWIW we have just changed our car, gone from a little car to a very big estate. We were also looking at SUVs. We’re at a point in our lives where we need boot space. The bigger cars were a lot easier to park than our old car, not just because all the cars we looked at had reverse sensors which our old car didn’t have. Our big estate has very few blind spots and in comparison our little car actually has loads of blinds spots. However, on all the test drives, I made sure we went somewhere where we could both practice parking.

What a generalisation, or is it jealousy

Why is it always reduced to jealousy? I'd happily swap my xc90 for a vintage 1960s Mercedes convertible. Why would anyone be jealous of a big 4x4, they are ugly.

If you want power on the road, drive a white van preferably a battered one. Everyone stays away, I'm almost wanted to keep it!

It's not judgmental when you see it everyday! especially at school drop off/pick ups.

It's so dangerous and have seen the same person at my kids school mount the kept and almost hit a pedestrian more then once.

I think if you are proven the be a danger you should be forced to re-do your test in the car you drive. I really don't understand why people would even want a car they can't drive, clearly just for appearances.

Do you know that Pajero in Spanish means wanker?

Here’s an interesting article about suv driving behaviour

www.bmj.com/content/333/7558/71

I agree with this. There always used to be a fuck off Range Rover or discovery Parker on either side of me in the right car parks round here. But then I reversed the golf into a tree and my dp bought a Tiguan with parking sensors (coincided with another baby so we also needed more room in the boot.) it's not the biggest example but I do feel like I've joined the dark side. Also I can't park it front ways between lines because it's too high up to see the lines! So you have to guess. I always end up moving it about three times. Also the parking sensors go off about a metre away from things so most of the time I ignore them

Every car parked neatly except one huge one - taking two spaces, parked right over the lines!

This is done intentionally to prevent scratches and door dings that night damage their precious car.

at the people who are accusing me of generalising when I said some, not all and was specifically talking about built up areas and not the mountains. I know lots of people in small cars can't drive well either.

Glad some people agree with me.

The bmj article was interesting. I think that's to do with the attitude mentioned by a PP.

In my experience the shit drivers drive,
Audi,
Mercedes,
BMWs and
range rovers.

Lots of big range rovers around here and I agree they are entitled and inconsiderate to other road users.

Some do, but I think lots of people drive small cars because they are shit drivers too - they drive as if they are driving a big car, so won't drive through a gap you could get a bus through, can't reverse it and generally seem nervous.

Not necessarily bad drivers just entitled, I don't care if I park over the lines because then no one will park in the space next to me so I'll have more room. They don't care about annoying overs because they are superior.