to get fed up with receiving more than the average amount of abuse on the road just because I drive a range rover?

[Mrs4x4]

I get the whole environment thing psses some people off but this seems out of proportion with the abuse. I am a considerate driver and really object to the abuse especially when my DC's are in the car and people are swearing. Recently parked car in a supermarket carpark to have someone who lived in a nearby flat on one of the higher floor start shouting that i should get back in my RR and pss off.

This thread is about 4x4s. That's why people are talking about them. We can talk about a whole bunch of other road safety issues if you like, but the reason people are talking about 4x4s is because that was the subject of the OP.

Eh? Sexism? In the bit of town where I live it's probably an equal mix of men and women, a lot of them parents.

In the city centre it seems to be footballers, the cast of corrie and various other flash types-hardly tips them towards the female end of the spectrum does it???

People who drive 4X4s can consider themselves to be as 'careful' as they like, but the visibility of pedestrians is greatly reduced in a 4X4 and in particular you simply can't see a small child who is stood behind your car and close to it. You could still easily kill them by reversing, even if you've looked in all the mirrors. Children run out in front of cars too, which is also nothing to do with the driver and how carefully they are driving, but the fact remains that if you hit them while driving a 4X4 you are far more likely to kill them. It may not literally be your fault as the child ran out, but if you'd hit them in a different car they could well have survived it.

www.euroncap.com/small_off_road_4_4.aspx
www.euroncap.com/large_family_car.aspx
www.euroncap.com/large_off_road_4_4.aspx
www.euroncap.com/small_family_car.aspx

4x4s are driven mainly by Mums????

There may have been more newspaper articles about school-run Mums driving them than the hordes of men (esp drug dealers etc) who drive them in inner-city S London - and I think that that IS sexism, i.e "women have les right to drive a 4x4 / be on the road driving children ,than men do to drive to work". But, unless you are including people carriers (which are not 4x4s, generally) then i very much doubt that the majority are driven by women!

Well that's disposed of the murderous 4x4 drivers. I'm off to throw stones at some Daily Mail readers. Or should that be Daily Mail writers? They're the big villains now, aren't they?

So actually you are all talking bollocks (I'm in a good mood, you should see a bad one )

Better to drive a Toyota Rav4 for example than a Citroen Xsara if you want to avoid killing pedestrians.

Or shall we argue that black is white now?

Drivers of Ford Escorts seem to be 'arrogant child killers' too according to the NCAP stats - but hey what do they know?

So now I've demolished your arguments I really am off to bed. Sweet dreams all

Neither a Rav 4 nor a Citroen Xsara is as big and dangerous as a Range Rover.

HMC except that statistically the 4x4 driver would be 27% more likely to hit a pedestrian, according to the insurance co figures.

More complex than black and white on either side.

Message withdrawn

(as long as you haven't demolished anything else, HMC!)

lol Blu, I love ya despite our differences on this single wee issue

HMC

but where are the articles slating sports cars then? I can't remember the last one I saw in apaper. But I barely a day goes by without a rant at 4x4 drivers..and yes the examples given are usually mums driving near the school gates.

I just tried to find the statistics on numbers of people killed by sportscars..and couldn't find it on the net..why?

not cos they don't kill but cos they aren't being compiled or presented as news. People LOVE reading and bitching about 4x4s hence they become newsworthy (and sell papers).

But the answer lies in insurance - these guys know fact from spin and... it costs a LOT more to insure a sportscar bECAUSE THEY ARE A HIGHER RISK!

I have been known to shout abuse. They just rub me up the wrong way and I don't think I should have to carry all that anger around. I didn't put the bloody things on the planet after-all. Hope that doesn't make me mad or bad. It does make me feel better

Lyra - I am not interested in Range Rovers - you know very well that is disingenuous.

The point is blanket assumptive statements shouldn't be made about '4x4's' it's misleading and fallacious

Have you even looked at all the no star ratings amongst small family cars?

I think I might start a leafleting campaign to get some of those no star small car owners to take some responsibility

I don't care much about who drives them or for what reasons and neither do the 4x4 car manufacturers. For them and the owners its all about saying who you are and what you are. Whatever that is as I have no idea why you would get one!

Your priorities are completely different for those that choose not to own one. No shock there.

If you can't see why these cars cause so much disgust, then you really are a fool to be surprised when we all don't think like you.

MWO you are missing the point.

They are a higher cost and they have more speed related accidents, that's why ferraris are more expensive to insure.

Lenny

and a HondaS sportscar gets only 6 points out of 36 for pedestrian safety. Not much in it.

Probably crap environmentally as well..but hey probably driven by a superhunk and who'd want to tell him he's 'irresponsible'

MicrowaveOnly sports cars are generally owned by younger drivers, higher insurance.

Sports cars normally have only 2 seats, not a family car, therefore in a different category, that's why they are higher to insure.

OK I have proven my earlier point, there is no point in presenting cogently argued 'facts' where there are entrenched biased and prejudiced ^opinions'

It's really not convenient to click on and open my links is it?

So lets pretend they are not there

You are all barmy, walk instead!