to hate SUVs & the bints who drive them?

[scariboo]

ds changed schools recently & where once I was only perplexed by people driving SUVs, I now (almost) HATE them. Barging up & down the narrow lanes leading to the school, taking the space of 1.5 cars, arrogant, rude, more money than brains, splutter, splutter

My DS almost got run over by a "bint" in one of those when coming out from school.

She couldnt get past because there was a line of cars on one side of the street and the thing was so huge - so she decided to drive on the pavement with 350 primary school children walking out of the gate.

One of the other parents had to pull DS out of the way.

"Bint" is just Arabic for "girl" btw, comes from that.

And YANBU re 4x4 attitudes. They're almost always parked badly/selfishly.

YANBU to object to bad driving, but since I have an SUV and am a good driver with a squeaky clean record I think YABU to assume all SUV drivers must be terrible. I have one because I have a very large family to schlep around and nothing else would fit them all with all their gear. I had a minivan that handled horribly and I thought it was a truly dangerous thing to drive.

SUVs in urban areas are obnoxious - they take up more space and create extra danger.

You have to be a real asshole to drive one of these if you live in a built up area.

i have one, but live where 3 feet of snow is fairly usual for most of jan. so need the 4x4

i too wonder about people who have them in the middle of towns, although modern suv's aren't that different from a large estate - a honda crv (what i have) is about the same size as a mondeo estate.

We have two and I really like them...

But in my defence DH needs his for work and where we live in the middle east you'd be putting your life at risk driving anything else: The driving is so reckless that crashing is an inevitable part of daily life so when it happens I want to be in the best possible position to survive.

Also serious question but if you have more than two children who need car seats and/or friends who visit after school a big car is kind of necessary isn't it?

I have strong negative vibes for people (M/F - but I'm sorry to say, more often F than M - letting the side down etc etc...) who either cannot drive/park with any skill/attention/consideration or just don't give a damn, then leave great parking dents in my lovely (inexpensive, but much loved, sadly now gone to BIL as expecting monster no.2 any minute so have bought enormous estate car....but I digress....). More unnerving is speed some people attack nursery car park and complete lack of rear vision when reversing through crowds of parents/tiny tots. Have come to conclusion ideal vehicle for school/nursery/supermarket run is small 'town'car or hot hatch with good driver (me, natch).
SUVs a smoke screen - round our way anyone with a four-wheeled vehicle can drive four feet away from the curb at 70 round a blind bend on country roads without imagining anyone else might be coming the other way - honest - is quite stimulating.

tinkerbelle's muse - yes you need a big car if you've got lots of kids but not a massive SUV. There's one that gets parked on my street sometimes - it doesn't fit in the parking bay properly and its cow catcher is almost at the top of my windscreen.

I do think ME is slightly different though - I'd probably have one there. But London? No excuse

I thought cow-catchers were illegal now??? Due to certain death threat to unsuspecting pedestrians? Bloody hell! Why do you need one in London? Pesky bicycle couriers??

So what do you think of my car then? It looks like this: images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=www.lasvegascashrewards.com/images/cars/Tiura.JPG&imgrefurl=ht tp://www.lasvegascashrewards.com/vehicles.html&usg=__WjHzPLI6Os-2Om3wvsvvLAJ-l60=&h=534&w=800&sz=70& hl=en&start=36&um=1&tbnid=d-nj4ySugiAzhM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGMC%2Bsierra%2B1996%26 ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26 um%3D1

Sorry for the ridiculously long address there! Where I live now everyone has one of these (mostly this old or older), and although it's not required it is very useful (we often go camping, and that means logging roads, which you just can't take an ordinary car on).

In London I used public transport or cycled, and I hated the 4x4s just because they are so wide and when the road is narrow that's a real problem. I suspect my truck is wider than most 4x4s, but roads are very wide here (and I feel I have some environmental credit build up!) plus the commercial trucks are just enormous!

images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/don_laird/2007/03-18/wil iston-lake-northern-bc-log-truck-ferry-fletcher-challenge-mill-in-background.jpg&imgrefurl=ww w.hankstruckpictures.com/don_laird.htm&usg=__GDAe-jvIQQ15_3pzM58Wz5bvgRs=&h=456&w=800&sz=82&hl=en&st art=1&um=1&tbnid=EIcnZFCA8qaUxM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlogging%2Btruck%2Bbc%26ndsp%3D2 0%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

Well I don't like them either.

I have to salute the good people of Wales who used to put up with me driving this around their quiet hills though.

I lived in it so kind of had to take it with me. But oh the damage done to gateposts.

I get riled by people who insist that a 4x4 is the only safe option for their PFBs, and then barge around in it as though it's surrounded by a magical forcefield protecting it from all road accidents.

Have no issue with people who have 4x4s for work, rural homes, etc. But they do need a different set of driving skills.

There are plenty of crappy drivers in all sizes of car!

I have one and make no apologies for it. I live down a long farm track at the bottom of a very steep hill and consequently would get stuck at the first sign of anything resembling ice or snow.

Also it's always clean because my DH is an insane, obsessive lunatic who insists on washing it at least 3 times a week and makes me drive through the pot holes down the track at two miles an hour to avoid excessive splashing

I am also a very good, very considerate driver and haven't had a single accident or bump in 20 years of driving.

Bearing in mind how much the damn things cost to run too, it's not a decision that we took lightly.

I'm sure the other school run mums are probably looking down their noses at me when I drop my DCs off, but I try not to take such sweeping generalisations personally!

Bad SUV drivers always remind me of this

we have a Honda CRV and live in town. We walk/cycle everywhere and DH gets the metro to work. I wouldn't dream of driving any car near our school; the parking is a nightmare no matter what size your car is. It's a great car for packing all our crap in for weekends away, easy to park.

We have a Range Rover into which we can get loads of stuff when we go to and from the UK. DH is a glider pilot and needs it for retrieves when he and others land out in places inaccessible by ordinary cars. We take it off-roading at arranged events in Belgium a couple of times a year, and given the way people drive in Belgium, it is safer than anything smaller.

It is LPG converted, so as green as we can get it, and sits in the garage for much of the time, as dh takes the tram and metro to work. It is also preloved and 12 years old now.

The other reason for getting it is that dh can do most of the maintenance on it himself, saving a fortune in garage bills.

The only time dh has had a ticket was in 1990 and that was driving a metro turbo!

I can't wait to go home and rejoin the SUV driving Mummy ranks. Wonderful beasts. I do the school run on foot though.

Did see a Hummer in town the other day, which seemed a bit cruel to waste such an excellent piece of machinery on a London road.

I miss my 4WD daily. Thinking about going a size bigger this time so we can have that extra row of seats. So handy for ferrying extra kids about taking Mum on holiday with us. It is either that or a minivan and there is no way in HELL I am driving a minivan.

I am not at all sorry and make no claims towards environmental friendliness. I want one, I can afford it and I am going to bloody well have one.

Message withdrawn

YAB a bit judgy. Not all 4x4s are the same. eg, a Honda CRV is no wider or longer than most family cars and emissions of about 170g, better than most large cars. Also its in the top 10 per cent of pedestrian-friendly cars. Perfectly sensible car if you have children, buggies, a dog, bikes etc, whether you live in town or not. (wish I still had mine)

There is someone near where I live who drives a 4x4. The roads are very narrow, with alot of children wandering around, particularly just after school. The wanker (a man) drives round corners way too fast, and hit me once doing just that. He then drove off, and didn't stop to see if there was any damage. I see him everyday, fing twat! He has two kids with him usually, obviously doesn't give a crap!
There is another who regularly mounts the pavement on the school run to get around red lights, or jump queues at roundabouts. Also a man.
Bmw and merc drivers are also tossers imo.
I drive a Ford Galaxy, and am a lovely driver.

Not all bmw and merc drivers obviously, but a fairly large minority.

Here we go with the BMW bashing again.

I would love an X5, but I just don't have the dosh.

Though I suspect I fulfil not only the SUV stereotype but the BMW one as well .

I have seen my father pulling 4x4s out of the mud with a Fiat van, so dont buy the I-need-one-cos-I-live-in-the-cuntry argument.

Our former neighbour had a BMW 4x4. He was a totally arrogant prat. Of course, his choice of car was purely coincidental.