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

Mitchy I don't blame you.

and it is a bit worrying isn't it when you start grinning inanely at the drivers of these things in sheer love of their vehicle. Everyone looks at you like

Yes I like the old landrovers.

I don't get why people drive pristine Range Rover around town. In my day a Range Rover was a farmer's car (or at a push it was a country vets car).

Range Rovers in my day were rusty, covered in mud, smelled of silage, and contained a farmer, a 'wall eyed' sheep dog possibly with three legs, several rolls of '1000 metre' bailer twine, 50 gallons of diesel for the combine, an assortment of sickly lambs, a dead pheasant or two, a grease gun, assorted parts for various farm machines and several part used toilet or kitchen rolls for 'wiping' hands.

Nowadays they are used by mums on the school run to my DSs school to intimidate other drivers. For the most part, they cannot reverse them either.

I don't know what the world has come to.

The good old days ABD

Exactly old range rovers in their correct habitat. Back in the old days.

Can I confess to a bit of a Scats addiction? I keep wanting to go there for no particular reason. The other day before buying ou rabbit hutch there, ds2 and I spent what must have been 25 minutes sat on top of a pile of stable mats, just inhaling the fertiliser smell and gazing at the 'proper' wooden things on the shelf. Nobody cared, it was lovely. Sparrows flew in from the warehouse.

It's a bit odd really, I think living alone is getting to me... and I have been wearing my barbour jacket

You know what!

I am so annoyed about this I sometimes have fantasy about taking the kids to school on one of something like this and driving straight over the bonnet of a 4 x 4 parked at the school gate.

I don't have a drivers licence but I bet I could drive it on a provisional licence.

THAT'L LEARN EM!!

This is what you need ABetadad.

(Am actually a Bogan pretending to be posh )

Sick & tired of this "Me First" attitude.

You are one sad case, Morloth:"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."

Morloth has managed to demonstrate exactly what makes me so furious with selfish, stupid drivers of SUVs.

What hope is there?

None at all scariboo I just don't bother to try to dress it up with need.

And that makes your attitude acceptable?

To who?

YANBU!!

I have a said 4x4 and drive like said bint in it!!

Seriously, we need it because we need 7 seats (have 4 kids) but I soooo want a mini for pottering around town... Would be SOOO much easier to park

oh, alright. Here goes:

Yesterday I parked in front of a brand-new, sparkling Volvo SUV which didn't have the requisite parking permission slip (given by the school to parents of under 6s). Most of them don't. When I got back to my car (an Audi saloon, far from new but perfectly adequate for driving in the mud, cowshit etc of the countryside and for the school run), an irate woman sat in the drivers' seat, spitting with rage. "I have 4 kids" she screamed "and am pregnant with another!" "So?" I snarled back at her "Get a bus!"

There! I've confessed

So, AIBU to behave in such a radical, in yer face way?

Morloth that's like the one my friend has.

Does anyone know where the term 'hummer' came from?

I always see 'Hymer' on those touring caravan things and think it is something to do with that, Welsh pronunciation etc etc

Hummer comes from HMMV which stands for High Mobility Military Vehicle. Can you tell I like big cars?

Dunno scariboo why were you driving the school run? How come you couldn't get a bus? Having 4 kids and being pregnant isn't a reason for driving an SUV, but I bet it makes her day easier which is why she does it, presumably your Audi makes yours easier?

I don't get why people drive the school run here in London. It is completely bizarre behaviour, I don't even do it in Sydney when it is usually a couple of clicks to school.

Excellent point, Morloth. School is not accessible by public transport, for some stupid reason. 1,600 students & no public transport... I ask you!

There are school buses but using them costs around £500 per child, per term.

and what I meant by "get a bus" is that she should trade her great Swedish hulk for a minibus.

Yawn

That sucks.

I am right down in central London and people actually walk to their cars (and SUVs) drive the 1 kilometre [or less] to school) drop the kids off and drive back, then spend 1/2 hour looking for a parking space. I just don't understand.

At home there are school buses for most schools in the 'burbs and people tend to go to their local school, but they still drive it. As far as I can see it actually takes more effort than just walking the kids there.

Makes the roads surrounding the schools deathtraps. I would like to live nice and close to the school my DS will go to when we go home, but I won't because of all the mad people who will clog up the street and drive me mad.

I would sooner chew off my right arm than drive a minivan.

right

not sure if this has been said, but my I live in central London and my pet hate about SUVs is the way they race at crazy speeds in built-up areas.

The problem is their wide wheelbase often lets them drive around those "island" speed humps. If you see a car doing 40 down our traffic-calmed road, it's almost certain to be an SUV.

We live in a 20 mile limit between two schools, and it makes me completely mad, especially as they are frequently people on the school run, and the rationale you hear for needing them is to "keep their kids safe".

By, apparently, endangering other people's? Nice.

Riven - Why not?

We just bought our most recent car and one of our major considerations (after the fact that I needed space for two car seats and an infant carrier) was that the children like having friends to play after school etc.

I can only collect their friends from school if we bought a bigger car. So that is what we did.

I'm with Morloth on the I'd rather chew my arm off than drive a mini van .

I also want to know why a minivan is acceptable and an SUV isn't?