4x4s and other similar vehicles....

[AliGrylls]

I live outside central London in a nice area that I love. However, there is one thing that is starting to annoy me and that is the number of 4x4s and other similar vehicles that are huge, impractical and block the roads.

Am I being unreasonable for wanting them banned. I know this is extreme but they really do drive me mad - the roads where I live are narrow and not meant for cars (i mean trucks) this size.

Apart from the above I could argue about the amount of petrol they use, which considering the ever depleting worlds resources makes me wonder why anyone would actually choose to have one.

Dh thinks my Saab is longer than his Range Rover. The Range Rover must also fall within standard measurements as we don't have to pay excess when we come back on the ferry.

We have 5 children so we NEED seven seats. That means I pay £80 every week (twice every other week) to fill my tank up, £650 per year on insurance, £205 per year on road tax, not to mention £500 to replace the tyres each time, £450 for new brakes, £250 for a normal service and all the other costs associated with it. They are all costs I could be done without.

To constantly hear "they are too big for our roads, it is hurting the environment, blah, blah" really winds me up.

I bet you do something in your life that people think is not good for the environment, or have something in your home which really is not necessary.

YABVU. We work hard for our money and spend it how we want.

I am so tired of this topic.

If I am coming over TOO aggressively or passionately I do apologise ladies but I am very tired today and have so much to do this weekend.

I agree on the safety point that they are potentially dangerous to pedestrians and other road users, due to their size. But it does depend on how they are driven; any car can kill if driven badly/ irresponsibly. I do think though that drivers of bigger cars have even more responsibility to remain conscious of their potential dangers

On the environmental point again it depends on how they are driven. DH has a Discovery which he claims to 'need' for his work (he does, sometimes, need a 4X4). However, I commute by train/ walk and don't own a car and DH cycles to work except on occasions where he actually needs to use the car. Our carbon footprint is consquently a lot better than so many people round here, who both commute by car every day etc.

I think it is so easy to over generalise, and blaming 4x4s for all the general evils relating to cars is a problem as it means so many people avoid looking at their own driving behaviour (I dislike all unnecessary cars use really, for the air pollution/ noise pollution/ fact they are all potential killers)

I live in a road between two schools.

At one end of the road is a state primary school. At the other, a private primary school.

Strangely enough, all the parents at the state primary school manage to drive their dc to school in regular family cars (Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra etc).

The private school parents all need 4x4s to get their dc to school. They also need to park them on the pavements.

There is no steep hill between the two, no sudden change of weather to deathtrap conditions. No caravans being towed, either.

This is as suburban an area as you could find. THe only reason for owning/driving these cars around here is status.

I have absolutely no objection to 4x4s for those that have a genuine need for them. I have every objection to those that clutter up our pavements and roads simply because they think they're necessary for status purposes.

YABU! Mine is really useful for popping to the drycleaners and Waitrose.

This is nonsense. People should be able to drive whatever car they like - and always drive with care in any vehicle. Friends of mine got an estate before their baby came along and are kicking themselves for not getting a bigger car.

We have a dog, soon to have a child and spend many weekends driving 100+ miles to visit family etc. This was out choice and I certainly don't feel I should justify it just because I live in a certain SW London postcode.

£20.000 per year road tax should just about sort out the problem.

Society is full of status symbols, we all do it.

Here here, Fruitysunshine.

I have a secret longing for a Defender, but I don't because I live in SW London, not the country. We had a bigger car, but got rid of it - there was no need, even with 2 kids, and street parking is a pain when you have to look for a big space.

We have a Discovery and bought it once our 4th child turned 1 after looking at every 6/7 seater vehicles out there. This was the only one I was happy having my children sat in the back of.

I don't think it is the vehicle, it is the driver and how they drive it. I am a very considerate driver and I am sure I see a look of surprise on peoples faces when I give way to them. I actually think I drive more carefully than some in small nippy cars who seem to think they can speed all over the place.

YABU. What Honeymoo/Fruitysunshine said.
It's all about reverse snobbery (Shodan's post a prime example).
Anyway, at least my Land Rover is helping to keep half of Coventry in a job. Including members of my family who work there.
Actually I drive very little as I prefer to walk and the kids do too (the 15 min to school, 10 mins to the shops and the station for commute to work. We never, ever drive, even in a downpour). Your average suburbanite running the kids about daily is doing far more damage to the environment than my Land Rover parked on my drive.

Yanbu, I had a Disco for work (countryside, towing heavy macho shit, serious off roading) it was my sonic cathedral of sound so I understand the love we that dare not speak its name.

Essential for the school run - your kidding me
Grand parents live 100 miles away - sooo what

Round this way some people have them for work - fantastic, essential with your ifor williams
Holiday makers - yes that's you poncy London village folk turn up during the holidays to Padstow and have no idea where reverse is, please just stay within 5 miles of a Starbucks.

Live in the country, drive into town. Have to tow horse box. Don't leave it shit up. Who the fuck are you to judge me?

I think the purchase of a 4x4 can always be justified if -

You care about the safety of your children (and don't give a damn about the safety of other road users or pedestrians).

You gan afford to fill the huge fuel tank (and don't give a damn about the environmental impact).

You are happy to spend extra time looking for a parking space wide enough to fit your huge monstrosity of a vehicle in (and then decide to not give a damn and take up two spaces/ park in a disabled bay/ block the pavement).

You like the feeling of superiority it gives you (and you don't give a damn that just about eveyone else thinks you are an arse).

You once visited a farm.

YANBU

Oh do remove yourself from your high horse!

How many vehicles are we supposed to have???? One for the country, one to drive to the local town, one to get to London, one to visit the rents with the family en masse.

One car! Does the job.

Ah it's a bank holiday. Bound to be a 4x4 bashing thread then.

4x4s are ruddy dangerous and allow inconsiderate drivers to bully other road users.

If a pedestrian is hit by a 4x4 they are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured than by a normal lighter and lower car. Although I believe there are now two models that get a decent NCAP rating for pedestrian safety I bet most 4x4 owners haven't checked and don't care what theirs is.

They are also dangerous because they block the view of other road users. I hate having to cross the road on the way to ds's school where there's a private school with dozens of the ruddy things. You just cannot see whether it's safe to cross. And the drivers certainly can't see ds when they are busy doing 16 point turns onto the pavement because they are too ruddy lazy to drive to the end of the road and turn left or right.

There may be some 4x4 drivers who are careful about not bullying other drivers or pedestrians. But there are plenty who aren't. And while some of them may be tossers whatever they drive, in an ordinary car they would be less of a threat to everyone else.

edam

Change your statement from 4x4 to "ford"

Then read it back.

What nigglewiggle and edam said. YANBU

Bobdog that is complete reverse snobbery/chip on shoulder. Get over yourself.

Everything I said about 4x4s is accurate. If the roads around the school I mentioned were full of normal Fords, I'd be able to see to cross the road and the drivers would stand a chance of seeing children out of their rear windows when they reverse onto the pavement.

Not if they were Ford Explorers......... or transits, or kugas or Rangers......

Fine, whatever, I don't have a catalogue of Fords here. I was complaining about 4x4s and my comments about 4x4s are entirely accurate.

I can object to all sorts of things without listing all the other things in the world that are also wrong.

What is wrong for you personally is very right for me and lots of similar people.

If we did not have a seven seater we would have to have two cars. Seems a bit stupid to me.

I don't have a feeling of superiority whilst driving my lovely Chrysler Voyager, I don't feel that I bully people on the roads. There are bullies and people with inflated egos who drive smaller cars on the road - no type of car can change that.

I drive my car very carefully because I have very precious cargo - my family.