Another SUV Poll. Accidents and you.

Very, very Pro.

No major accidents. A few fenderbenders, none my fault.

16 years.

Anti-SUV

Two accidents: one minor (Tercel vs. my 84 Volvo wagon = totalled Tercel and scratched rear bumper on BattleWagon) and one major (armored car at 5-10 mph vs. my stationary 84 Volvo wagon equals totalled Battlewagon, damaged car in front of Battlewagon, and undamaged armored car)

3 years driving.

I used to be Moderate when it came to SUV’s until the wife bought one and flipped on it’s side doing 10 MPH!!!. Not only did it fall over going so slow, but the costs in fixing it were over the top. Also, as for SUV’s being safe. I wasn’t impressed with the damage it sustained. Seemed to be alot for what happened. I wouldn’t want to be in an accident in one.

Now I am anti SUV for several reasons.

  1. I think people have a false sense of security in them. They end up driving far to fast because they feel THEY will be safe. Also the added weight takes away from how fast you are really going. I’m always being cut off and passed by people in SUV’s.

  2. They are top heavy. My wife proved to me that 10 mph is far to fast to be going in an SUV safely.

  3. Replacement parts cost WAY TOO MUCH. This is something else my wife proved to me.

  4. They eat too much gas. The gas milage in her Explorer was insane. It seemed by the time she drove home from the gas station it was time to fill up again. EVERYTIME I was in that car with her we had to stop at the station. Cross reference with my old Mirage or new Hyndui I put about 10 gallons in about once every 40 days.

I’ve been in 2 accidents. Neither my fault. Both in small cars. One accident was minor (just a ding in the front from someone turning right from the left lane. I was in the right lane going straight. DOH!) The other accident was more major. I was t-boned going 45 in my mirage. The car handled really well after being hit and I was not hurt badly. The car on the other hand was pretty much dead after that. It still looked good from the drivers side, that is, until you checked out the passenger side and found it missing.

I’ve been driving for about 15 years. The first five of those years were on a motorcycle -I couldn’t afford a car then.

HA HA. I have had the chance to do this TWICE in my life. (one was an SUV, the other a truck)

Stupid drivers.

I wouldn’t call myself anti or pro SUV, but since I realise that there are valid reasons to own one (and I own one myself, and spend as often 4WDing and camping as I can) you’d better shove me in the pro camp. I’m actually pro personal choice and responsibility and anti- idiots and nosy people :slight_smile: IMO, it’s funny when people buy a 4WD and never ever use the 4WD part of the vehicle. They’re entitled to do that, but I’m entitled to find it very funny.

Accidents :
(not behind the wheel)
1 horrific car accident, (car vs. car) which gave me extensive facial injuries,
1 pretty scary SUV flip-over. The SUV was written off. I was in the passenger seat.

(behind the wheel)
1 minor bingle, not thinking, I reversed into a pole, marring the perfect finish of my '72 V6 Capri :frowning: Damn poles, the way they jump out at you from behind bushes :wink:

Years behind the wheel :
coming up on 7 years.

hope that helps !

Ambivalent. Just keep the lights dimmed when behind me (SUV, truck, anything higher than my Max).

1 accident (apart from playing bumper cars) - rear-ended by an SUV. My old Max appeared relatively unscathed (except that it died of internal injuries a couple of months later). The SUV got the worst of it since I had a hitch. And the car in front of me lost a few pieces too.

21 years.

Oops! Make that 31 years. :o

Very, very, very PRO! (Take delivery on my new 2003 Expedition any day now!)
Accidents: 2 (neither my fault)
Accidents avoided: seems like 3-4 per week commuting into downtown and back to the 'burbs each day.
Driving 19 years

One accident was a fender bender years ago; a woman decided to turn right into a Shoney’s restaurant from the far left lane and hit me.

Second one was a couple summers ago when we were stopped at an intersection a large conversion van ran a red light coming toward us, got clipped by a car who had the right-of-way, got flipped up on its side and slid through the intersection, eventually hitting our Explorer right behind my driver side seat, right at the back seat/cargo area with our infant in the back seat secure in his car seat in the middle, before the van bounced away about 4 feet as started leaking gas. I jumped out but couldn’t get to my screaming child from the driver’s side because the door was smashed in (the windows on that side had been broken out of course) so I ran around and got him out from the other side and we were all okay physically. I’m thankful we were in a larger heavy vehicle that could take a hit and have the van bounce off us, instead of smash over us.

We still put his car seat (he’s about to graduate to a booster seat) towards the middle of the vehicle so there would be a little more space in case we were ever broadsided again. I would just rather my family is safe by being in an SUV or minivan than in a car, and we like to be able to carry a lot of stuff and take family trips by driving.

featherlou,

I drive a Jeep Cherokee. Does this mean our relationship is now on the rocks?? :eek:

Moderately pro–reasons to follow.

26 years.

1 accident. I, stopped in my Jeep at a red light, was rear-ended by a car that couldn’t stop on the ice. Kind of ironic, I guess.

Why moderately pro? Because I don’t see the need for Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Mercedes, and whatever else luxury SUVs. These are marques that never had them before, and certainly don’t need to produce them them now. But since there are those who are willing to buy such expensive things, even though they will never use them to their full capability, the manufacturers are only filling a demand. “Nothing so common as a Chevy, dahling; for us, it has to be Mercedes.” Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

I have no problems with those who buy Jeeps, Chevrolets, Dodges, and other marques that have made four-wheel-drives since before they became popular. However, I would hope they would use these vehicles’ off-road capabilities at some point, to justify owning one–most of the people I know who own Jeep, Chevrolet, Dodge, and other “traditional” SUVs actually do use them offroad, both for work and for pleasure. But I think this may be rare.

Still, that doesn’t excuse those who buy any SUV without knowing how to drive them. They’re big, tippier than a car, and can be awkward if the driver is not used to them.

I’d especially like to thank the Mom and Kids in the huge Lincoln Navigator that bullied its way into the slow-moving exit lane the other day, cutting me off. Guess Mom isn’t used to driving something that’s the same size as a full-size pickup, but without the visibility. Never mind, Mom; I’ll wave at you next winter from my Chevy Blazer when you put too much faith in your Lincoln’s four-wheel-drive, and end up in a ditch.

Moderatly anti. Mostly because many SUV drivers don’t seem to pay much attention to what’s going on outside of their vehicle. (See Lieu’s opening comments above.)
However, we used to have a Jeep Cherokee and loved it. We didn’t think of it as a SUV, though. It was just a comfortable car that carried a lot of stuff.

If you count fender-benders, umm, about 14 or 15.
Accidents in which I might have been seriously injured, 4.
Accidents in which I was injured, 1.
Accidents in which I was at fault, 1, or 2 depending on how you define ‘at fault’. It’s fair to say that I was less cautious as a young man.

I will have been a driver for 40 years next month.

Pro-SUV
1 at fault accident, 2 not
17 years driving

I think the more germane poll might be anti or pro SUV in comparison with who owns SUVs.

(bernse, as long as you actually get your Jeep dirty, I think I can still respect you. :D)