We had a bunch of snow here yesterday. Here is the (paraphrased) morning traffic report: Here’s a shot of the FDR (picture of a very loooooong parking lot) normal delays. 2 lanes of rte 109 partially blocked by an overturned SUV. Rubbernecking delays on Northern Parkway near rt 25-- a spectacular 3 car accident (picture of 2 SUVs and a pickup truck, spectacularly mangled). Jack-knifed tractor trailer on the approach to the Tappen Zee. Bus and SUV accident slowing down traffic for 3 miles in both directions on Sumphin Blvd near the LIRR station. Use caution on all bridges, speed limit reduced to 10 on the Whitestone and 20 on all the others. Whitestone has a couple of spun-out SUVs---- Hey people— SUVs are not flying cars!. . … Slow going on the GW. . …
I don’t drive, I don’t have a dog in the fight between SUVs and environmentalists and I cannot speak on the how wonderfully SUVs navigate in the snow-- but some of you SUV drivers scare the living fuck outta me. I was a passenger in a car doing between 15 and 20 (just like practically everybody else) on the highway yesterday. In the space of 5 exits 4 SUVs sped past us, weaving and bobbing around the slower moving vehicles.
Listen up: A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE DOES NOT GIVE YOU SUPERPOWERS.
I heard on CBS radio news that most of the accidents (77?) on the NJ Turnpike were SUVs going too fast. As I heard that, I noticed that about half of the vehicles around me were SUVs.
When did that happen?? Where are all the cars? Where’s MY Canyonero??? Hey Hey!
Yep. Some people don’t quite get that 4-wheel drive does not equal 4-wheel stop. If I had a dollar for every SUV or pick-up driver that I’ve seen screaming over snow and ice at 3x a safe speed, I’d have a mansion in a friggin warmer climate!
SUV driver checking in…
SUV’s are like the One Ring. In the hands of an already powerful asshole, the SUV augments them to EXtremely Powerful Asshole. In the hands of normal people, there’s no effect.
Or to paraphrase a Bill Cosby quote about marijuana - “It amplifies your personality.” [BC] But what if you’re an asshole?[/BC]
My cousin flipped his Ford Explorer last year on a NYC city street (Queens). There was a light snow on the ground and he was making a turn (not speeding) when the truck lost traction and slid into the curb and fell onto its side. Apparently the road had a sheet of ice underneath.
That’s probably what causes a lot of the SUV accidents (aside from moronic driving and the invincible feeling of being 4 feet higher from the road than everyone else). Ice is just as slippery on 4WD as it is with 2WD.
4WD SUVs give people a false sense of security in the snow. The SUV can get up and go very easily, which gives the impression of good traction. Once it’s going, though, it is really not appreciably better (it may be worse) at handling and stopping than a car. With a regular car, it’s tougher to get it going, so you feel the lack of traction more.
One must be extra careful driving an SUV because you might not really know how slippery it is.
Exactly. I can’t count the number of Jeeps I saw careening down the icy road at 45 yesterday. I wanted to scream “FOUR WHEEL DRIVE DOESN’T WORK IN ICE DINGBAT MCGEE!” but that would have probably made them go faster.
Want real fun? Go to an intersection where the lights are out and see how many people know what a “four way stop” is.
I have a Jeep Cherokee, as does one of my coworkers, and we both noticed the same things about the handling of our vehicles:
In 4wd mode, they can drive over snow as if it’s not slippery at all - if you’re going under 30.
Still in 4wd mode, if you go over 30, it’s just like driving any other vehicle.
Still in 4wd mode, if you go over 40 or 50, you’re trying to kill yourself, because they don’t stop for shit when it’s icy.
If it’s NOT in 4wd mode, and you leave it in 2wd, it doesn’t drive well at ALL -worse than small cars- and probably won’t even be able to start going, the power tires just sit there and spin.
It’s obvious that a lot of people who have SUVS either don’t know these things, or simply haven’t learned the important lesson they should have (mainly, put it in 4wd then drive it like it’s in 2wd, because to do otherwise is stupid and foolhardy). I think to buy a car, truck, or especially (because of their increased danger to surrounding vehicles in case of an accident) an SUV, you should have to prove that you know what you’re doing with it.
