0toinsanein5.4sec

I have been thinking this for awhile and truly belive that this will work.Here it is:

Multiple speed limits. Plain and simple the signs could be something like this:

-----------------------------------------
|.................... Speed Limit........... |
|----------------------------------------|
|.. Trucks/SUVs..... |......Cars...... |
|..........................|.......................|
|..........65............|..........75........ |
-----------------------------------------

for the freeway for example.
A: it would make accidents a lot less serious and fatal because there isnt a huge mass coming at as high of a speed as before. and considering that the amount of force in an accident for example is exponential, this would be a lot safer.
B: Plus because SUV's are worse handlers in general, this would limit rear end collisions because braking diestance would be shorter, plus rollovers would be a lot less.
C: people wouldnt want to be limited by that so they would by a car or station wagon for examples.
As long as people dont whine and bitch about it initially getting passed, i think it could be sucessful. What do u guys think?

WERM

Unfortunately, the differential in speed is what causes the most accidents - If everyone just drove at the same speed and never passed anyone, there would be far fewer accidents. We'd probably all be safer if they just made the speed limit 75MPH for everyone.

I really dislike SUV's though. Not so much SUV's as the idea behind them - i.e. safety at the expense of others. When someone buys an SUV to be "safe" it makes everyone with a car less safe. Many of the owners of these things use this extra mass to intimidate cars (I call them m***holes, a combination of massive and ***hole. ).

To ensure my safety while in traffic, I don't offer to let vehicles merge or pull out in front of me if I can't see over them.

Z28x

I think vans are the worst thing on the road.

I think it is a bad idea, over 50% of new autos in the US are trucks/SUVs that means instead on one jerk driving 10 under the speed limit we will have half the cars on the road doing it, I can't deal with that many sunday drivers.

Plus it is not fair to all the Lightning, Ram SRT-10, Syclone, Silverado SS, and Typhon owners

USHotRod

How about a separate lane for cars? Dont know about ya'll but Im sick of staring at the back of trucks and SUVs in traffic. Not to mention you cant see anything around them.

steves

I hate SUV's! Most of my friends agree with me. If you pull up next to one of them at a light (especially an Explorer) they usually think it's a race. Some of these people drive their SUV's as if they are driving some type of sports car. These same people also think that in the winter because it's a 4X4 they can fly through traffic when there is six inches of snow on the ground and they are gonna stop on a dime.
I remember we had a snow storm one winter and the local news was doing a story about SUV's and begging for the SUV's owners to slow down. They were shooting the story next to a highway entrance ramp showing three rolled SUV's stuck in the snow. The funniest thing was as they were shooting the story some other idiot in a blazer rolled in there and almost took out the news crew.

AnthonyHSV

The biggest problem I have with SUV's/ large truck owners is that there putting themselves first at the detrement of everyone else.

They are safer in a crash to the occupants but far more deadly to the sedan they hit. Majority of SUV's (here in Aus) closest thing they get to offroad driving is when it mounts a curb.


And my pet hate is being stuck behind one in traffic

johnsocal

I personally have no love for truck-based SUV's for many reasons so I choose not to buy them (plain and simple).

If you dont like SUV then dont buy one, but every person should have the same freedom to make the choice for themselves as well.

I dont like driving behind a big SUV either so i drive around them and get in front of them (actually I get far in front of them). Big SUVs are just no fun to drive and I think over time most people will come to that conclusion for themselves and buy car-based SUV's/Crossovers that sit lower , safer to drive, get better gas mileage, and handle better. Like all automotive trends that come and go the current huge SUV trend will be no different so in other words the market will do a better job changing people opinion then the government ever could by creating new laws that reduce ones choices

Many people choose to purchase a particular car for more then just driving from point-A to point-B. Many buy a particular car for the freedom (real or perceived) it offers. Some buy fast sports cars and others buy offroading trucks or SUV's, and in most cases the person who bought a sports cars does not race it but instead drives it like a normal commuter car and the offroad Truck or SUV rarely ever sees the dirt. The high ride height in SUVs also gives a person a better view in traffic and since traffic in most cities is getting worse, the demand for high riding SUV's has also increased. The high ride height also makes getting children in and out of car seats much easier then a low riding sedan as well.

I firmly believe that next-gen SUV/crossovers will be safer and get better gas milage while they will still offer all the real and percieved benefits of truck-based SUV's. These improvements will occur because consumers are willing the pay for them and not because of new laws imposed by the government

guionM

Very true. If all traffic moved the same speed, and people would signal & look before making a lane change, and would keep right unless passing, you'd probally cut at least 1/3 of all freeway accidents.

USHotRod

I keep trying to convice myself that the same will be true for rap music.

GOATCRAZY

The concept of multiple speed limits based on vehicle type is ridiculous! If thats the case then using that logic, the speed limit for my '69 GTO should be 45 MPH with it's DRUM brakes in FRONT and REAR, hell an excursion towing a boat could stop faster going 65 than my goat at 45! And talk about bad handling, take the 'goat out for a spin and you'll see bad handling!

What causes accidents is simply and purely the lack of driving ability and/or attantion to the task at hand.

I've always believed that collectively, Americans' driving skills are so poor that they couldn't drive themselves out of a paper bag! Could you imagine the average American driving on the Autobahn every day! There would be carnage EVERYWHERE!

What really needs to happen is the government needs to make the driving training more comprehensive, and liscence testing more stringent to really "weed out" the drivers that don't need to be behind the wheel, and give the "right" type of training to new drivers. When I went through driver's training, I never learned anything about high-speed vehicle control and emergency maneuvering, what about elementary things like FWD vs RWD vehicle dynamics & control? How about inclement weather and it's effect on vehicle dynamics? How about the effect of vehicle weight and build on stability and dynamics? How many Southerners hav had a chance to learn how to control their vehicle on ice BEFORE they actually had to do it? [Let me tell you how many - NONE]

What about periodic ROAD TESTS after you get your liscence - every 6 - 8 years, increasing in frequency with driver's age.

Instead of the "inattentive driving" ticket being an easy charge reduction for speeding tickets, what about making heavy penalties for accidents caused by inattentive driving.

Banning cellphone usage while driving, remove DVD players & screens from the FRONT visors of vehicles, etc, etc...

There are many more ways to reduce accidents on the road than arbitrarily targeting one type of vehicle based on personal dislikes.

Morgan SS

Why the beef with SUV's, leave the SUV bashing to liberals and the environmentalists

Z28Wilson

Goatcrazy hit this one square on the head.

Drivers training in this country is an absolute joke. Oh sure they teach you all the laws, but are they actually teaching any 16 year olds some useful driving techniques? In my experience 9 years ago, absolutely not! I had to figure out how to drive my Camaro in Michigan winters myself. I had to teach myself how to bring my car out of a slide. "Learning to drive" is so much more than learning what a yellow light means. Unfortunately everyone is much more interested in churning out kids who don't have any skill behind the wheel than take the time (and money) to train people and (gasp) actually fail some who don't make the cut.

As much as I dislike SUV's, and especially the people who buy SUV's not because they have a legit use for them but simply as a single-person "trendmobile", this is America and people should have the freedoms to drive whichever vehicle they choose. They shouldn't be explicitly penalized for it out on the road either.

johnsocal

I think there is a conspiracy between the music industry and the auto industry.

One can connect the rise of Dr. Dre with the increased sales of SUV's.

If you play Eminem's music backwards it says

"Yo ride ain't dope unless it get "8-miles" a gallon"

dnovotny

We could change this quote around a little bit to describe math or science education in the US.

They are penalized by having a greater number of rollovers, completely offsetting any safety (i.e. size) advantage vs. cars. SUVs popularity is the microcosm of this countries macrocosm, a very selfish spoiled society composed of poorly informed and educated people. Why do I love this country?

johnsocal

People like big cars for the same reason they like big homes (space and status).

If a person wants a big car or a big house and they can afford it then I say go for it!!

Unfortunately huge-SUVs are about as fun to drive as driving a 3000 Sqft house around town.


Dont punish people because they are successful and can afford the expensive stuff.

Some people want everyone to be equal as long as they are all equally poor and equally dependent on the State and its programs.