With the price of gas so high, why is the trend toward BIG cars? When we had rationing in the 70s people bought smaller cars. I guess people were bothered by waiting in gas lines far more than they are bothered by prices. The fact that we are dependent on fanatical governments to get this oil doesn't seem to bother anyone too much. We're just fighting a war because of our dependence on oil. (Yes that IS what it's about)Environmental concerns have also lost their importance as new generations become increasingly self absorbed. Funny how the families of the 70s seemed to manage with sedans. Families today are smaller, why do the cars need to be so much larger?
But I'm guilty of it too. People feel safer in the larger cars. I know I do, but this would not have been my choice, it's a decision that has been forced on me. Unfortunately, OUR need for safety compromises the safety of others. It is an unfair playing field, with all the SUVs and light trucks out there, the person with a sedan is at much greater risk.
I have a very ugly van. I would love to drive the kind of sports cars that I used to but I don't dare. I have to compete with all the other vehicles in my area and they are all huge. My van's engine went out. The van is old and looks like a big purple terd. I would have loved to get something else. I did not have the money to get an SUV. I did have the money for a sedan. Since I have a child and I want him to live, I chose to put a new engine into my piece of poo van. I need to wait until the trend for others is to drive a smaller car.
That aside, there is something I really don't understand - Jacked Up Trucks. They actually have little ladders for people to climb into them. While I understand the "Monster Truck" in theory and as an integral part of white trash culture, why are these only slightly smaller trucks allowed on public streets? Further more, why is it legal to jack up these trucks? While some models right off the lot have an unsafe elevation, there are plenty of people who get their's customized to be even higher. These menaces make the bumpers of smaller cars pointless. If one of these rear ends a sedan, what might have been a miner fender bender now becomes a serious accident. The front end of the truck goes into the most vulnerable part of the car. If there is a passenger in the back seat they may well be decapitated or otherwise fatally injured.
Furthermore these trucks are being driven by those who are far more likely to drive aggressively, speeding, tailgating, intoxicated. Consider the personality of someone who needs to be so far above others. There's a word for that: ASSHOLE.
See how a Honda Civic fairs with just a 4x4 (not even jacked up)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m_86RuYXoJA&mode=related&search=
