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  •  Safety (4.00 / 4)

    Not to mention the safety thing is a fallacy.  

    by Cyphrus42 on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 06:05:27 AM PDT

    •  No doubt (none / 0)

      I wouldn't be surprised if the Ion is safer than the the avg SUV. The highest safety-rated mid-sized cars are almost always cheaper than SUVs for the same or higher safety ratings.

      Questioning another's patriotism is the refuge of the truly unpatriotic.

      by surfbird007 on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 07:06:22 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Active Safety VS Passive Safety (4.00 / 2)

        The european view about safety is that you need both good passive and active safety.

        A nimble car with good brakes that helps you avoid getting into accidents, and when you get into one; good crumple zones, good airbages, etc.

        The american view about safety seems to be: "accidents are inevitable, some I'll drive a big tank and hope I survive".

        So they buy SUVs that are harder to control, more rigid (less crumple zone to absorb energy, so passengers absorb more of it), that roll over and take longer to brake because of the massive weigth, not to mention that they cause a lot more damage to what they hit (and themselves when they hit trees and walls).

        Letting others around you drive properly also doesn't seem to be a priority, with SUVs blinding beams and height that blocks the view of people behind.

        --

        Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!

        by MikeCapone on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 12:47:17 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  The number one cause of SUV accidents... (4.00 / 2)

          Ironically, the number one reason these "off-road" vehicles have accidents is that they run off the road.

          Drive a normal car off the road at highway speed (we've all done it) and it can be safely returned to the pavement without incident. Drive an SUV off the pavement and you lose control due to its poor design and high center of gravity.

          by EdinPHX on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 02:22:21 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  right (none / 0)

      Safety comes in maneuverability!

      Navigating through this basement that masquerades as a nation... --Atmosphere

      by AlanD on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 10:30:50 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  High & Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV (none / 1)

      Exactly. People buying SUVs for safety are plain delusional. I recommend "High & Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV", great book on the subject. Very in depth.

      Not to mention that SUVs keep us dependent on foreign oil, are very heavy so they take longer to brake, that all wheel drive does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help you brake, that the center of gravity is quite high, that they are built on truck frames that are rigid (so they absorb less of the energy on impact -- the passenger absorb more of it), that they obstruct the view of people driving behind and blind those in front, have high rollover rates, will get extremely dangerous as soon as a generation of second-hand SUVs in poor mechanical condition gets in the hand of young drivers, have bad visibility in the rear, etc..

      In short, SUVS ARE GODDAMN SQUARED-OUT MINIVANS (except that minivans have more space, are more fuel efficient and safer)!

      --

      Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!

      by MikeCapone on Fri Mar 11, 2005 at 10:38:26 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

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