The typical obnoxious SUV driver on my way to work...

[devilgrrl]

Usually female :-( and usually f***ing with the phone! :mad::mad::mad:

[Archae]

1. I'm still furious with what happened to me this afternoon.

I'm on my bicycle, on the side of the road on the gravel.

CHENEY-ING sick-yellow Hummer roars past me with inches to spare. :scared:

I hollered "Dickless!" but the damn thing just kept going. :argh:

[yellowcanine]

43. My advice is - When on a bike - don't argue with, yell at, flip off, or

otherwise retaliate against car drivers. They, unfortunately, have the upper hand and can hurt you. Lot of total psycho car drivers out there. Just be thankful that you are still in one piece and think about alternative routes that won't expose you to the careless, rude, and homicidal car drivers.

[bloodyjack]

2. the typical obnoxious prattling SUV driver nearly killed me

and, worse, totally totaled MY POOR CAR when we crossed paths, about a year ago. car accidents are the strangest thing...they go in slow motion, your glasses are somehow knocked out a closed window, your trousers tear in embarrassing places, you lose a shoe or a tooth. And you've got nothing to say after you claw your way out of the wreckage and meet your new friend, except maybe something to the effect of "what the heck was that about?"

and the shock, oh the shock.

[Archae]

3. What was the outcome?

Was the idiot nailed by the cops and/or insurance company?

[bloodyjack]

4. nailed by insurance company.

i got three cat scans after I was rushed to the ER just to be on the safe side, since each cat scan costs roughly $3000. i sincerely hope that twat doesn't get behind the wheel for a good while.

unfortunately, my poor car was appraised to be $700. it was worth a lot more, let me tell you.

[Marvelous_Smarty]

5. I drive a Hummer H2

but I am very aware of my surroundings because I also ride a motorcycle alot (more than the Hummer actually) and have had a lot of near misses with SUVs. Hate to harp on a cliche, but they are usually female drivers either on a cell or smacking rowdy kids in the back seat.

[HuckleB]

8. Baloney.

This cliche about female drivers is crap. Men are in no way any better about driving, with or without their friggin' phones.

[Marvelous_Smarty]

10. I am not stating it as fact,

but of all the near misses I have had on my motorcycle, most of them have involved SUVs being piloted by women. Hell, the one that was NOT a near miss; the one where I actually hit the damned thing was an SUV driven by a woman. I am sure that statistically women are almost as good at driving as men (men maintain an edge because after all, we ARE men), but the ones that tend to congregate themselves around me when I am out riding don't drive very aware.

[HuckleB]

11. Whatever you say.

:eyes:

[gpandas]

15. anecdotal truth eom

[Marvelous_Smarty]

18. Look

Huck. I am not say women can't drive. Maybe it is the time of day I am out, maybe it is where I ride (usually go by a lot of little league and soccer fields). Maybe more women drivers are out there when I am.

[HuckleB]

20. Or, maybe you see what you want to see.

[Book Lover]

16. Yeah, but nobody drives safely around motorcycles

except folks like you who ride, or folks like me who know many folks who ride.

[rppper]

56. every other car on the road is the enemy when you ride a motorcycle......

and every time someone in a cage...aka=car....hits a biker, the first words out of the mouth are"i didn't see him"....of course not...not while you had lipstick in your hand, a cell phone in your ear, a handfull of fries, a joint, a cd, slapping the kids in the back seat, etc, etc.....it is multi sexual and spans the ages.......

kill a biker, meet bubba in prison......

[gpandas]

12. true, but...

women are beginning to drive as poorly as men, though they used to be so much safer than men, imho.

[HuckleB]

19. And your point?

[gpandas]

42. my point,obviously , is that women are becoming

as bad as men at driving.

[HuckleB]

46. And your point in context with this board?

[gpandas]

55. this particular thread on this board...

was more a discussion of women's driving habits. i offered my opinion that women (as evidenced by rates for insurance) were much safer drivers in the past, but in my estimation, are fast approaching the same bad driving habits of men.

[Cybergata]

26. Hum....

I've never seen a woman smacking her kids in a car, but I have had men of all ages in SUVs/Pickup Trucks come rushing up onto the tail of my car. I generally drive fast, but going 10 miles over the speed limit just isn't good en ought for some overly testosterone driven men in their big honking vehicles. I drive a Suburu Legacy Sport, so I'm dwarfed by the jerks pushing me from behind.


I've had both women and men in SUVs/Pickup Trucks nearly hit me....but if you are going to point the finger at women, well I'll point it a men. Insurance companies wil back me. Men, especially younger men, get in more accidents than women.



:hippie:

[Cybergata]

28. Can you explain why you have a hummer?

They pollute three times as much as cars. They get 8 miles to the gallon. Why do you drive one?

:hippie:

[Enraged_Ape]

35. Because a Ford Festiva was too roomy on the inside

He wasn't sure he could use all that space.

[Marvelous_Smarty]

45. Because,

after six years in prison and being homeless, I feel I deserve one. That simple.

Plus it is a business proposition. I bought it cheap and will turn a very good profit once I sell it.

[Cybergata]

49. When you sell it....

there are some really great vehicles out there that are cheaper to maintain.

Sorry about prison and homelessness, but a hummer!

The Hummer seems like a Catch-22 vehicle to me. It really is a vehicle to take of road, but how can anyone afford the gas to run them?

I think if I wanted to treat myself to a new expensive vehicle, I'd love one of the BMW sports car. Hummm, I use to love driving a lot more when there weren't a lot of people in New Mexico. Now the traffic makes even the coolest car seem not so cool to me since I'll have to drive in traffic.



:hippie:

[Marvelous_Smarty]

50. When I do sell it,

I plan to buy a Dodge Ram (which I do need because of my business) and I will have enough left over once I pool it with some savings to buy an Aprilia Mille-R sportbike.

[fudge stripe cookays]

33. You enjoy mentioning it too.

No one cares about your Hummer.

[southpaw]

37. You are wrong, cookays...

I care deeply about his Hummer! Every time I see one of those offensive phallic symbols I imagine the fun I could have with a 5 pound bag of sugar and a funnel. :evilgrin:

[fudge stripe cookays]

38. southpaw,

you and I could create a world of hurt in the Hummer industry. :evilgrin:

Did you go to any of the Code Pink demonstrations? I wanted to but didn't make it. Anyone know if they're still doing this?

[southpaw]

39. Nay, cookays...

I don't think those happened in or around Alabama...

But yes, I have wet dreams about destroying Hummers, Yukons, Excursions, Navigators etc...

Melt down that Hummer and make 10 Priuses (Priusi?) out of the metal! The environment will reward your descendants!

[Philostopher]

40. Y'know, the first thought that occurred to me ...

when looking at that image ... was 'damn, Sam -- between the sticker price on that behemoth and the cost to repair the mess that was made of it, we could pay off our mortgage!'

[southpaw]

41. I know many people who live in homes that cost less than the H2...

This monstrosity has to be the most arrogant vehicle on the road.

[trogdor]

44. So, do you at least get your money's worth for your 10 MPG?

Haul any big-ass trailers with that thing? Go off-road much? Haul bricks?

Or is your H2 a mid-life-crisis-mobile, a small-penis-compensation-device, something that says, "I have more?"

[thebigidea]

57. Yeah! And the worst thing about female drivers? They all look alike!

My next hee-larious joke will require a rabbi costume. Just a second.

[TEXASYANKEE]

6. What is it with people ragging on SUV owners?

Driving has become a much more aggressive activity than it used to, and these aggressive/thoughtless/stupid/whatever drivers come in all types of automobiles. Yesterday I almost got sideswipped by a Ford Bronco, this morning it was a Toyota Camry, on the way home who knows, maybe a Mercedes. Driving, as a whole, has become much more dangerous.

[Book Lover]

13. Because their vehicles are fat and in my way

When I am driving, I want to see the road, not the back of a vehicle that is taller than needs be (structurally, I mean).

[gpandas]

17. is texasyankee one of those moronic oxen? eom

[Iris]

21. and are dangerous to people who drive sensible cars. n/t

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Thank you!

Not only can I not see over them or around them, but now I can't see THROUGH them either, since every freaking one I see has tinted windows!

They are gas-guzzling wastes of space and petroleum, and I hate them.

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Here's My Guess

It's in multiple parts:
1) It is apallingly obvious that most people who have SUV's don't need one. They have them for status. Vehicles as status symbols (no matter the body style) strikes me as pathetic. I'm sure i'm not alone in that.

2) People buy them stupidly believing they are safer. But, even if one ignores the rolloever data, the probability of serious injury or death in an SUV is NOT superior, in a statistically significant way, to any normal car. This is almost true if the second vehicle is a standard car. It's absolutely a fact if the other vehicle is heavy truck, light truck, or another SUV. So, people are either deluding themselves about their own safety, or they're lying and it's really about status. Once again, strikes me as pathetic, selfish, and absurd.

3) Because of their girth (excepting the very small, and highly "windowed" SUV's, they create sightline hazards to other drivers. So, they create additional road hazards and make driving inherently more dangerous for everyone on the road. Just like big trucks do! Once again, not caring that they INCREASE the general hazard level is selfish.

4) Because they are not NEEDED by a large proportion of the drivers who have them, they are inherently wasteful of resources. Once again, selfish.

I don't like them, and the evidence is clear that a preponderance of SUV owners do have asocial motivations for having them.

Selfishness and self-aggrandizement are not traits that make we want to like someone.

If they really need one, because of hauling, or living in an area where road conditions can be a real problem, or because they plow snow for a side-job, then cool.

But, if someone owes one as an alternative to a car, because they think they're cool, or safe, they are a fool who deserves any derision they get.
The Professor

[HuckleB]

7. Now, now. People must have their phones!

Ack. That's what drives me nuts. We know that these things are just as dangerous as drunken driving, yet we continue to let people use these things while driving. WTF?

Oh, yeah. And I call baloney on this cliche about "women drivers."

[Cybergata]

53. Speaking on cell phones....

A couple of years ago I was walking out of the place where I had just heard the MOST MARVELOUS Dave Matthews concert. My head was full of MUSIC and JOY.

I suddenly became aware of everyone around me. I was probably the oldest person there, and the only one who didn't have a cell phone stuck to my ear.

Were there some years there that I wasn't aware of this new birth defect? I mean, I'm a middle school teacher, and I usually notice trends in each new crop of kids.

There were years when every girl was named Jeniffer or Tiffany or Catlin and the boys were name Jason or Jacob...but the cell phone stuck to the ear.....Humm....I must have missed those years. ;-)

:hippie:

[HuckleB]

9. Campaign aims to teach bicyclists, motorists to share

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/109006591442350.xml

[Marvelous_Smarty]

14. You know I am a very considerate rider

and to not take up too much of the road when I ride, I try to stay on one wheel as much as possible. :)

[BiggJawn]

22. I'd rather take a class...

On how to mount a .50 cal Browning MG on my Raleigh...

Actually, the drivers out here in corn country are OK. they give you LOTS of room and wave.

It's the fucking TOURISTS from the city who act like they'll be killed from on high if they move over to pass....

[HuckleB]

25. Thanks for the generalizations, but I'll pass.

It's a small minority, and that minority comes from corn country, suburbia and the city.

[BiggJawn]

30. No generalizations, personal experience.

You don't ride my roads, *I* do.
The closer I get to "population centres" , the more drivers seem to delight in trying to smack your ass with their right mirror.

Why you're getting all bent over that is beyond my comprehension. But then, I'm just a hay-seed road cyclist.

[HuckleB]

31. Uh huh. Keep going.

"Your roads." Whatever.

I've lived in small town farm country for six years. I've lived in a suburban fantasyland, and I've lived in the city. I still ride in all three. And I know better than to go with your generalization.

Who's getting all bent over? Seems like you when someone calls out a statement that is based more in prejudice than reality. "Your roads." You crack me up.

[BiggJawn]

32. "My roads" as in the roads I ride on.

Why you have a problem with that, I can't imagine.
I've ridden all three, also. Inner city wasn't bad, suburbia sucked, and farm-land is great for riding.

I'm glad I "crack you up" That's my goal in life, to spread humour and joy. Glad I succeeded.

[HuckleB]

47. Uh, yeah, I got that.

:eyes:

:)

[Cybergata]

51. WoWzeeeers!

I heard lots of bike vs car wars but bike roads vs bike roads wars!!!!!!!!! <hee hee>

:hippie:

[Fleshdancer]

23. Down here everyone seems to be on the phone while driving

After moving back to Austin after being away for 5 years, I come back and every idiot (in North Austin atleast) has a damn cell phone stuck to their ear while driving. Do people just not like to talk on the phone at home anymore?

I also HATE cell phones being used at the table in restaurants. Big pet peeve of mine.

[Cybergata]

27. ....and idiots who just have to answer phone at movie theaters!

This jerk in a movie was talking way too loud on his phone in a movie theater. After telling 12 and 13 years to behave, I have no problem telling some jerk to take it outside the theater. Although my
EX-Significant Other hated me doing things like this because he feared he would be the one getting beat up.

:hippie:

[Deja Q]

24. I've seen lots of women drive Hummers too...

Very strange, what's so special about a Hummer? (the tank on 4 wheels, don't get pleasantly dirty on me!)

[Cybergata]

29. I don't either!

At the price that gas is today, I can't image driving a hummer anywhere?

:hippie:

[southpaw]

36. Marvelous Smarty...

http://www.fuh2.com/

just so you know how most of us feel around here.

[Cybergata]

52. I think it is suppose to get more like...

8 miles to the gallon! I guess if a person drives on the highway with few stops, then it'll get 10 miles to the gallon.

Now, now folks don't be mean to Marvelous Smarty, just be mean to his Hummer!

:hippie:

[Beaverhausen]

54. OT- is that Jann Arden?