SUVs and pickups are popular, and so is bashing them: Roadshow
'I refused to ride in my father's SUV after surviving this oblivious piece of driving.'
Q: Readers have been bashing SUVs. Let me join in. I dislike SUVs, vans and large pickups because I cannot see around them in my small Honda. If they have tinted windows, it’s even worse. Isn’t this a big problem for others?
Hazle Collins, San Jose
A: It definitely is. The hood of a Ford F250 is about 55 inches above the ground — as high as the roof of your small car. A recent Consumer Reports article talks about the increase in pedestrian fatalities and the contribution of pickups to the death toll. Among the reasons are the high hoods.
Pickups are also getting larger and heavier, both of which make crashes more deadly The larger size also makes blind spots bigger, and drivers may not be aware of how little they are seeing.
Many automakers say the way they are building trucks is because of consumer demand. People want the biggest and heaviest pickup, automakers say, even when most consumers’ normal activities do not require a large pickup.
Q: Years ago, my parents used to buy SUVs because, they said, “we like sitting up high.” One time I went driving with my father. He swerved into a left-turn lane, cut off a car, and never knew it. I never rode with him again.
Ironically, I had to drive his ghastly Explorer to my home 65 miles away and was scared to death. I couldn’t see well out of it, either in the front or the back.
SUVs are awful and should come with special warnings that if you clip a pedestrian, there’s a good chance that you’ll maim or kill them.
A.C., San Jose
A: New York legislators are considering just that.
Q: Gary, you often use the term “road boulder” for cars moving slower than the rest of traffic. I’d like to suggest the term “road billboard” for SUVs with darkened windows. I hate driving behind these view-blocking vehicles because I can’t get a bigger picture of what is going on in traffic ahead.
Amy Bowers, Sunnyvale
A: And we move on to today’s final frustrated driver.
Q: It amazes how many stupid drivers there are. They cannot see further than their own hood. All of a sudden, a car slams on their brakes and cuts in front of a truck already stopping because traffic is stopping in front of them. Bang. A rollover and possible death. I see this all the time. It is easier to merge when traffic is moving, not stopping which seems to be the norm. When will people learn?
Michael McWalters, Alviso
A: See you on Friday.
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