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I 100% disagree with you about bikes on the road, and I do not own an SUV, but I have a twinge of sympathy for parents who do. I think people without young kids

I 100% disagree with you about bikes on the road, and I do not own an SUV, but I have a twinge of sympathy for parents who do. I think people without young kids fail to understand just how difficult it is to fit multiple carseats into a sedan. If you have three kids, the only practical options are a minivan or an SUV. I am angry at the US government about the chicken tax and other incentives that have led to the rise of the SUV, but no individual parent is going to solve that problem. However: If you’re buying the biggest SUV you can so as to win the arms race, none of my sympathy applies to you. Stop it already. How do you even park?

franga2000 3y ago
> I think people without young kids fail to understand just how difficult it is to fit multiple carseats into a sedan You're right, I have no idea. But a lot of people in Europe have three young kids as well and seem to get by perfectly fine without SUVs. > no individual parent is going to solve that problem This is how social change dies. "I can't do change things on my own, so why inconvenience myself?" Having an SUV increases your chances of KILLING PEOPLE. How does not having one not change anything?? And cars are big, high-margin purchases, of course you putting +1 in the minivan instead of SUV purchases column at your local dealer is going to have some impact on what they stock and a push more of. And your neighbours will see how convenient your non-insane car is and that will slightly away them towards buying that instead.
- ksenzee 3y ago
  When my kids were car seat age, one of the three-kid strategies I saw talked about was “buy European car seats because they’re smaller.” I think if you live in Europe, you have not seen this problem.
  - franga2000 3y ago
    This just proves that it isn't an inherent problem, but one that americans created for themselves. Yes, you can just buy smaller car seats, just like you can buy a smaller car. They'll be a little harder to get at first and probably a bit more expensive, but next to the cost of a new car, it will be little more than a rounding error. And as more people start buying them, they'll get cheaper and easier to buy.
thepasswordis 3y ago
I drive a Tesla model Y. Probably the smallest SUV I can buy. Why are people in this thread jumping to these absolutely absurd ideas about the motivations somebody would have for the car they drive? Do some of you seriously have this idea of a deranged murderous psychopath gassing up their giant child squishing machine and going out into the world looking for children to run over or something?
- fnimick 3y ago
  Maybe because you communicate like a prick. When your first sentence is "I don't care if my SUV makes you feel unsafe" and you go on to justify bullying other people not in cars off the road because you've decided they don't belong, you don't get the benefit of the doubt.
- sobkas 3y ago
  > I drive a Tesla model Y. Probably the smallest SUV I can buy. > Why are people in this thread jumping to these absolutely absurd ideas about the motivations somebody would have for the car they drive? Do some of you seriously have this idea of a deranged murderous psychopath gassing up their giant child squishing machine and going out into the world looking for children to run over or something? It doesn't matter what your justification is for owning SUV, statistically you are more likely to hit pedestrians because SUV have bad visibility. And when you hit pedestrian it's more likely that injuries they suffer will be fatal. SUVs are higher than normal cars so when hit by it pedestrian will more likely have head and torso injuries, with more often are fatal. Also SUVs have bigger clearance under it, so hit pedestrian will more likely be also squished by wheels and dragged under the car for no one knows how long. This is even more dangerous for kids(you might not know that but on average they are smaller than average adult). SUVs are not safer than normal cars. Poor visibility, higher center of gravity, stiff undercarriage all contribute to higher possibility of rollover. They have worse crumple zone, car might be ok but driver not so much. Worse fuel efficiency (car exhausts are not healthy). And many other things. In the end your motivation doesn't matter, you are a bigger danger to pedestrians(not to mention other drivers) than if you owned normal car or bicycle.

franga2000 3y ago

> I think people without young kids fail to understand just how difficult it is to fit multiple carseats into a sedan You're right, I have no idea. But a lot of people in Europe have three young kids as well and seem to get by perfectly fine without SUVs. > no individual parent is going to solve that problem This is how social change dies. "I can't do change things on my own, so why inconvenience myself?" Having an SUV increases your chances of KILLING PEOPLE. How does not having one not change anything?? And cars are big, high-margin purchases, of course you putting +1 in the minivan instead of SUV purchases column at your local dealer is going to have some impact on what they stock and a push more of. And your neighbours will see how convenient your non-insane car is and that will slightly away them towards buying that instead.

ksenzee 3y ago
When my kids were car seat age, one of the three-kid strategies I saw talked about was “buy European car seats because they’re smaller.” I think if you live in Europe, you have not seen this problem.
- franga2000 3y ago
  This just proves that it isn't an inherent problem, but one that americans created for themselves. Yes, you can just buy smaller car seats, just like you can buy a smaller car. They'll be a little harder to get at first and probably a bit more expensive, but next to the cost of a new car, it will be little more than a rounding error. And as more people start buying them, they'll get cheaper and easier to buy.

thepasswordis 3y ago

I drive a Tesla model Y. Probably the smallest SUV I can buy. Why are people in this thread jumping to these absolutely absurd ideas about the motivations somebody would have for the car they drive? Do some of you seriously have this idea of a deranged murderous psychopath gassing up their giant child squishing machine and going out into the world looking for children to run over or something?

fnimick 3y ago
Maybe because you communicate like a prick. When your first sentence is "I don't care if my SUV makes you feel unsafe" and you go on to justify bullying other people not in cars off the road because you've decided they don't belong, you don't get the benefit of the doubt.
sobkas 3y ago
> I drive a Tesla model Y. Probably the smallest SUV I can buy. > Why are people in this thread jumping to these absolutely absurd ideas about the motivations somebody would have for the car they drive? Do some of you seriously have this idea of a deranged murderous psychopath gassing up their giant child squishing machine and going out into the world looking for children to run over or something? It doesn't matter what your justification is for owning SUV, statistically you are more likely to hit pedestrians because SUV have bad visibility. And when you hit pedestrian it's more likely that injuries they suffer will be fatal. SUVs are higher than normal cars so when hit by it pedestrian will more likely have head and torso injuries, with more often are fatal. Also SUVs have bigger clearance under it, so hit pedestrian will more likely be also squished by wheels and dragged under the car for no one knows how long. This is even more dangerous for kids(you might not know that but on average they are smaller than average adult). SUVs are not safer than normal cars. Poor visibility, higher center of gravity, stiff undercarriage all contribute to higher possibility of rollover. They have worse crumple zone, car might be ok but driver not so much. Worse fuel efficiency (car exhausts are not healthy). And many other things. In the end your motivation doesn't matter, you are a bigger danger to pedestrians(not to mention other drivers) than if you owned normal car or bicycle.