I can take things too personally at times...

"HoustonRunner" (houstonrunner) 10/19/2020 at 14:05 • Filed to: None

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And I’m doing it again. This article feels like a personal attack on anyone with a vehicle larger than a Prius (editors note - I DD a 2015 Suburban).

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TL;DR - The Escalade is big and a danger to pedestrians, and you are evil if you drive something this big.

Admittedly I can have a thinned skin first reaction to some things. I 100% support the author’s right to have his opinion.

On the other hand, while the blind spots are real, attentive driving can overcome that.

I’d happily read an article about how the Escalade has too many features and distracts the driver from the road. Personally I think driver distraction has much more to do with pedestrian deaths / injuries than the sheer vehicle size (note - I do not have facts to back that up).

/rant

[EDIT: I guess I should add that while I can have thin skin, I also let it go really quickly. I was over it before I finished writing this post.]

lone_liberal > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:11

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You are not the things you like. A lesson that sports fans never seem to learn.

VincentMalamute-Kim > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:11

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It can’t be bigger than nor have more blind spots than my non-window high-roof cargo Transit. Although I don’t DD it.

I agree with you that it’s about driver distraction. Taking things personally is bad for your mental health. And I find it hard not to do.

I agree with him that they are a danger in collisions with small cars. And if people drove small cars ( if they do n’t have a need for an SUV) , we’d be better off.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:12

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“Driving this vehicle means you are significantly more likely to survive a head on collision against a smaller vehicle” says the writer as if that isn’t actually a selling point most consumers are actively looking for

For Sweden > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:13

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This is the same The Verge  that once tried to build a computer.

ttyymmnn > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:15

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“ Driving this vehicle means you are significantly more likely to survive a head on collision than the passengers in the smaller vehicle you hit. ”

Fixed it.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:16

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If you can hold a cell phone while driving, you can be distracted enough to kill someone. That fact has nothing to do with a vehicle’s size. (kill vs seriously injure might has some correlation though...)

The Escalade isn’t any bigger than the other full size trucks that have been built for the last few decades. 

The author has the right to have his opinion, but I don’t agree with it.

MonkeePuzzle > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:16

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everyone should just ride public transport

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:16

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It’s true that the taller fronts of SUVs and CUVs have contributed to increased pedestrian deaths. That’s undeniable. It’s also true that a rise in distracted driving has contributed. Additionally, the false sense of security created by driving vehicles that convey a sense of invincibility makes distracted driving appear less dangerous to yourself.

It’s easy to exclusively blame SUVs as this article does (which definitely comes off as alarmist) but really it’s a compound problem exacerbated by a trend towards taller vehicles and worse sightlines.

I prefer driving small cars but I also have quite a bit of experience driving large cars with and without good visibility (Volvo XC90, Toyota Tundra) and I am not a fan of the invincible cocoon feeling. Something like the Tundra requires more focus to drive because it’s an unwieldy large machine that doesn’t isolate you from the road. The Volvo does the opposite and I’m not a fan.

I don’t understand why the article seems to single out the Escalade in particular but I don’t like the author’s tone. 

dogisbadob > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:16

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Twice the size of a minivan and half the space :/

If you really need the space, you’d be better off with a full-size van

Also, check this out:

Sienna vs Escalade

404 - User No Longer Available > For Sweden 10/19/2020 at 14:16

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I’m more ticked off by  this :

HoustonRunner > lone_liberal 10/19/2020 at 14:18

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I’m an Astros and Texas A&M fan. Trust me, it is constant learning.

2017 was the first year as a fan I get to celebrate a championship. Then the cheating came out. Thanks guys.

ranwhenparked > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:19

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I'm a contrarian, when everyone was rushing to smaller, lighter cars and hybrids when gas prices spiked under Bush 43, I bought a Cadillac Fleetwood and a Mercury GrandMa. Now, if full size SUVs and pickups are the new thing, I'm thinking my next car needs to be as small as possible - what's the tiniest RWD 4-seater out there now? Still the Toyobaru, probably, we'll see what the new generation is like.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 10/19/2020 at 14:19

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As someone who drives a classic Mini I understand this comment. That is simply how the physics work out  

I wouldn’t mind to see the vehicle size arms race be reversed. If everyone drove smaller and lighter vehicles the math works out the same based off of F=ma.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ttyymmnn 10/19/2020 at 14:20

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Yeah, that’s what I meant.

It’s not something most shoppers are consciously aware of, but it’s a selling point.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:22

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Rushing out now to buy a 79 Chevette! 

VincentMalamute-Kim > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/19/2020 at 14:22

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2020 Transit comes with rear and front view cameras. In a van, especially cargo van, rear view cameras are very useful.

I did not understand the point of a front view camera.  You photo illustrates the point of one.

HoustonRunner > haveacarortwoorthree2 10/19/2020 at 14:24

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It was nice knowing you.....

Chariotoflove > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:24

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I drive a minivan now, and it definitely has worse visibility and takes more care to maneuver in close spaces. That’s why I like the backup camera and driver aids. They aren’t just gimmick-creep. They help me be a better driver when used properly.

I don’t like the author’s tone either, because it’s lazy and deceptive journalism. He’s not reviewing the car. He’s making a political statement about big cars and adding a does of FUD to make it attract more clicks. It’s all the rage in “journalism” these days.

ttyymmnn > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:26

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There was a crash near Austin last year that killed three kids in the back seat of a Corolla when it was hit by a lifted work truck. Car was stopped to make a left, security footage showed that the truck driver never applied the brakes. Driving my wife’s Civic makes me nervous when I see truck and SUV bumpers and brush guards and winches at the height of my head. 

OhCrikeyTheRozzers > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:26

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I don’t love the tone of the article at all , but to be fair , it does make some valid points. While living in downtown Chicago, I rented full-size SUVs pretty regularly to cart the family, dog, associated baggage out of town for various reasons , and my favorite vehicles to get were late-model Suburbans or Yukon XLs (I personally love the things ). I probably got one about 7-8 times in total.

Driving around the city was like taking a freighter down a river though. It barely fit in one lane, was impossible to find a space for, and smaller vehicles (and pedestrians) would just be lost around it. This was particularly perilous around the slew of bicycles, skateboarders, unicyclists that share the narrow roads of Chicago. I paid attention to what was happening around me so I never ran down a kindergarten class like the writer seems to suggest will happen , but the writer is absolutely correct about the height of the hood and what’s lost below it. When stopped at an intersection, kids would disappear beneath the hood in the crosswalk.   Taken with the way that obstacles seem to hurdle themselves at you while driving in the city, I’ll agree that it was always stressful getting out of downtown just trying not to hit something (or be hit).  Again, poor tone but some fair points in my opinion.

Captain of the Enterprise > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:27

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Can you imagine how the author would feel driving anything with a trailer? I learned how to drive on an 01 expedition. Some people have a compact their whole lives. I think they were massively inexperienced in the world of driving and that they are probably intimidated by driving in general. I don’t think the size is dangerous we have semis, buses  and RVs on the road but if the driver isn’t up to it then they shouldn’t be driving it. Declaring all big vehicles and drivers of them dangerous because you can’t handle it is fallacy.

HoustonRunner > dogisbadob 10/19/2020 at 14:28

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I’ve covered this before, but I’ve had minivans as well. In Houston where I live I need to be able to go through curb high water regularly.

[Before you re ply Long Voyager, I know you will respond with your awesome Rally Van.  We all live in your shadow. ]

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:31

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Me too, I frequently have to listen to “too bad it’s a 4 door, and not a v8, and an ugly colour...”    When what’s really too bad is the dirty stuff their mom and grandma do for wooden nickels.  

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:33

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it really is. A startlingly large # of people think large mass directly correlates with safety, and actively shop for vehicles with that in mind.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ttyymmnn 10/19/2020 at 14:33

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I hate driving in heavy traffic. All my cars are older than me. Honestly part of why I like my Jetta more than my Golf is that there’s more crash protection from behind.

Having a huge vehicle that’s going to “win” any crash it’s in (I hate that mentality) is no excuse for not paying attention to the road.

I hope that truck driver is in jail for a long time.

facw > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:39

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We should tax larger vehicles more, or hold them more at fault in collisions to help counter this. We don’t want people to chose the larger vehicle for their own safety it makes everyone else less safe. Internalize the externalities!

ranwhenparked > f86sabre 10/19/2020 at 14:40

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Unless you build a car like a concrete bollard on wheels, a la Smart ForTwo, which is intentionally designed to completely obliterate the crumple zone of whatever larger vehicle hits it to make up for not having much of one itself.

atfsgeoff > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:41

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People have been driving crew cab dually pickups for decades that are way bigger than the new Escalade. Its physical size is a non-issue. 

facw > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:41

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Yeah, obviously tall van is the answer! Also maybe Houston could figure out how to stop flooding all the damn time.

ttyymmnn > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:42

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My brother had a conversation with somebody who had a giant SUV. The guy said just wanted to protect his family. My brother replied, “But what about mine?”

dogisbadob > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:44

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Get a Metris with a lift kit :o)

Now you got me looking up lifted minivans ;)

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > facw 10/19/2020 at 14:44

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It’s absurd to me that the road tax I pay for a 2000 pound vehicle on 145 section tires would be the same as a 4000 pound vehicle on 315 section. I’m literally putting less than 25% of the load they’re putting on the road.

Nothing > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:47

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When I test drove a few (Yukon XLs and ‘Burbans, not an Escalade) , it didn’t feel overwhelming to me.

My dad’s 1976 Tbird was a longer vehicle that I’m sure had bigger blind spots than an Escalade.

Man acquires Escalade to test self driving, finds driving it themselves to be stressful. Sounds like they flat out just don’t enjoy driving and any vehicle he needs to pilot will be stressful.

ttyymmnn > dogisbadob 10/19/2020 at 14:48

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Exactly why I won’t buy an suv to replace my Odyssey. Just a few weeks ago I saw a guy at Home Depot trying to figure out how to get a full sheet of plywood in his Escalade. My Oddy takes a sheet of plywood  like a sword swallower.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:50

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I was once backed into in a parallel parking spot because my perfectly normal compact sedan wasn’t visible over the dude’s tailgate (Tahoe). Had he had a trailer hitch my car probably wouldn’t have been able to drive away. Yes, there is a "too  big” for cars, and the blind spots in modern vehicles are absolutely abhorrent.

Textured Soy Protein > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 14:50

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I don’t hate trucks and SUVs. I had a couple Grand Cherokees as winter cars back when I lived in Wisconsin but going bigger than that held no appeal to me. But I think your takeaway from this article wasn’t the intended takeaway.

Yes it’s saying big tall SUVs & trucks with big tall front ends are a danger to pedestrians but that’s quite different than “anything bigger than a Prius is evil and you’re evil for driving it.”

The size and shape of the front ends of these things does make it harder for their drivers to see people/objects in front of them, and their size and mass does make them more dangerous to pedestrians and other vehicles. This is just physics.

When I’m driving something that’s not bigass truck or SUV, bigass trucks and especially SUVs with their factory-tinted windows are annoying to see around in traffic, especially if I’m waiting to make a left turn and one of them is waiting to make a left turn in the other direction. They take up extra room in parking lots and this makes them undesirable to park near.

T he reason they get hated on is because their size is both the reason people buy them, and the thing that causes problems for others . Plus, if we’re being honest, the practical concerns of many people who drive bigass trucks & SUVs could probably be served by other smaller vehicles that are less of a nuisance to others. So...a lot of folks out there feel like choosing to drive a bigass vehicle precisely because of that bigass-ness, when that bigass-ness is both (often) unnecessary, and inconveniences others, is a bit selfish.

Which I guess is why it’s no surprise that a country as full of selfish assholes as America is as full of this many bigass trucks and SUVs. Not that everyone who drives a bigass truck or SUV is a selfish asshole, of course.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 14:52

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Well of course you’ll survive if your truck is so big that everything else just goes under it.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VincentMalamute-Kim 10/19/2020 at 14:52

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It’s somewhat worrying really when a car needs a front view camera for no reason other than it was made intentionally tall in a way that generates a height arms race no one can win. I’d much rather sit lower and have better visibility to my immediate environment.

But vans having an upright seating position makes sense. The transit is a good space efficient design. None of the cars I’ve really driven have needed a rear view camera but I’ve ridden in a lot of modern cars I would not want to try to back up without one. Mazda3, I’m looking at you. And you, Toyota CHR.

Tripper > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 10/19/2020 at 14:52

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This. A lso infotainment systems are just as bad as phones . I got into it with my FIL about this as he was saying how great the tech is (auto brake, lane assist etc) and he’s not completely wrong it is good . My argument is that it goes both ways....

I used the following example. I was driving the alltrack to work, my phone rang through the stereo at a volume loud enough to give you a heart attack. I was frantically trying to figure out how to get it to stop as I was approaching a red light. Auto brake kicked in and saved me from blasting into the back of the car sitting there.

The other time I was cycling through the different ways to see my MPG and encountered a similar situation but I was able to brake before the auto brake kicked in.

I have two other cars where the story stops at “my phone rang” and the second story never happens.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/19/2020 at 14:53

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Hey. Don't knock the clit mouse.

HoustonRunner > facw 10/19/2020 at 14:55

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Yeah, that would be nice. The only real solution I’ve seen is an older Gates foundation idea about cooling the ocean surface temperature ahead of a storm using solar or wave driven pumps that move cool water from 100+ meters down to the surface.

There are certainly areas of Houston where poor building regulations (and poor enforcement of the decent ones) have led to horrific runoff, but Houston is going to flood.

HoustonRunner > OhCrikeyTheRozzers 10/19/2020 at 14:58

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I agree there are some valid points made, but the holier than thou tone was hard to get past.

krustywantout > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:03

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I drive a 2017 F250 and I agree with what article. When you look at the windshield opening and angle for the current generation F250 , you can see that they deliberately made the wind shield smaller by increasing the angle and reducing the opening to increase the hood height compared to the previous generation . They could have easily made the windshield taller and have less of an angle and thus, reducing the height of the hood. In the Escalade case , one can see that the space between the top of the wheel well and the hood is enormou s for no good reason. This new styling trend makes things taller for the sake of making it taller. It doesn’t add to function and, in the Escala de and all of GM’s bodyonframe truck/suv chassis case, a top heavy awkward design. I also owned a 2010 GMC Yukon and I wouldn’t be surprised if the hood heights between 2010 to 2020 is 3 to 4 inches while interior space has decreased. 

Future next gen S2000 owner > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:03

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I used to roll around in a 2 door coupe that was almost as long as the new Escalade.

The Escalade isn’t dangerously huge. You just have to pay attention when you operate it. I just think the author isn’t as good of a driver as they think they are. Let them tow a bow with an 8' beam plus the width of the trailer in a 10 foot construction lane running 70 in traffic.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/19/2020 at 15:04

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I t’s a selfish line of thought, but I don’t think the concept of “I value the life of my family more than I value the life of a stranger/their family” is intrinsically bad, it’s just driven by the desire to preserve something you care about . It’s obviously selfish to drive recklessly/distracted knowing you are more likely to survive a wreck than the occupants of the car you wreck into . It’s an individualistic mentality, and unless every vehicle is the largest size possible, unless you’re driving the largest vehicle on the road, someone else is going to be more likely to survive a wreck into you than you are.

Jb boin > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:05

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With my perspective (from Europe), the author is mostly right.

T his is huge, extremely heavy, has terrible mileage and is indeed terrible for visibility and pedestrians/bike safety .

As a comparison, t he best selling 7 seaters in Europe ( th e CUV Peugeot 5008) is more than 1m shorter and more than 1 ton lighter in it’s heavier version and it’s already considered quite big .

I n the end, it’s not looking to be very good at anything, just trying to do everything XXL .

HoustonRunner > Jb boin 10/19/2020 at 15:18

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I have to protest....from your perspective in Europe it must look quite tiny, unless you have a VERY powerful telescope.

/humor

HoustonRunner > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/19/2020 at 15:19

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Now that is incredibly poor driving and admittedly quite scary .

404 - User No Longer Available > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/19/2020 at 15:21

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You’re saying that to long-time ThinkPad user with trackpads disabled, lol.

It’s that idiot who can’t handle the clit.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Tripper 10/19/2020 at 15:32

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I’m ashamed to say I’ve been saved by the auto brake a few times as well.

What’s funny is when I’m backing into a spot (which I always do) and the auto brake freaks out and slams on the brake, even when it doesn’t need to. People look at me funny and it’s embarrassing. 

BigBlock440 > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 15:34

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Uh, no, you’re actually putting more pressure on the roads. Assuming the contact patch is 1" long for both tires, you’ll be exerting 87.6 pounds per inch, the other vehicle will be at 80.6 pounds per inch.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > BigBlock440 10/19/2020 at 15:36

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This assumes that road wear is only in compression, but yeah, that part’s right. And it ignores that I’d be wearing out a much smaller section of road.

fintail > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:39

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Maybe these bloated contraptions need license endorsements.

Only half-joking.

Cash Rewards > atfsgeoff 10/19/2020 at 15:48

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Hood height has been increasing, and that is an issue. Kids at crosswalks and stop signs disappear with these new ones. 

Shoop > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:54

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As someone who drives a 2500hd truck, fuckem.

Reminds me of this melodramatic article https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/firing-ar-15-horrifying-dangerous-loud-article-1.2673201

“ The recoil bruised my shoulder, which can happen if you don’t know what you’re doing. The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face. The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick. The explosions — loud like a bomb — gave me a temporary form of PTSD. For at least an hour after firing the gun just a few times, I was anxious and irritable."

Shoop > OhCrikeyTheRozzers 10/19/2020 at 15:56

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Ehh, you're just not used to it. They feel wider then they are, and after you drive it for a couple weeks you forget, and go back to shooting gaps. 

flatisflat > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 15:58

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There’s personal responsibility and driver attentiveness. Then there’s stacking the cards against oneself by rolling around in something like the Escalade.

Yes, it can be done. No, there are no extracurricular testing requirements to pilot said machine when it absolutely is not apples-to-apples to driving something like a Golf.  And I think that’s where part of the issue lies.  Classification of said vehicle means anyone can, and a lot more people do than ‘should’. Because #Freedoms.

newnamesameme > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 16:03

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Correlation is not causation and all that but there is most definitely a spike in pedestrian/cyclist deaths and big ass vehicles only getting bigger in this country that you don't see in the eu, for example. I have a 4x4 myself but I'm regularly dwarfed by lifted super duty's where I live. It's a but much, imo. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Future next gen S2000 owner 10/19/2020 at 16:33

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I think the problem is a feeling of invincibility encouraged by very large cars that isolate you from road conditions that makes it easy to drive obliviously. I’ve driven large vehicles that require lots of attention and I’ve driven large vehicles that allow you to doubt the outside world exists at all. The Escalade is more of the latter but its high front end makes the results of a pedestrian impact more dangerous.

DipodomysDeserti > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 16:36

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Are you in the US? A lot of states build road taxes into fuel prices, so larger vehicles pay more taxes. 

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > DipodomysDeserti 10/19/2020 at 16:38

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Yeah, that’s true I suppose. Counties in Ohio get vehicle registry tax as well. 

Cash Rewards > ttyymmnn 10/19/2020 at 16:43

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My mistake is a bit lowered, and my sparco puts me even lower. I’m eye level with the door handle on an accord. Big trucks are terrifying

ttyymmnn > Cash Rewards 10/19/2020 at 16:51

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Your mistake?

MUSASHI66 > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 16:52

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“ Admittedly I can have a thinned skin first reaction to some things. I 100% support the author’s right to have his opinion.”

Me too, 100%, but I also love my right to call them an idiot. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 17:04

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So basically it’s just if Shilling were to review one . I think you summed up the grievances not going to waste my time reading Op-Ed. We are in a time where media is jousting for views so these hair brained polarized articles come out. Negative and angry writing is what generates clicks, voilà...

I get annoyed by people who believe they have the authority to critique when they have a limited scope of what they’re discussing and produce a hive mind mentality. What’s also lost today is discourse with said people. They take what the read and it cements their viewpoint.

Here’s the funny thing. I never liked motorcycles and I was against full size pickups. I bought both in my mid 20's and it made me realize that before ownership I was a “based” punk kid and my thoughts were other peoples bullshit opinions I thought lined up with my own. I was wrong, but there was no changing my mind because of my naivety. It’s why I won’t argue , I state what I personally found and nothing more.

Mercedes Streeter > dogisbadob 10/19/2020 at 17:07

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I’m less amazed that someone lifted a van and more amazed that said lifted van is a freaking Pontiac Montana !

PatBateman > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 17:11

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I guess that half an inch in width from the previous generation really got Mr. Hawkins and those slim suburban streets.

hillrat > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 17:20

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My takeaway from this article was that if this pig can get past pedestrian impact testing maybe the Cybertruck will actually get made in the form that we originally saw it.

hillrat > dogisbadob 10/19/2020 at 17:21

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Wow, there are a lot of people with too many tools and too much time on their hands.

dogisbadob > hillrat 10/19/2020 at 17:22

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no such thing :o)

Cash Rewards > ttyymmnn 10/19/2020 at 17:28

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Miata. Damn you autocorrect!

(But it got it right this time....)

PatBateman > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 17:28

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Aggies will forever understand this.  LMAO  ;)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 17:44

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It’s a bit of an unfortunate feedback loop, I think. People started buying SUVs as family cars thinking they were safer and now  crash standards have to be raised to cope with 3-ton behemoths on the roads which just makes cars even bigger and heavier which means we have to make them even safer, etc

Urambo Tauro > HoustonRunner 10/19/2020 at 18:28

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On the other hand, while the blind spots are real, attentive driving can overcome that.

Glad you brought that up. I’m a firm believer that mirrors shou ld b e checked often to maintain awareness of your surroundings, not only in immediate preparation of your next turn/ merge. If a car approaches your blind spot and disappears into it, you should expect to see that car come out of the blind spot according to whatever speed and trajectory it had when you last saw the car . Attentive driving can overcome a lot of blind spot issues!

But not all of them. Like reversing out of a perpendicular parking space, for example . That’s why I like backing into parking spaces, because it’s easier to look up and down the aisle for approaching traffic before backing into your space, than it is to see while trying to back out . Backup cameras can help, but they have their shortcomings too.

As much as I STRONGLY support and insist on attentive driving, it doesn’t quite solve all issues with blind spots. Maximizing visibility is still important and I don’t think we should let automakers off the hook for it any more than we should be letting drivers/cyclists/pedestrians off the hook for being distracted.

ranwhenparked > Textured Soy Protein 10/19/2020 at 18:31

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You see people struggle with them all the time. The worst parked vehicles in parking lots are invariably big SUVs and pickups - not pulled in all the way, over the line, up on the curb, etc. It seems like a lot of drivers may be comfortable with larger vehicles out on the open road, but completely lose their abilities to handle them when in the tighter confines of a parking lot. I’ve often seen drivers awkwardly lurching into spaces with their SuperDuties, hop down, look at their mess of a park job, then shrug and walk off.

AdamB > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/19/2020 at 18:34

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Did it not have a backup camera?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AdamB 10/19/2020 at 20:15

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Don’t know. This was 2012 or 2013, so while cameras weren’t universal back t hen I feel like something with a $40k price tag would have had one.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/19/2020 at 23:44

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Huge and tall for no other purpose than looking ‘cool’ while going to the store or commuting is what the common people want. (They’re idiots ).

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 10/19/2020 at 23:53

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The verticle compression isn’t typically the issue but the tensile stress of the localized force. but yeah having a lighter vehicle does put substantially less wear than large truck or semi.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VincentMalamute-Kim 10/20/2020 at 00:15

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I agree. SUVs usually put your head at around the same place relative to the beltline as a sedan anyways so you get worse visibility with that beltline being physically higher up. I don’t understand why that is desirable.

I can see out of my compact sedan raiser with the seat on the lowest setting than I can with the seat properly adjusted in my mom's SUV. Isn't that kind of self defeating?

BigBlock440 > newnamesameme 10/20/2020 at 07:40

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They also correlate well with everyone walking around with pocket computers, better even, since SUV’s and pickups have been popular since the 90's at least.  The F150 has been the best selling vehicle (not car, not truck, vehicle) for 30 years.

newnamesameme > BigBlock440 10/20/2020 at 07:50

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this is such a common talking point and its wrong. People all over the world have smartphones and yet in our peer nations only here (were #1!) are seeing such rates of pedestrian/cyclist deaths. 

hillrat > dogisbadob 10/20/2020 at 08:07

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You’re right. While a lifted minivan might not be my cup of tea (but maybe could be) , I can appreciate the skill and the passion you need to pull something like that off.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/20/2020 at 12:45

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All for appearance sake.  Form over function.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VincentMalamute-Kim 10/20/2020 at 13:12

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Personally I think the thicc boi CUV aesthetic usually results in some unflattering proportions too so IDK what the appeal is.

Shoop > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 10/21/2020 at 00:48

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I mean it litteraly does. If you have a heavier vehicle you get accelerated l ess in a collision. F=MA. Take a physics class. 

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Shoop 10/21/2020 at 14:47

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You’re correct, mass is literally the only factor that dictates crash safety! I’m super glad you took that physics course, glad you payed attention in condescending 101 too. 

Shoop > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 10/22/2020 at 02:13

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Don’t be upset I proved you wrong, and don't strawman me. Mass litteraly correlates directly with safety. It’s not the only factor, but it’s an important one.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Shoop 10/22/2020 at 20:39

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yikes....

Shoop > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 10/23/2020 at 03:37

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Yes, you've truly made your point. That yikes is the nail in the coffin. 

BigBlock440 > newnamesameme 11/02/2020 at 13:50

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And CUV’s/large vehicles are increasing in our peer nations as well, so I guess that’s not it either.