I have no objection to folks who use pickups and SUVs for their original purpose - hauling heavy things from point A to point B, or traversing rough terrain. If that's all it was, there's be nary a complaint from me. But when so many people drive them under the philosophy of "if we get into an accident, it'll be you that dies, and I'll be perfectly safe", I find them just plain offensive.
I have a Suburban but only use it for farm work, hauling lumber, etc. Like you, I also don't get why people buy SUV's that can only hold as many people as a 4-door sedan. In a lot of them one couldn't haul hardly more than a regular car anyway. This causes more gas demand which results in higher prices. For my regular commuting/ driving I use my Olds or Grand Prix. Oh, well, different strokes for different folks, eh?
Most people buy SUV's because it is the station wagon. Would you have had the same opinion 30 years ago when station wagons were everywhere? Products evolve, so did the station wagon.
The funny thing is, SUV's are deadlier to their occupants than regular cars.
So you believe people should not have the freedom to buy a vehicle that might keep their families safe in an accident? I will buy the vehicle best suited for me and my family, and no one should be able to tell me I can't. At this point in time, that happens to be a mini-van. If I decide later, I'd like to have an SUV, I should have that ability, if I'm willing to pay for it.
Many people like the SUVs because they are taller than most cars, and the driver can see over the traffic and know what's coming up on the road. Of course, with many more folks driving SUVs, that advantage is reduced, but I still like being higher up off the ground, even if the mini van is not as tall as an SUV.
SUV's are preceived safer because they are bigger. I like to think of it as a lazy person's safety. Safety for those who are too lazy to learn how to drive the damned things properly. Most SUV drivers just point the things in the general direction they want to go without regard for anyone else on the road. Simply because they are big they think they can get away with it.
How is that idea a problem for you?
Why do you wash your hands? When others don't?
Why do you wear a seat belt? When others don't?
Why do you see a doctor and get imunizations ??
You see, You have the same attitude as those people you just dont realize it. Because if you didnt, you would chose not to immunize yourself, or choose not to wash your hands, or wear a seatbelt.
Why is this so offensive ? You have a problem with people trying to protect themselves and using their dollars to buy equipment that will let them protect themselves ?
If you're foolish enough to drive a tiny car and you get in a crash with a semi-tractor-trailer, you will be in far worse condition than if you were in a body-on-frame vehicle like an SUV or an old-fashioned car.
"If that's all it was, there's be nary a complaint from me. But when so many people drive them under the philosophy of "if we get into an accident, it'll be you that dies, and I'll be perfectly safe", I find them just plain offensive."
You choose to drive a small car therefore you've choosen to accept the risks of that type car. You have no right to dictate to any other driver the types of risks that they should take.
I find people who tell other people how to live or what to do or what to drive offensive.