God d*mned SUVs

"Aren't there such mechanisms in the US to ensure drivers are insured?"

Yes, several different ones. The classic method is for the state issuing the license tag to check for valid insurance before the tag or sticker is issued. (Usually once a year.) If the insurance is cancelled, the insurance company supposedly is required to notify the state and the owner. In this state, insurance is checked when a cop makes a traffic stop, and the insurance companies are required to keep current information on a cop accessable data base. (This only applies to state residents)

You mean like this? We have them EVERYWHERE, some higher than this one. They are usually amongst the fastest-moving and worst-driven vehicles on the road.

What makes it even worse is that if both of these vehicles are doing 10 to 15 mph over the limit through a twisty 45 mph section, it will be the miata, not the pickup truck that receives the ticket almost every time, even though the miata is at about 6/10th's and the truck is beyond it's safe traveling speed and will almost always cause more damage when it hits something.

Pat

BANNED? Because one ran into your car? I'd sooner give up my Miata than live someplace where I'm told what I'm allowed to drive.

YMMV.

I'm incredibly envious that this is a big enough problem for you to post it to Usenet.

None of these issues have anything to do with SUVs. Apparently you don't like asshole drivers; welcome to the club.

I disagree; "invincible" might apply to 18-wheelers, but not SUVs.

I've never owned a vehicle that I drive as aggressively as my Miata, and red-light runners drive all sorts of cars. You're linking red lights and SUVs for no reason. I'm not sure what you're mad at, but it appears to have nothing to do with SUVs.

*Some* SUVs are larger than 6000 lbs. gross. *Most* are not.

That's precisely my concern as well. Keeping in mind the number of Americans that seem to think that male Miata owners are all homosexual, I'll continue to support letting everyone drive whatever they like.

You're kidding yourself, Pat. Take a look at the number of '07 Tahoes, Yukons, and Escalades that GM has already sold. Gas is already down to $1.97 here in the midwest and I expect it to get even cheaper than that again.

"tooloud" wrote in news:zRDQg.199418$1i1.12723@attbi_s72:

Most Americans don't think there are any male Miata owners, "it's a chick car!"

Tooloud, it is indeed appropriate to participate in a thread where the subject is people's irritation with SUV's if my post reflects my own irritations with SUV's, and it need not be a "big" problem.

Yes, the club is a big one but you're in the midwest so you are making an assumption. In HOUSTON (4 million people) SUV drivers (along with folks who drive big pick-ups, and there are also a lot of them here) do indeed drive worse than those in cars. Ask anyone local. Even an SUV driver. I talked with three SUV drivers at my office today about this (including my boss who didn't even slow down while driving through a toll booth on the way to lunch with me in the passenger seat) and they all said they drive faster in their SUV's than in their sedans.

I didn't say they ARE invincible...I said their drivers FEEL invicible. Even

18wheelers aren't actually invincible as evidenced by the fact that every single day in Houston there is at least one of them that turns over and closes down a freeway for hours. Today it was on 59south near Sugar Land. All lanes closed all afternoon.

I'm not sure why you feel like you know anything about traffic in Houston. Your driving habits in a Miata have nothing to do with the reality of SUV drivers in Houston. There is a saying in Houston about traffic lights : "Green does NOT mean go." Folks run red lights in Houston as if they think red lights don't apply to them. EVERY day I see people do this. A good guess is that 70% of those folks that I personally witness doing so drive SUV's or oversized pickup trucks. I am linking red light runners and SUV's because it is behavior I witness every day in Houston. I know nothing about traffic and driving habits in the midwest and would not presume to state that your experiences are wrong, because I have no idea what your driving experience is like. You should extend the same to others.

Take a look at the waiting lists for electric hybrids.

Are you trying to tell me that they are selling as many Tahoes, Yukons and Escalades as they did two years ago? I haven't looked up sales figures myself, but news reports indicate that sales have dropped significantly and that only makes sense. How about prices on used models? They have dropped quite a bit because of the increased fuel costs. That is a simple fact, not my opinion. As it costs more to drive them, less people will. That is not a hard concept to understand.

The days of $1.00 a gallon gas are gone forever. $4.00 a gallon is not an unreasonable prediction in the not too distant future. I said that SUV's are dying, not dead, though the death throes of this ridiculous fad are a wonderous sight to behold. I am referring to the very large lumbering trucks, not necessarily the jacked-up, slightly oversized station wagon that you drive.

We used to agree on most things before you went and joined the SUV lemmings. ;-)

Pat

I wouldn't mind driving a Formula One car around the city sometime, but I am not allowed to. The same goes for a golf cart on city streets. Time to find a new place to live. :-)

I am not for banning SUV's either, I just wish that common sense would get most of them off of the road.

Pat

Jesus, give the lady a break. She was almost killed by one of these "asshole" drivers. Her near-death experience and recovering from serious injuries are probably more important than her rant, but guess what, we talk and bitch about all sorts of shit on here.

Just because someone bitches about something on usenet doesn't mean that it is on the top of their problem list. Fucking envious, yeah right.

Pat

He is not saying that it is inappropriate, he is implying that you have so few problems that this is a really big one one for you because you responded to an off-topic rant and rave discussion on usenet.

How well do you know this guy, Carol? He seems to have you all figured out.... ;-)

Pat

Check under the table lamp. It got moved.

Ha! I love Texas women! Not that being in Texas is a requirement. ;-)

Would you like to get married Carol? I am not good-looking and I make very little money, but I haven't been arrested on a felony in almost 6 months. I lost count of misdemeanors, but come on, those are just minor charges. Start reeling girl, you don't want to let this one get away! ;-)

I have talked to tooloud on here for quite a while, he is a good guy. He can be brash, but so can I, much often worse than him. As long as there is no hypocrisy involved, which he does not exhibit, I am happy enough.

Pat

Maybe right around election time, hmmmm?

miker

Oh, I'm sorry--you're from *Houston*. Why didn't you just say so? I'm sure you're right, as there couldn't possibly be a place with an SUV problem like

*Houston*--I mean, here up in the old-time midwest, we rarely run across one.

Well, if that doesn't convince me, I'm not sure what will. Your boss didn't slow down for the toll booth + your boss drives an SUV = SUVs are bad. Got it.

Shoot, why are we talking about SUVs, then? Let's bitch about the truckers instead!

I'm not sure why you feel like Houston is the nexus of the universe. I guess the rest of us will just sit back while the Houston-ites hash this out, because clearly we couldn't possibly know anything, what with us not living in Houston and all.