Were we too unsympathetic toward SUV drivers with our last A&E Report? Aren’t they just another abused minority in a city designed for small vehicles, forced to search extra-hard for those few parking spaces where their mammoth vehicles will fit? And what of those poor souls who have to navigate our city while driving that poster child for arrogance and entitlement, the Hummer? Can’t we be more understanding when they hog two spots because their car is too big to fit in just one?
Um…no. Sorry, that’s not what the A&E Report is about.
If you're finding it difficult to park in this city because you drive an oversized vehicle, good. SUVs not only take up more space in garages, they take up more space on our roads. Try navigating down a narrow residential street with an SUV coming at you; it slows the process down for both drivers. SUVs are also more dangerous, worse for the environment, impossible to see around when you're behind them or next to them (and thus, again, more dangerous) and completely impractical for city driving.
Sure, some people have legitimate uses for driving oversized vehicles. Buying a minivan because you have five kids or a pickup truck because you run a landscaping business is one thing. Buying an SUV because it looks cool or makes you feel powerful makes you part of the problem. The solution isn't to grab up parking spaces that weren't designed for you. Unless you're in that small minority that really needs an SUV, the answer is not to buy one in the first place.
Here’s an idea: what about imposing a statewide SUV tax? The more expensive SUVs become, the less likely people will be to buy them and the fewer we’ll have clogging up our roads. Whatever money is collected from the SUV tax can be put directly toward repairing roads and cleaning up the environment in order to neutralize the damage SUVs do. The tax would be collected at the time of purchase, so current owners wouldn’t have to worry about their registration fees rising. And anyone who could demonstrate a legitimate need for an oversized vehicle would be exempt.
As to the tax structure, we humbly suggest the following: SUVs: $1,000; Mercedes SUVs: $3,000; Hummers: $1,000,000. Doesn't that make more sense than our current laws, which actually encourage people to buy SUVs? We realize our proud Hummer-driving governor is about as likely to pass such a measure as he is to make Jingle All the Way 2, but if we’re talking about arrogance and entitlement, don’t get us stated on him…
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I'm sure you'll be inundated with a slew of pro-SUV defenders, but to hell with them! I couldn't agree more. Once again, kudos and huzzah.
There should also be a new category/class license created especially for SUV drivers. All SUV drivers should have to take a special SUV driving exam. Not only are they obnoxious/inconsiderate parkers, many SUV drivers have absolutely no friggin clue how to drive their damn trucks!!!
SUV drivers - or in my case, drivers of big-ass pickup trucks - may not be deserving of affirmative action. But it is hardly our fault when skinflint developers ``comply'' with zoning requirements by resizing their spaces to the dimension of cigarette cartons, re-designating half their parking slots as compact-only, and reconfiguring easy slant-parking slots into those damnable straight-in-and-out things, that it is often so awkward to park. In many respects, parking is actually easier in Manhattan, where compact spaces are as yet unknown.
Still, I can see how a Camry owner squeezed into the next space might feel inconvenienced by the bulk of a truck, even if it is strictly between the lines. But I'm tellin' you - the next self-righteous maroon that keys my Dodge is going to find out what those funny steel rails in the back are for.
I always find attacks on SUVs to be hypocritical. A year ago, my main mode of transportation was a scooter that got 85 miles to the gallon. I bought it because it looked cool, it was cheap in both cost and fuel, and it got me to my destination.
Traditional cars get an average of 22 miles per gallon/city. That is 1/4th of what I was getting. While some would see this as my free ticket to lash out at traditional car owners and their massive amounts of gas consumption, I didn't. Perhaps growing up with trucks everywhere in Lousiana has influenced me, but I realize that many people have good reasons for buying the vehicle of their choosing.
After I moved to LA from San Diego, I no longer felt safe driving my scooter in the city streets and I decided not to keep it. Am I angry with all the car drivers in LA for pushing me to give up my scooter and lashing out at them in my blog? Nope.
If any of you are using a bicycle, scooter, public transportation or your own two feet as your main mode of transportation, feel free to speak up. If you drive a car.. do you really have any room to talk?
In case you are wondering, I now drive a burgandy 4x4. Its not the car or even the color of my choosing -- it was originally for my former spouse. I prefer sedans but not because it gives me the right to talk down to others, but because I like the way they look, they generally consume less gas and they are easier to park than larger cars.
I used my 4 wheel drive this Labor Day weekend at the sand dunes near the Arizona border. It was fun and reminded me of home. I also used it this morning to drive 2 miles to work. I chose to live in Ktown because its close to work. How many miles did you drive this morning?
I think it's a little irrational to say that anyone driving a car can't rant about the rampant misuse of SUVs in Los Angeles, Chrissy.
In fact, I think you're one of the few who actually use your SUV for anything more than trips to the market or meeting up with friends for coffee. Considering you use your off-road vehicle for, well, off-road purposes, I think you're the minority here.
The truth is that SUVs are more than just annoyances, they're truly dangerous for regular-sized cars on the road.
Asking for a special tax isn't bitching on a blog just to be cutesy, it's actually something genuinely annoying and aggravating.
So, while you may earn a 'get out of SUV hell' free pass, you have to admit and concede that the lion's share of SUV owners (or leasers, as the case may be) are members of that ever-increasing club because of status and visibility.
PS: Just to make it clear, I carpooled to work (8 miles) this morning.
"I used my 4 wheel drive this Labor Day weekend at the sand dunes near the Arizona border." Why does chewing up sand dunes one day make your buying a SUV legitimate? Gee, I guess driving your SUV on a sand dune legitimizes your purchase and the hazard and inconvenience it causes 99% of the other time it's on the pavement in LA. I guess you are "legit."
Fact is, your SUV is putting us car drivers (not to speak of pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooter drivers) at risk. SUVs are more dangerous than cars--for their occupants and others (and in fact 40x more dangerous than for drivers of small cars)--cause more pollution (both smog-forming emissions as well as CO2), and even have been shown to increase congestion (as it is hard for others to see around them, necessitating a greater following distance during traffic). Moreover, to address your point, pedestrian (and bicyclist) accidents per capita are more lethal with SUVs, as their bumper height, weight, and stiffer frame rails make collisions much more hazardous to the smaller party.
I recommend anyone concerned about this to read Keith Bradsher's "High and Mighty"--a comprehensive look at how the SUV phenomena was created, manipulated (through regulatory loopholes and insider Detroit lobbying), and how SUVs have increased traffic fatalities and our dependence on foreign oil.
Like others here, SUVs have their place, but definitely not in the cities and suburbs. I lived in Colorado for 8 years and found them handy at times (but not as handy as you'd think, their weight in the snow can make them ponderous to drive). Those times that I really did need one, however, I easily rented it--such as a 4 day trip in Canyonlands when 8 of us used a Ford Expedition as a "sagwagon." However, the other 99% of the time I needed to use a car, my reliable Honda Civic did the job fine--and for a lot less money.
Suggesting that car drivers should be using scooters just isn't practical. Why don't we all walk everywhere, thus eliminating traffic problems and oil consumption altogether? Oh, right, because society would grind to a halt. And let's be honest: L.A. public transportation just isn't sufficient to move most of the people in our city to the places they need to be. Cars aren't perfect, but for most of us, they're a suitable compromise.
The same goes for living near where you work, which is a good idea in theory but isn't always practical. Should a cleaning woman have to live in Beverly Hills because that's where her employer is? And what if you and your spouse work in opposite parts of town? Where are you supposed to live then?
Traffic isn't going away. The idea is to make it as bearable as possible, and SUV owners aren't doing their fair share. Yes, driving a car isn't the best possible option to get around; it's worse for the environment and the community at large than taking public transportation or riding scooters. But car owners already compensate for this discrepancy with registration fees and gas taxes. My argument is that SUV owners bear a disproportionate share of the blame but aren't asked to compensate equally, and in terms of tax writeoffs, they actually get a better deal than the rest of us.
Thus, the SUV tax, which doesn't restrict anyone from buying the kind of vehicle they want but just evens things up so that those who choose to drive more dangerous, less fuel-efficient vehicles can bear the societal cost of their choice, rather than passing it along to the rest of us.
Why does chewing up sand dunes one day make up for...
I figured someone would mention my "chewing up" of the sand dunes. The fact is, its a recreational activity and you can do it responsibly, or you can do it irresponsibly.
Yes, I off-road but are all of your recreational activities really free of sin? Do you enjoy snowboarding/skiing, mountain biking, boating, deep sea fishing? Tell me the story about your ski trip through the flattened forests of Vale, again?
As for being unsafe to pedestrians, I have been driving for 11 years and have not yet got into an accident (knock on wood.) My friend, Melanie drives an MX6 but hit a pedestrian and got into several other accidents. Even though she drives an MX6, she seems more dangerous to pedestrians than I do. My brother and best friend, who drive an Audi A4 and Toyota Tercel respectively, have admitted to driving while intoxicated on multiple occassions -- something I have never, ever done even though I'm morally corrupt and drive an SUV. Again I ask, who's more of a threat to others?
As far as necessitating greater driving distances, I think that's actually a safety feature. I follow the two second rule for all cars big and small.
I do agree that cars, both mine and yours, should consume less gas. I'd honestly love to drive a Mini Cooper instead of my hand-me-down SUV but I cannot afford one right now.
What I don't agree with are people getting on their high horses and lashing out at SUV drivers. I think we all have things in our lives that we could address to make ourselves more evironmentally friendly. From using one-ply TP, to boycotting strip malls to using cloth diapers instead of disposable ones... we all have room for change. Even the OC Prius owner who commutes 60 miles RT to downtown LA can do better.
Also, my problem isnt so much about the proposed tax but the attacks that go along with it. Go ahead and tax SUVs but let's take it a step further. Why stop at SUVs when we can also tax sports cars and households that drive a Focus but choose not to recycle?
Err. that was supposed to be Vail.
And what about all those SUV drivers on their "high horses" completely ignoring the fact that they have to share the road with cars that are not their "equal" in size?
The only thing worse than an oblivious SUV driver is an oblivious SUV driver talking on their goddamn cell phone!
I'm sure you're a considerate driver, Chrissy, but unfortunately we can't base our statewide policy on the individual habits of you, your brother and your friend Melanie.
Laws like this are built on statistics and generalities about the population at large, because having a separate set of laws for every individual in California would be impossible. You may not think it's 100% fair, but it's as fair as possible.
Besides being wasteful and unsafe, SUV's are illegal to drive on city streets in California: http://slate.com/id/2104755/