Falstaff

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told a labor group Tuesday that he would ask Americans to make a big sacrifice: their sport utility vehicles.

Edwards says the nation needs to focus on being a leader in creating alternative energy.

"I think Americans are actually willing to sacrifice," Edwards said during a forum held by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. "One of the things they should be asked to do is drive more fuel efficient vehicles."

The former North Carolina senator was asked specifically if he would tell them to give up their SUVS, he said, "Yes."

oh yeah...like Americans will give up anything that denies them something like the SUV experience...

Americans are not Carbon Nuetral, rather ultra Carbon..
Edwards: Americans should sacrifice their SUVs - CNN.com

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Judas

While i do agree though that driving an SUV around urban centers is way overkill, specially if you pack 4x4 into it (wtf do you need 4x4 on pavement for?)..... but there are jobs tha require SUVs or trucks to do the work for, specailly out in the rural areas where driving a car is increasing your chances of getting killed.... specially if they are front will drive on gravel/dirt roads.

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dj_stick

they definately have their uses, but NOT for use in built-up areas

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>GSXR<mrbusa

The Federal and State government designed the infrastructure to accommodate X amount of people. Then they decide to not regulate breeding or immigration or location of said immigrants. Now the cities are overcrowded and people have moved away and have no choice but to commute great distances to get to work. In allot of places that includes high elevations, coastal regions, and less than stellar roads. It is funny how if you look in any government parking lot there are many brand new large vehicles. I'll bet if you look in John Edwards garage there is atleast one vehicle that gets less than ten miles to a gallon. Most likely he has a few of them.

calidan

What about that private jet he flies in?

And Judas, I have 4 wheel drive for when it snows. There are country roads in America you know.

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Steam Community :: ID :: calidan



"Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead." - Jackie Chan

Zelig

I have only 2 wheel drive in my 2.2L truck, and I'm almost positive I get more snow, and have more country roads here than where you live, and I manage just fine.

Honestly, this is going nowhere, "Please drive a car instead of your SUV" isn't going to accomplish anything. Increasing gas taxes or taxes on less fuel efficient vehicles, or decreasing taxes on more fuel efficient vehicles might accomplish something. In fact, they could directly use revenue from fuel guzzlers to fund incentives for smaller vehicles...

However, nothing's really going to directly affect me (well, regardless of the fact that I'm not in the US). I drive the cheapest vehicle that fits my needs the best. Actually, pretty much everything I own can be summed up by that thought.

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mkk

Most people won't wake up until the gas price gets really high. Todays prices are evidently quite affordable in spite of the wining.

Falstaff

I have never owned a four wheel driver nor never found a reason to have one, even though I could afford to have the very best, I think they are an absolute waste of engineering unless I can get some practical use. My dear families in Minnesota, Montana and Washington scoff at those that insist on having anything other than a "work truck" for any tasks around the ranch. Four wheel drive was always considered a luxury unless your hauling fence posts, digging out calves in the snow or tending miles of fence line. The costs of ownership, the carbon footprint and mechanical challenges of routine maintenance discourage me. The Aussies seem to get alot of work done in the bush without complicaed luxury four wheel drive SUV's. Conspicuous consumption is the order of the day for most SUV operators on the roads today. Our fuel costs are only going to increase over time and that resource is not renewable.
I have to laugh at the Rover drivers over here using their nearly 4 ton vehicles to drive to and from work in stop and go traffic, belching out the products of incomplete combustion.

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Zelig

They can use the rationale that they're driving the safest non-luxury-car vehicle with 4 wheels available though.

Can you put a price on personal safety?

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Dark Lord

i hate suv's and trucks. there isnt a damn thing about owning or driving them that i like, with the exception of when i actually need one for real work.

with that said, gas mileage be damned. ill stick to my gas guzzling, high horse power, high torque, V8 that gets 10mpg on a good day.

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calidan

I would definitely feel more safer in a SUV than a Scion. One of those Scions, I'm not sure what model but it looks like a box on wheels, doesn't look safe at all. If a semi hit it then the Scion and everything in it would be obliterated.

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Steam Community :: ID :: calidan



"Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead." - Jackie Chan

Falstaff

I know that argument...
mortgage the future of our children
vs
increased or percieved increase in
personal safety on the road.

Statistically, are SUV's safer?

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Zelig

In general, no.

Land Rovers are particularly safe though, statistics from the UK department of transport shows that the safest vehicles in 2-vehicle collisions are the Land Rover Defender and Discovery, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Jaguar XJ.

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Falstaff

gross tonnage always wins..LOL..
The lorrys here make a mess of cars all the time, and peel them like candy bars on the A11 and A14.
In the U.S. the speeds of most accidents are much higher I'd wager.

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Judas

4x4 is completely unnessary for 90% of the people driving them..

My father has yet to NEED one, rarely have i ever heard of any actually NEEDING one enless they are in terrain where they are climbing completely isolated hills/mountains, working in ungodly muddy conditions. Anyone i know that has a 4x4 has either never used it's capabilities, OR has for fun by ripping down the ditches when there was a few feet of water laying in them.... but even then, it wasn't really nessary as you can easily manage with a 2 wheel drive through the same conditions.

Now i know of ONE person in the general area, an electritian that has his 4x4 extended cab truck loaded with several tons worth of cabling and tools and everything, he does arigation system and pivot work. Go roasting out into a ripped up field with several dozen inches worth of water laying on it, and your bound to emediately sink up to or passed the bumper. He usually slams it in 4x4 mode, and roasts into the field and keeps chewing along till he gets to the pivot.

And what's sad is, the people that ACTUALLY NEED the 4x4 like this guy, usually has a truck that is destroyed within a very short period of time.

and NO

raising taxes across the board for such vehicles is a load of bullshit. The only way it would work is if they were to put extra taxes on the vehicle and then allowed those people that actually need them to submit for a refund for them. Hell even give a discount on them. It's bloody irritating to see government personel ... specially social workers running around in 4x4s..

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Falstaff

We have a congestion charge for London, but I believe there is an even higher one for SUVs.

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Maddogg6

lol - thats prolly what will happen - more likely than 'volunteering' ...

Falstaff

SUV's just have to get smaller or more fuel efficient or both, status symbol or not.

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Maddogg6

well - they do offer such vehicles - 'cross-over' vehicles. (SUV looks on a 'car' chassis - much like a mini-van)

But there *are* still the big old SUVs out there too... (safety arguments etc..)

Falstaff

We have them here in the UK for Gods Sake, on the fens these Chevy's take up the whole road much like a plowing tractor..LOL The steering wheel is on the wrong side...and the petrol is outrageous..
98p a liter.

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calidan

The problem right there is using liters. That is outrageous compared to what we pay: 1.70 per gallon.

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Steam Community :: ID :: calidan



"Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead." - Jackie Chan

Maddogg6

huh? - chill man - I made no reference to local?? ... my reply was friendly enough.
Not all made by chevy either - most every car maker has one or more. And most make ones for 'both sides of the road' too...

Zelig

Hahah, so is using litres a problem for Venezuela, where gas is a few cents per?

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Falstaff

but I know the Diesels spit out unburned hydrocarbons and god knows planes and ships that burn fuel do too, but our consumption will put all the carbon that millions of years of time stored, and put them right back out into our world...I predict grave things happening.

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Maddogg6

wow - thats like $1 cheaper than here - is that a typo?

Falstaff

got to be...LOL
maybe canadian dollars?

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Senor_Mota

Right on...but so should everyone else. And why the hell aren't we using hemp fuel yet?

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g35x

this is why subarus and other 4 wheel drive cars were invented

well maybe you do need an SUV or truck for country roads, but my mom has a jeep cherokee, and we never go anywhere. the only use it gets is her going to work, and me going to work, and she says we need it for when it snows..

(i live in new jersey, so yeah all the roads are paved and everything....)

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fobis

SUV's have their uses. You cannot say that they are useless. They are useful in some way or another.
The thing that drives me nuts is when I see an SUV on the highway with ONE person in it. And I see hundreds of them. All around me. In the middle of freaking traffic that wouldn't happen if people carpooled since they have those oversized vehicles anyways.

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Zelig

I dunno, a lot of SUVs can't even be taking offroad anymore, because they're not built with that in mind. SUVs are basically just cooler looking minivans for the most part.

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