RE: Gas Prices Protest Letter (SUV related)

[16v Jason <jason@scirocco.org>]

         Rick's right.  The Suburban (or any other SUV) is not a safe 
vehicle by any stretch of the imagination.  For those who are interested, 
see how GM's Mid-Size SUV did in crash tests: 
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/mid_suvs/blazer.htm

         First of all, if I'm not mistaken, the Suburban is body-on-frame 
design, which is an antiquated technology.  Unibodied vehicles are vastly 
stronger, which means better results in a crash.  Also, because of the type 
of vehicle that the Suburban is, it's exempt from the stricter frontal 
crash, side impact, and rollover tests that passenger cars have to go 
through.  But Rick already pointed that out.

         What he forgot about was the whole other side of safety -- 
*Active* safety -- as in accident avoidance.  It'll be a cold day in hell 
before you could convince me that any vehicle that maxes out at 0.72 on the 
skidpad, brakes from 70mph in 230 feet, and can do an emergency lane change 
at a snail-like 46 mph is safe.  I don't care how many Honda Civics a 
Suburban can demolish before it kills its passengers, one smack of a tree, 
a guard rail, or God forbid a rollover, would kill its passengers faster 
than just about anything else in recent history.

         To be safe, in the world according to Jason, a vehicle has to meet 
standards for both active and passive safety, meaning you'll be able to 
avoid accidents, but should something be unavoidable, you'll get the best 
protection possible.  It also has to weigh as much as the average car.

         You want a safe car for the wife and kids?  Get rid of that 
$40,000 death trap and go spend $20,000 on a 10-year-old Mercedes station 
wagon.

Jason



At 03:31 PM 6/28/2000 , Harry R Glesner III wrote:
>Brian:
>
> >But, it's safe for my wife and kids to be in
>
>   Your going to hate this but that Suburban is about as UNSAFE as you can 
> get. I
>get amazingly tired of this drivel about being in a steel womb. Just last 
>year a
>bunch of kids were killed (and managed to kill most of another family) on 
>I470
>in a Suburban. Last week there was a quite graphic picture of a Dodge Ram 
>crew
>cab with a crushed top and a dead driver. The vehicle doesn't have the 
>roll over
>protection of you Passat, it doesn't have to meet the same crash protection
>tests of a passenger vehicle. The only way the "vehicle" has any "greater"
>protection is on the same plane as the ladder frame, and then all the 
>forces are
>transmitted straight into the passengers. The SUV movement is a waste of
>resources, and lives. The only thing a truck is good for is towing a race 
>car.
>That's it! Give your wife the Passat, or buy her a nice quattro is your 
>looking
>for a safe all-wheel drive.
>   Also give up the car camping...use your feet...you'll see more of the 
> country
>and harm it less.
>
>Rick Glesner
>Littleton, Colorado
>'90q20v
>'87 924S
>'82 911SC
>
>
>--
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