February 21, 2003 6:44 AM

"SUV" and "safety" are not mutually exclusive

Automakers Agree to Work for S.U.V. Safety

(via John "Thudfactor" Williams)

If you've been a regular reader of TPRS, you are no doubt familiar with my position on SUVs. I've always felt that if you want to drive something the size of a road grader then you should have the right to do so. Apparently, I'm in the minority on this one, even in my own family. Of course, I neglected to mention that the aforementioned road grader must be operated safely. Let it never be said that I would advocate or tolerate the unsafe operation of anything- especially an SUV.

Susan and I have long gone round and round about this issue. I drive an F150 now, which is not exactly a small vehicle. When the time comes to get me a new vehicle, however, I would seriously like to consider something even larger- like an SUV, f'rinstance (a Suburban or Expedition, perhaps). Granted, there is no practical reason for me to NEED something the size of a small subdivision, but for me it's not about NEED. It's because I CAN.

For Susan, besides the obvious expense, there is the issue of my safety (and the safety of those around me on the road). I have been accused of being an...ahem...aggressive driver, and not without justification. I freely admit to a profound lack of patience when I am behind the wheel, which to Susan equates to her husband having an even LARGER automobile/projectile/weapon. In her mind, I am the reason why SUVs are referred to as "Urban Assault Vehicles". I can't argue with her logic....

For this reason, I am today hereby announcing another in an ongoing (and seemingly never-ending) series of self-improvement programs. In this episode of the long-running series, "Jack Tries to Make Himself Less of a Threat to Society", I hereby resolve to make every reasonable attempt to be more patient and less aggressive when behind the wheel of an automobile. To wit:

1) Be it resolved, that Jack recognizes that not every jackass behind the wheel of an automobile is out to get him personally.

2) When said jackass executes a particularly unsafe and boneheaded vehicular maneuver, Jack agrees to take the high road. Jack agrees to refrain from entertaining mental pictures of crushing said jackass beneath the wheels of his truck.

3) Jack will at all times remember the sage advice of a late relative, who whenever anyone would leave the house, would loudly state "THE ROADS ARE WET, AND EVERYONE'S DRUNK!!"

4) Jack will, if necessary, ingest large amounts of tranquilizers (oops, sorry; wrong resolution....).

5) Jack, will, at all times, be kind, patient, thrifty, generous, and all those wonderful, Boy Scout Oath-type things.

The bottom line here is that I KNOW I'm not the most patient of drivers. I HATE Houston drivers, which is unfortunate, since I live in the Houston area. My challenge, then, is to do a better job of dealing with my anger and the way people around me drive. I may not be able to control what others are doing, but I can certainly control how I react to and deal with that reality.

If I'm a very good boy, maybe someday I can have an SUV.

Wish me luck; I may need it....

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 21, 2003 6:44 AM.

It's good to be King was the previous entry in this blog.

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