Suburban SUV drivers...

[Anonymous]

I don't think the OP would survive very long living in NYC. I think she wants suburban sensibilities of order in her "urban" setting.

DH & I are from NYC and he in particular, LOVES to go back home and drive right through mid town. Its pure Darwinian survival when he's back home and loves going toe to toe with the cabbies. I think he gets nostalgic over it.

Admittedly I am a horrible driver, as I really did not learn to drive until I was in my mid 20s, as I was TERRIFIED to drive in the city. DH got behind the wheel in the middle of NYC traffic the day he turned 18.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I actually think you are right, I probably wouldn't survive in NYC. While I think I am an okay driver, it would probably give me anxiety attacks to have to drive there

And I just want to clarify that I am not referring to SUV drivers in the busier parts of town, such as downtown, dupont, etc. I am talking about off-streets in the residential areas. Just be a little more considerate, that's all I'm asking. I calmed down and actually didn't see any (!) SUVs from out of town this morning, which was rather funny.

and to the PP who thinks I am overreacting, well maybe a little. I hear way too many people complain about the conditions of the streets in DC, the traffic and the way the streets lay out , etc. But when you tell them they should be taxed for USING the streets on a daily basis, they get all iffy and say they are paying taxes by buying lunch in DC or other obscure things. Duh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And in all the places I lived, the meanest ones live right here in DC.

I am born and raised in DC..and work and live with my family in DC. I really love this city. I never would have agreed with the poster that lots of mean people are here....but reading these forums has really opened my eyes...especially with the anonymous posts. I really see that alot of mean spirited people are here.

Back to the topic...I drive an SUV...but I always pull to the side and let others by..whenever feasible. I tyr not to be the big "bully" SUV. But I do love my SUV.

[Anonymous]

hear way too many people complain about the conditions of the streets in DC, the traffic and the way the streets lay out , etc. But when you tell them they should be taxed for USING the streets on a daily basis, they get all iffy and say they are paying taxes by buying lunch in DC or other obscure things. Duh!

Well, if you really want to tax all non-DC residents for the privilege of passing through District streets, are you prepared to pay MD and VA taxes simply for the privilege of leaving the city to shop, dine, go to the airport, etc etc? Didn't think so.

The urban/suburban distinction is just silly. Bad drivers are bad drivers. OP is right that all cars, particularly big ones, need to take greater care on narrow streets. But it's a little ironic that you're demanding the tranquility of a suburban cul-de-sac - e.g., no commuter traffic on your neighborhood street and taxes on anyone else who enters the city - while slamming anyone who chooses to live in suburbia.

[Anonymous]

Everyone in this city and the surrounding suburbs drives erratic and with no respect to their surroundings. I live in the District and whenever I go out to the burbs on the beltway I am so scared - the aggressive drivers on the highway are unbelievable. In the city - everyone, IMO, drives too fast! No matter what the car - esp. on the little side streets. I don't spend much time in the downtown/business part of town - but I feel like that is more representitive of a city and you expect driving to be congested, frustrating - esp. with all the roundabouts, etc. The residential parts of this city - where I live and spend time- Adams Morgan/Woodley/etc. are a frightful combination of city/suburb.......people driving the streets like they assume they are a suburban street (no pedestrians/cars with right of way)....but they are not. I think EVERYONE should slow down and chill......if we all drove smaller cars, it would help - I agree. Parking would be easier and it would look nicer on aour landscape - imagine our city with little minis and smart cars buzzin around (probably still too fast unfortunatley!)

[Anonymous]

I live in the city and drive a big 'ol Expedition. I regularly have 6 kids in the two back rows. I drive carpool all the time. I take friends' kids to activities, birthday parties, etc... I regularly drive up and down sidestreets in G'town, Cleveland Park, Adams Morgan, etc... What I can't stand is how many small car-sedan style- drivers are such bad drivers with poor understandings of spatial relationships that they sit in their cars, refuse to move forward, and back up traffic causing gridlock because they think they can't fit with another car on a two way street in a road that I wouldn't even hesitate to go down. This is the main cause of side street gridlock in this town. Yes, often they are not DC plates but sometimes they are. Sometimes this is caused by cabbies who seem to LOVE to drive in the middle of the street but if you just hold your ground they will get over to their side, too. I laugh, because otherwise I would scream, when some pansya$$ won't go so I go around them and have no trouble getting my giant 'ol SUV up a 2-way road they thought their tiny little Prius wouldn't be able to fit. So, there ya go - the other side of it all...

[Anonymous]

You know, I used to think like you, and then I clipped mirrors with a fellow SUV driver. Thought I knew where the sides of my SUV were within 6 inches but turns out I didn't.

(Driving past the sedans with lower mirrors doesn't present the same problems, I know)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I can't stand is how many small car-sedan style- drivers are such bad drivers with poor understandings of spatial relationships that they sit in their cars, refuse to move forward, and back up traffic causing gridlock because they think they can't fit with another car on a two way street in a road that I wouldn't even hesitate to go down.

And you're going to do what with the one, two, or even three minutes you would save? Find a cure for cancer? It's true, I'm not a great driver, but whenever I get nervous about pissing off the SUV driver behind me, I figure someone else is going to be even more pissed off if I sideswipe his car. Plus, I will have to stop and leave a note, which means you will be delayed even further. So, just calm down and accept that not everyone is as gifted as you are.

[Anonymous]

It's true, I'm not a great driver, but whenever I get nervous...

So get off the frickin' road. Take a taxi or the metro. If you aren't a good driver - DON'T DRIVE!!

[Anonymous]

I am a perfectly good driver. I am not a "great" driver. I am probably a much safer driver than you are as a result of all the behaviors that tick you off so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a perfectly good driver. I am not a "great" driver. I am probably a much safer driver than you are as a result of all the behaviors that tick you off so much.

I might add that your assessment of your driving skills is probably much more realistic and accurate than that of the SUV-driving PP. The New Yorker did an excellent piece in 2004 on perceived safety vs. actual safety of SUVs as opposed to smaller cars. The full article is not available on line, but here's the abstract http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/01/12/040112fa_fact_gladwell.

And here is a snippet:

"The S.U.V. boom represents a shift in how we conceive of safety. Mentions the subcompact Volkswagen Jetta. Jettas are safe because they make their drivers feel unsafe. S.U.V.s are unsafe because they make their drivers feel safe. Discusses the concept of learned helplessness. “When you feel safe you can be passive,” says Rapaille. Tells about the recall of Firestone tires used on the Ford Explorer. Cites the tires’ failure rates and says that manufacturers usually win prizes for failure rates that low. In the age of the S.U.V., this is what people worry about-not risks involving their own behavior, but risks involving some unexpected event… "

[Anonymous]

11:07 again. I have to add that the number of people I've seen in SUV's who can't park, who truly don't know where their vehicle begins and ends, is mind-boggling. And this is just in Ye Olde Suburban Parking Garage.

[Anonymous]

Tee hee! It's true... on nice summer evenings, my husband and I sit on our porch and watch idiots try to parallel park their monster trucks on our narrow city street with its small spaces. Back and forth, back and forth, tire scrunch, pull out, try again. We assign scores, like gymnastics. SUV and full-sized pickup drivers are the WORST.

[Anonymous]

Have you all ever been to a big city outside of this country? Talk about dangerous drivers. Its pretty much get out of the way or get run over. I lived in Manila for a year and DC looks like a suburban cul-de-sac compared to Manila. Chill out people or move out of the "city", you might be better suited for the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why we should just chill out and be thankful we don't have traffic and drivers like Athens and Naples? It's not OK to complain, you're saying, since at least we're not Mumbai?