SUV Drivers Really Are Bastards
from the damn-them-all dept
For a while it was quite fashionable to bash SUV (or, as some prefer, suburban assault vehicles) drivers for driving the big vehicles that cause problems for others on the road, and aren't ever used to actually go offroad. However, as the roads have filled up with more and more SUVs, it seems like, these days, high gas prices are punishment enough for most SUV drivers. Still, a new study done in the UK found that SUV drivers are much more likely to ignore no-driving-while-yakking laws and are less likely to be wearing seatbelts, than the folks driving around and their little sedans. When it came to driving-while-yakking, SUV drivers appeared to be four times as likely to avoid laws requiring handsfree kits. The researchers don't have much of an explanation for the discrepancy, so perhaps it means that SUV drivers just are that much more likely to be bastards. Alternatively, of course, SUV drivers might just claim that they're more rebellious, and don't believe laws requiring handsfree kits make sense -- but somehow that excuse seems unlikely to get very much mileage.
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SUV drivers are not bastards
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Re: SUV drivers are not bastards
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Re:
It's clear why SUV drivers ignore laws though - they drive big, fat, ugly vehicles that won't be as damaged after a collision with a sedan, so they're probably safer than sedan drivers ...
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Ha! My 2002 VW GTi was recently rear-ended by a GMC Jimmy as I pulled away from a stop light. No damage to me, but the Jimmy suffered from the collision. And the brand new Ford Explorer that consequently rear-ended the Jimmy crumpled its brand new plastic bumper and the Jimmy's hatch was mangled. Suckers.
And yes, my car is equipped with handsfree telephony provided through my sweet carputer's microphone and stereo system.
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SUV Drivers
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Re: Mini
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Re: Re: Mini
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Re: Re: Mini Cooper
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side-note; reminds me of the jetta comercials ;)
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side-note; reminds me of the jetta comercials ;)
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Re:
I drive 3 vehicles: a Jeep, a 2-door sedan, and a full-size pickup.
In the Jeep, I usually wear my seatbelt, because there's no roof to speak of, and a roll cage won't do me any good if I don't stay inside the vehicle.
In the sedan, I occasionally wear my seatbelt.
In the truck, I virtually never wear my seatbelt.
I have been in several accidents, during none of which was I wearing a seatbelt. Twice, the vehicle I was in was totalled. Only once was I seriously injured (cracked ribs... seatbelt would not have prevented that, either), and the other passenger *wearing* a seatbelt was injured worse than I was.
Seatbelt laws suck. Failure to wear a seatbelt is no indication of intelligence or demeanor.
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Soccer Moms Can't Drive
I watched a great Fear Factor rerun episode today. This bitch is a "race car driver" but we all know that these "famous" female racers have nothing impressive in terms of mph. And this chick thought that she was gonna win the final event which involved a racing stunt, and she lost!!!!!
It was so funny, I knew that she was once she wouldn't shut up about how being a race car driver makes her so fearless. And she cried!!! It was ugly.
She was about forty years old with fake titties, and made me ashamed of being a female.
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Re: Soccer Moms Can't Drive
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Of Course...
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Re: Of Course...
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Over-reacting?
It sounds to me like you don't need an SUV... you need a Minivan.
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Re: Re: Of Course...
I'm just glad to hear you drive an SUV on top of all that. Hurrah! The world will be such a great place for future generations because of your sacrifice!
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Re: Re: Of Course...
Do I miss my Blazer? Hell yes I do. I miss the 4 wheel drive during the Wisconsin winters and I miss being able to get back into the woods on some of the trails that my car can't take me. Now i just walk those trails and I take my time in the winter.
I'm just trying to save money and help the enviroment. Mainly just saving money because i know china is just going to get worst as far as polutiton goes. But who are we to tell them they can't. We did it.
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Re: Of Course...
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Don't focus SOLELY on SUVs
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Don't focus SOLELY on sports cars!
How many SUVs do you see on the highway pulling boats/trailers? Not may. It is rare to see SUVs with more than one passenger.
Sports cars are built for speed. Trucks are built to carry stuff, minivans are built to carry people. What are SUVs built for? Many have never hauled a load and most have never been off-road. Cabin space is similar to a family sedan, but they use more fuel and obscure the view of the driver behind you.
SUVs are marketed as being "tough" and "safe", which they achieve by being big and heavy... which means expensive to run - and THAT'S why people bash them.
If you often went off-roading, boating, camping, kayaking, mountaineering etc, then an SUV makes sense. Otherwise it's like the Sports car that never goes over 55MPH or the poseur Sport Truck that has 4x4 but has never been off the road or carried a load in the back- a solution to a non-existent problem.
Finally, sports cars look nice, while most SUVs have the aerodynamics of a brick.
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Re: Don't focus SOLELY on SUVs
There are none because those cars are pretty. We don't like the ugly cars that are too hard to see around.
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I drive an suv, a 94' Ford Bronco. I take that thing off-roading all the time. Personally, I hate H2's because they are fugly, slow, and can't handle off-road. As for the enviornment, I could care less."
So you DO care about the enviornment? I think you meant "I couldn't care less". I could care less too because I do care. Understand smart guy?
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Re: As for the enviornment, I could care less.
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Wow, what is this world coming to?
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McCavity's not there...
Bravo!
"very seldom is an suv involved"
The worst examples of inconsiderate and careless driving that I have seen are drivers of expensive late-model import SUVs who are not paying attention (phone, kids, making eye contact with passengers etc).
Just because they cause accidents does not mean that they will have them. If an SUV swapped lanes without looking - as has happened MANY times - and ran me off the road, what would you find at the scene of the accident?
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Re: Wow, what is this world coming to?
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WTF!
Or was it a survey carried out by .. women?
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Another Stupid Survey Based on Nothing
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Re: Another Stupid Survey Based on Nothing
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Re: Another Stupid Survey Based on Nothing
Your still a loser!
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Sense of Entitlement?
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for god sake, just cause you dont do what the servy says dosnt mean its wrong
having said that i have seen a few suvs go off road, yea thats right up over the pavement(sidewalk) beacuse they are to impaitent to wait for the traffic to move so they go up the curb and put everybodys life at risk
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Re:
Sorry, but this article is true. MOST (notice I said MOST, not ALL) SUV drivers ARE bastards. And the reason they drive around in them is what other's have been saying (but I'll do it in a less graphic description). They are insecure. That big gas guzzing peice of crap makes you feel all big and cool. But in reality, it just makes you look like yet another annoying idiot on the road who is responsible for causing yet another accident.
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Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jun 27th, 2006 @ 3:36am
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The Ant and the Elephant
One day in the woods, an ant and an elephant were walking
down a path. The elephant fell into a hole and started screaming,
"Please, please, Ant, get me out of this hole." So the ant ran home,
drove back in his SUV, lowered a rope down, and pulled the
elephant out. "Thank you so much, Ant", said the elephant.
The next day, the ant and the elephant were walking down another
path when the ant fell into a hole. "Please, please, Elephant, get
me out of this hole", said the ant. So the elephant whipped out
his penis and lowered it down to the ant, who then climbed to safety.
The moral to the story: As long as you have a big penis, you don't
need an SUV. And, I've been riding the train for years.
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Re: The Ant and the Elephant
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Slow news day?
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I've also seen people in sedans doing this too. So, here we go again blaming people who drive SUVs for everything.
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I however get a kick out of driving my Saturn up to the pump, getting out, opening the gas tank, running my debit card, pumping my gas, getting my receipt, getting back in my car and driving away while the SUV on the other side of the pump is STILL pumping gas.
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Amen brother!
My wife agrees - she is 4'9" and once wanted a big truck or SUV, but is happy with her Camry.
As for me, I too drive a Saturn (93 SC2), and have had the same immensely amusing experiences at the gas station. On one occasion it was a Hummer H2. I was grinning as I left. He looked miserable.
They must really like paying for gas.
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???WTF??
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Missing the point.
1) Using less gas...
2) Wasting less time filling up...
3) Spending less money on gas...
than SUV drivers.
Oh, and keep on calling people names. That makes you look really smart.
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Gas is King
Gas-guzzling SUV's and car's will be a thing of the past in several years and only the super wealthy will be able to afford them. These gas-guzzling vehicles are obnoxious and many times ridiculous on the roads.
I cannot wait for $6/gallon gas. The question is not *if* $6 gas will happen but *when*. It is only a matter of time.
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Re: Gas is King
Conversely, you and your friends can go buy a hybrid and make it cheaper for me to gas up my hemi RAM.
Oh, I know, there ought to be a law, every car in the U.S.
gets 40 MPG. Then the Chinese can sop up all the world's petroleum at discount prices and spew more of it into the atmosphere.
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Re: Gas is King
Conversely, you and your friends can go buy a hybrid and make it cheaper for me to gas up my hemi RAM.
Oh, I know, there ought to be a law, every car in the U.S.
gets 40 MPG. Then the Chinese can sop up all the world's petroleum at discount prices and spew more of it into the atmosphere.
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Do a real survey
Its not to say that ouside London, where the roads are wider that SUV's are not starting to take over, the Land Rover, one of the original SUV's did originate in England, but a survey about SUV drivers really should have been generated in North America. Its the difference between 10 SUV drivers compared to 1,000 per square mile
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Re: Do a real survey
The survey is valid enough being taken in England because it's something that affects enough English people to the point of distraction.
There are many, many SUVs on the roads of London, and i'm sure other cities around the UK. Maybe the rest of Europe is different (i doubt that).
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Half right
Let us not forget that the grandaddy of all SUVs - the Land Rover - was built there...
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Thanks for Lumping me in...
I don't know how many times I have been typecast due to people saying, oh your that type of person because of something I own.
Enough of the BS. Stop with the type casting and just deal with people as they are. Individual per individual.
I am sure I can easily typecast Christians into a demon group when they get behind the wheel also. How many times have I seen so called GOD fearing people change into Deamons once they get behind the wheel of a car. You don't see me writing stories about them do you.
Get off your kick about lumping people into groups based on shotty tallies. Individuals are Individuals, oh wait.. no they aren't.... their assholes that drive SUV's.
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Re: Thanks for Lumping me in...
No, man. You didn't just write that story and publish it on the Internet and I didn't actually read it, did I? I'm confused.
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yanks stop complaining about gas price
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It's not just the school run but generally, in a city like London, the roads simply aren't wide enough for SUV boy to be storming through parked cars with no respect for anybody else.
Plus it really irritates me when they park next to me at Sainsburys. I can't see through the damn thing and have to edge out of my space super slowly for fear of being involved in an accident.
They may be fine in american cities with big wide streets where everything is bigger. But in the UK, they should be banned! An extra 20 quid on the tax? Big deal... more is needed to stem the flow.
Ooh - even worse - the Porsche equivalent... couple a Porsche driver with an SUV driver and you've got a total f'ing knobhead on the roads.
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it's really simple to understand
ps. They're driving hummers because they're not getting hummers.
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Re: it's really simple to understand
Also people always say the SUvs are eating up the gas, what about sports cars, corvettes, porches, ferraris, lambourghinis, what about all you F1 fans and NASCAR fans how much crap gets burned iunto the environment by those groups??
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Re: Re: it's really simple to understand
But for every 1 ferrari on the road there are probably 500,000 SUVs. So eliminating the 1 ferarri isn't going to change gas consumption that much compared to eliminating SUVs.
FYI - Corvettes get 30 mpg highway. The average SUV - 18 mpg. That's a huge difference.
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IMO, had the BMJ observed any other class of vehicle owner, they would have found that most humans, period, drive like ignorant self-righteous arrogant jerks.
The problem is not SUV drivers specifically. The majority of lackwits on our roadways don't have the mental discipline to drive a lawnmower.
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Sensitive!
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DUH Right Side of The Road, Austin Powers
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Yes I Am!!
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SUV's Coopers BMW
Try filling up your gas in Pennsylvania- they make you choose between self and full-service to fill up.
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Re: SUV's Coopers BMW
- I have a red pencil box.
"Try filling up your gas in Pennsylvania- they make you choose between self and full-service to fill up."
- And this has anything to do with the conversation, how?
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I see a lot of SUV drivers in the thread
The thing with SUVs is they aren't marketted for their original purpose as a "UTILITY" vehicle. They are marketted to ego and status and size.
Who responds most to appeals to ego and status? Assholes that's who! You may have an SUV and you may be a real nice person and real careful driver, but spend a month driving around in a normal car and you'll see you're in the minority.
I know many SUV drivers...my co-worker has one...was so proud the day he got the thing too. He's single, its a huge 4 wheel drive thing.
I asked him: "So why this thing? Its huge!"
him: "Yeah...I love it...so much ROOM and its four wheel drive!"
I: "Why do you need for wheel drive?"
Him: "Well so I can take it off road!! Its awesome...great traction"
I keep asking him "So have you ever taken it off road?"
him: "no"
(Its been 5 years since he bought the thing)
I: "Ever been on a dirt road in the country?"
him: "No not really...I live in the city"
I: "It must be good in the snow then"
him: "Oh yeah...if I ever want to go out of the city in the winter...for sure!"
I: " ever do that?"
him: "No"
I: "You must give rides to a lot of your buddies though right? Its big enough.."
him: "Naw...I ride alone...my buddies have their own cars"
Typical owner...he pays almost FOUR TIMES what I do in gas while driving a similar distance to and from work.
He's the reason I hate SUVs, and I don't even KNOW if HE's a bad driver...so when you add their driving record to the mix, I can't say I'd complain if they were ever taken off the road.
If you need offroad, get a real offroad vehicle, if you need "hauling" because you're a tough manly construction worker or something...get a pickup...if you're a family guy who needs room for kids..get a minivan. SUVs as they are have no real purpose other than ego stroking.
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Re: I see a lot of SUV drivers in the thread
I am by no means a wealthy man but next time you start criticising me for owning an SUV, know that i pay more for a better service than you and thats all. Its my money to spend on what i value and i dont consider myself an asshole for wanting to be safe. This is a major concept of economics.
One more thing to add is that studies have shown that every time a car innovation has been implemented to make cars safer (seatbelts, airbags, curtain airbags, stronger chassis, etc.), people drive worse and worse because of their new sense of safety. By youre logic, we should do away with seatbelts and airbags and make cars that explode in a fender bender. I guarantee people would pay more attention and drive more carefully. I can guarantee it would also cut down on gas consumption.
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Re: Re: I see a lot of SUV drivers in the thread
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Safer = Heavier?
That's not because you're driving an SUV. It's because your vehicle is bigger and heavier than the next vehicle.
It is accepted that in an accident the driver of the heavier vehicle "wins". You're simply betting that its you.
Where would be be of everyone thought like that? What happens when everyone drives a Navigator or a Yukon? Where's your weight advantage then?
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OK I have to respond
And the people who think that someone is compensating for something are full of crap too. Try to drive the back streets of Pittsburgh without good suspension and then tell me what you think. That will make more than your penis shrivel.
PS. I drive a little SUV.
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SUV
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SUV
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North Carolina
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Re: North Carolina
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If your motivation for getting one is because you like them fine.
If your motivation for getting one is becuase you have a large family fine.
But we all know that most get one becuase, "I will be safer in an accident", or "I can drive normal speed even when the road is covered in rain, snow, or ice," , or "I can drive up on the curve to get around traffic"
No all SUV owners don't buy them for those negative reasons but all men are dogs but that sure as hell doesn't stop women from saying so.
World's Best Driver what part of NC are you in? I'm on the coast where the driving is pretty safe except for the wildlife.
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Re:
fixed
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Whether your are driving "MINI COOPER" or "COOPER MINI", you should not feel any better. You're my friend contibuting to climate change.
.Also, the report suggest that SUV drivers are more careless (i.e. they don't wear seat-builts). To me, If this says anything...it just says that the author(s) of the survey are against the use of SUV, and are just trying to come up with un-verified conclusions. This survey needs further verifications before such claims can be accepted.
With or Against SUV...Perhaps it is time we all started to think about using public transport, and stop making such stupid claims please...unless you have a way to verify them...and encourage the use of public transport...and not the use of smaller cars. After all, you may just be competitor trying to win some of the market share.
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True, but...
- a 2500-lb Mini Cooper
- a 8114-lb Hummer
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Sounds more like a Dateline story: "SUV Drivers are Bastards, Up next on Dateline".
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What kind of asshole am I
So, what kind of asshole am I? Smug hybrid driving tree hugger, or Evil environment destroying bastard.
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And that's the way it should be.
SUVs do have a purpose... but the vast majority of SUV drivers are not like you.
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Damn too many emotions
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SUVs not just for off road
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SUV's & Ewe!
Damn straight the laws don't apply to me!
Drive your little crappy, environmentally safe car in front of me you'll get run over while I talk on my cell phone, eat my non-organic burger and fries while going 20 over the posted speed limit. When we impact, I'll walk away and you won't.
When they start making cars as safe for the driver and occupants as the SUV's are, that's when I'll go eco-friendly. Until then, pound sand :)
Have a nice day.
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YES , SUV Drivers are bastards.
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It's the machines
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Size Does Matter
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SUV
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SUV drivers are just plain selfish and irresponsible.
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?
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Survey and whatever else ails ya!
Truth is that SUV's really are pointless. Minivans used to be big, then soccer mom thought she needed to drive an off road vehicle so she wouldn't look like a soccer mom. Now we see a SUV and we are pretty sure that is a soccer mom inside with her twerps. Minivans have more seating and get better gas mileage. When family time comes we will not even consider a SUV and go with a more practical minivan.
As for electric or hybrids. Whatever form the energy that powers your car it was all made the same way, the dirty way. Unless your car is completely electric and you plug it into a wind turbine or a hydroelectric dam power outlet, your energy is made principally by oil or coal. I think those are clean fuels, aren't they?!
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"Fuck that, let our troops support me for a change."
"Doing my part to keep our troops in Iraq."
"I get 1.5 troops per tank of gas."
"My SUV gets better troops per gallon than your SUV!"
"Supporting Bush/Cheney's blood-for-oil program."
'Nuff said...
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Loved It
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Re: Clint, Phactual
Clint:
Reality check: Everyone owns a mobile phone. The only person I know who doesn't is my 79 year old grandma.
[rant] The reason SUV drivers talk on their phones is because they think that driving the latest Mitsubishi Monstrosity to the shops and back makes them bad-ass and that they don't need to obey road safety rules because if they hit someone, they'll be safe. The reality is that if they hit another car, the sheer mass of their big off-roader makes it much more likely to crush the other car and kill the occupants, and if they hit a pedestrian, the higher point of impact combined with the stupid bull-bars they probably have on the front mean the ped is roadkill at any speed above 20mph. [/rant]
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Bad drivers drive all kinds of vehicles
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No, what it's about is feeding the beast. There is a belief in this country that having more equals success. This gratuitous behavior is where so many people get their validation. In a world of designer labels and convenience-above-all, it is not even surprizing that there are so many SUVs on OUR roads. SUVs are a symptom of a much deeper underlying issue for this country. But as long as we have the corrupt, Godless leaders that we do, this will not change. It will get worse, waaay worse. Good luck, America.
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This article is flat-out wrong-
Oh yeah, I also ride my bike.
You can't generalize a person's lifestyle based on the car/truck they drive-
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Aggressive much?
btw I was nearly killed in an accident with and SUV - this crap about being safer annoys me - does that mean we all have to buy SUVs? Because rather than designed to be safe - they seem designed to kill the other driver. Volvos are still safer than any of these monsters and they don't endanger erveryone else on the road. Bumpers that don't match any other cars on the road - are anti-social. Lights that glare through the whole of your car blinding you are anti-social. and cars designed without any consideration for the environment are anti-social.
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Re: Aggressive much?
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Re: Aggressive much?
Actually, I'm more aggressive in my wife's Jetta. It will reach 100mph way faster than my truck will reach 70
When I'm driving along, I daily have an SUV race up behind me within inches of my bumper before changing lanes. What is up with that?
What's up with that is you need to get out of the fast lane if you're not going to speed up. Rarely do I have an SUV try to run up my ass, usually it's some punk in a smaller car who thinks tailgating me is going to make me move. I just laugh at them and slow down - if they're really close I slam on the brakes for a sec to make their butt pucker...and yes, I do that in the Jetta too.
Bumpers that don't match any other cars on the road - are anti-social.
So what.
Lights that glare through the whole of your car blinding you are anti-social.
So what. That's what that little switch under your rearview mirror is for.
and cars designed without any consideration for the environment are anti-social Again, so what.
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Re: Re: Aggressive much?
I have read this entire thread, and honest to God, it makes me want to emigrate; what the hell has happened to Americans. And yes, I'll save someone the trouble of posting it, I realize that the majority of people in this country would be glad to see me go.
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Big Fish Lives in a Big Can!
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Jettas are homo cars
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Everyone driving on more than 2 wheels is a jerk
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KMYMF! I drive an SUV and wear a belt and hfk
Mine is also used to cart stuff about, so used as and when needed.
This article is a poor waste of space on your site and surely requires some proof in what they say.
In the UK we pay almost 1 GB pound for petrol and that's enough of a pXsstake!
This is typical of what are known in the uk as "Daily Mail" reader mentality...
Bite me
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Driving and risk
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Hands Free
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I drive an SUV
And I can proudly say I don't use a hands-free kit either.
I also don't talk on my cell phone while driving, unless its an absolute emergency. And I'd probably wreck trying to plug in a hands-free set while driving if I did use one. As it is I just pop it open say who I want to call, get it done and get back to driving.
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In all seriousness, I use it in the snow and offroad. I have a little BMW "baby six engine" that gets great gas milage otherwise.
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silly survey
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SUV drivers can't see
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SUV's
It seems to go hand in hand...
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so being smart people goes hand in hand!
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Most SUV drivers...
It seems to me that oversized SUVs have become for tiny women what fancy sports cars have are for middle aged men, ego boosters.
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So Yes I feel safer in my SUV, and yes I will deal with gas prices.
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kiss my....
If you are so quick to psychoanalyze us, you should realize you are just projecting your own short comings on others you consider different.
In the meantime, you have declared war, and choose the losing side -- I hope your airbags work.
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Here's the real point...
Fear. Plain and simple, if you're in your car and a giant SUV rides climbs up on your a** while doing 65mph, it's a little scary.
That kind of fear breeds an us against them mentaility (cars vs. SUV drivers), which this article exploits.
I miss by Jeep Cherokee for one reason only: I felt like I was safe in it. I could drive as fast as I wanted, around whoever I wanted, and nothing could stop me.
All of this leads to this point: SUV drivers need to be more responsible when driving, more so than car drivers. That's because when the Jeep Cherokee runs into the Mazda Miata, the Mazda is going to be in big trouble.
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Re: Here's the real point...
That's exactly the point of this article. SUV drivers have that attitude and drive like morons. Also, that attitude is incorrect. You are more likely to roll in a sharp turn at a high speed or cause a rear end collision when trying to stop from a high speed. That is why SUV drivers are perceived as being bastards.
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Jettas are gay
The conversation would get even better if we could somehow tie in abortion, gay marriage (for all the VW owners out there), creation vs evolution, and the Iraq war (oops, someone already did that one).
TechDirt: Becoming more and more like /. every day!
For the record: My big, heavy 1997 GMC Yukon gets about 17mpg city, 19 hwy. That's not much worse than most mid-sized sedans on the road today. My wife drives it for errands close to the house. I drive a 2002 Camry for the savings on gas, not to help the environment.
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People are going to drive, wear, use, and generally consume whatever they want (and can afford.)
I remember when gas broke $.50 a gallon and everyone was "going to start using mass transit because it was too expensive to drive." To the best of my knowledge, there are many times more drivers now than there were when gas was "cheap." So the cost of gas seems irrelevant to the conversation.
Cars and trucks in general have gotten larger as of late; but if you will notice, they are still not as large as they were in the '60's (trucks aside, they have gotten larger.) Does that mean that we were "safer" in the past??? If all anyone cares about is safety, then why did we start making cars of smaller stature to begin with? Why aren't they twice as large and heavy as they were then? I guess that takes "safety" out of the mix as well.
I drive a Chevrolet 2500 Crew Cab w/ Z71 suspension Monday thru Friday, and a Honda Hybrid the remainder of my driving time. The Honda has been "off road" more than the truck.
The truth is I am a geek for a construction company, and occasionally (read twice in the last 3 years) have to haul something to a job site. Therefore, I need a truck that gets a wonderful 14mpg and costs almost $100 per tank to fill up. I hike and mountain bike extensively so my Honda takes me to where I want to go and costs almost $20 to fill up.
I am on the phone constantly. I use my BT headset when the battery isn't dead, and stick the phone to my ear when it is, REGARDLESS of whether I am driving or not.
A driver of a Prius the other morning was putting on her makeup and swerved into my lane. As a result, I dropped my electric razor into my coffee, which burned my lap, which caused me to cuss during an important conference call. Luckily, my “big bad vehicle” has a large center console for my to put my breakfast sandwich on so I could flip her off. Guess that proves that women can’t drive, and SUV drivers aren’t as bad as some would have you believe. [/tongue in cheek]
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We have met the enemy, and he is us.
1) SUV drivers are, indeed, assholes.
2) They read this blog.
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Name calling
And for those who say they don't give a *@#$! about the environment: Great, tough guy, because it won't give a #&$*! when you and your family are dying in a drought, hurricane, tornado, flood, etc. It's not about saving the planet... it's about saving your own @ss you ignorant moron!
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Second, stop bitching about not being able to see around them. If you wouldnt ride up our asses in your "green" cars err lawnmowers you could easily see around. You do know that you should be one car length behind the person in front of you for every 10 miles an hour you are traveling.
Third a lot of SUV owners need the 4 wheel drive because it SNOWS where we live and while I agree a lot of SUV owners think they can drive in the snow like the roads are bare, we arent all like that. Some of also have very LARGE dogs and they dont fit in sedans.
Ill buy a green vehicle when they can make one big enough for me and my English Mastiff and when they can perform like my supercharged Xterra.
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Re:
First off why bother with the environment anyway. Every living person will be dead before we could destroy the earth. Second of all SUVs have to follow the same emission standards as any other car so they DO have clean exhaust. "
Hey Jacka$$ -
Current federal tailpipe standards allow sport-utility vehicles and trucks to pollute over twice as much as the average new car. In 2001, this gap will more than double under the National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV) program as cars become cleaner, while the larger light trucks continue to receive special pollution exemptions.
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get out of my way
Capitalism ROCKS!
And Altruism is nonesense -- who really drives small cars for the environment? I call bullshit on that, get a clue.
Bitch about what you don't have, and you'll always be a bitch.
And if you think you know why I drive 130 in my Magnum I really don't care -- all I know is I don't have to hang around in traffic with you under acheiving whiners -- bye bye .....................
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Late to the post....But
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Re: Name calling
Not sure who your comments were aimed at, but I didn't say I don't care about the environment; my main reason for driving the Camry is the cost of fuel. If the environment benefits (which I really don't believe it does, but anyway) then so much the better.
I would rather drive the Yukon; I'm 6'4", and not slim, so the Camry is not as comfortable. I've got a bad back, so getting the kids in their car seats and strapped in is a LOT harder to do in the Camry. And try as I might, I just can't get a sofa in the Camry, no matter which way I turn it.
My wife had a wreck in the Yukon while talking on her cell phone. She was on the way to a funeral and was lost in an unfamiliar part of town. She was crying because she didn't want her friend to think she had bailed on the service. So driving an SUV while talking on the phone, while crying and distraught over being lost caused the accident.
Moral to this story: Don't judge anyone based on their vehicle, their phone use, their penis size, their gayness for driving a Jetta, their posting of a flame-bait article, etc.
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Morons
Did any of you doltz that complain this story is too one-sided even read it? Oh, sorry, you all drive SUV's - hit a little close to home (cry me a river)?
It's a study with an unexplainible discrepancy.
Just because some of you own an SUV and follow laws doesn't mean there isn't something to this - put down your big stick (sorry cell phone) and think a litte more critical. Christ.
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Really Simple...
2)Magnums, Hemi's, SUV's, Hybrids, trucks... whatever. This whole thread is missing the point that your car is supposed to be a tool to get you from A to B. America (primarily) and other countries have made them into status symbols. It's human nature. And its that nature that's going to be the end of us. Have a Fudgesicle(r) before we all go.
3)Responsibility of SUV's versus Small Cars... my favorite, by the way.
Ezekial said it, I believe, with "You live with the consequences of buying whatever car you bought, its called personal responsibility which nobody seems to have anymore. Its always blame someone else for your problems." But, unfortunately, he said it to illustrate that it's the small car owner's fault if they don't survive an SUV.
Sure, if the car causes the accident. But what about the greater responsibility that comes with choosing a larger vehicle? What about Semi's? Should they just scoff at all drivers that aren't in a Tractor Trailer just because he's the biggest on the road?
How about we all just drive defensively and excursive an amount of responsibility relative to the damage you can cause. If some punk in a riced out civic cuts your SUV off and dies, hey, it ain't your fault. Have a Fudgesicle(r)
4)Environment?... don't worry, we'll be out of oil long before the damage to the environment is irreversible. And besides... it's not going to destroy the earth, it's just going to make it uninhabitable to us. So have a Fudgesicle(r) while you can.
In closing... Honestly this whole thread reminds me why I'm ashamed of being an American. You all rant and rave about what group you're pigeonholed in based on what car you drive. I'm sick of being grouped in with all of the idiots and self-serving, short-sighted, elitist, money-grubbing, whiney self-centered bastards out there who share borders with me. Trust me... if I could, I'd be out of here. To borrow and adapt a quote from a wise actor playing an even wiser man: "This country needs an enema."
I'm off to have a Fudgesicle(r)
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*'Course I don't know what being born to a single mother has anything to do with owning an SUV
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RE:RE:
The fact is, SUVs are involved in rollover accidents 7 times more often than passenger cars, and rolllover accidents generally cause far more bodily injuries than regular crashes due to the tumbling and tossing around effect they cause, even worse if seatbelts aren't worn.
So to all those who say, oh I'm in a bigger vehicle, I'm safer, remember that the next time you're going down the highway doing 65 and have to swirve to avoid a crash, it'll be nice looking down on everyone doing the SUV infamous "bottoms up". :-)
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SUV rollover rate
There's a good reason for this: They aren't likely to roll because they are heavier with a very low center of gravity. And they usually destroy what they hit with very little collateral damage.
An Explorer, Trailblazer or Xterra would be much more likely to roll due to the high center of gravity. If it's 4x4, then the CG is even higher.
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Expeditions Rollover, who fooled you
http://www.rolloverlawyer.com/ford_defects/expedition.htm
I do agree some SUVs roll easier and even much easier than others, but when it comes to staying on all 4s there is no comparison to the standard car.
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Re: Ken
Rolloverlawyer.com is in the business of making money from these tragedies. Of course their web site will look like a treatise against large SUVs. They want to sensationalize the subject to attract more suit seekers. How many of those rollovers were caused by negligence or stupidity on the part of the driver? Doesn't matter 'cuz we can say it's Ford's fault for building a faulty vehicle??
Next you'll be telling me that the fiberglass body panels on a Corvette won't protect me in a crash at 180 mph, and maybe I should sue GM for building an unsafe car.
Rolloverlawyer.com has nothing to do with SUVs being more likely to roll. It has to do with $$$$$.
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I'm not a lawyer
SUVs, big and small, I can't count the number I've seen in two months on one hand. No lawyers, no dollars, just accidents you see daily. It's amazing that the only thing you harped on about that article was the word "lawyer". You are clearly avoiding the head on fact that SUVs, large or small are no match for a car in emergency maneuvering, thus clearly NOT SAFER. Can you address that?
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both sides of the fence....
Strangly enough, i see different attitudes to me depending on which car im in at the time, despite the fact that i only have one style of driving.
It seems that if anyone has a bad attitude on the road, its the drivers of "normal" cars.
Fuel consumption? I get 30mpg out of my off roader, you may scoff at that, but then i can scoff at your car as my Smart is the most efficient production car on the planet. Bar none.
Dominate the road? Everyday vehicles have to be narrow enough to stay well with lane markings, so my off-roader does. As for length, a Ford Focus estate is 1 inch longer than my off roader.
Saftey. A woman once ran a red infront of me at the last second. She had to be cut out of her car, i had my off roader back from the body shop in 4 days. Which one is the safer?
Road holding. The chassis on my car was designed and tweaked by one of the world's top sports car companies, can you say the same? Unless you drive a TVR, Lotus, Ferarri, Lambo etc... you cant.
Does it go off road? Yes, as frequently as possible. Now, ask Porche drivers when they last took their car on a track. Ask MPV drivers when was the last time they had 7 passangers.
They are for snobs to show off their money! Thank you for thinking that im a snob for driving around in an 8 year old Vauxhall.
If you feel the need to vent your spleen at a section of road users, pick on Prius owers who buy an overy complex hybrid thats nothing like effieicent, or the drivers of diesels that kill thousands of people every year (NHS figures).
Or you could just hit the next idiot who has one of those stupid St George flags sticking out of their window.
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...I don't have that problem...
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...oh...and another thing...
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umm, yeah.
"I see stupid people...."
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I have an SUV
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Re: I have an SUV
All lot of people (myself included) arent lumping you and those in your situation with the bastards. Unlinke most of SUV owners that forfeit the safety of others for the illusion of their own safety (alot of them fail to realize that not knowing handling a massive SUV is different from a small sedan makes them dangerous on the road) you have an actual reason to own one.
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Nuh-uh
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I can drive whatever I want.
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Had the vehicle that nearly hit me been economy class I doubt I'd have needed that minute. A honk, a wave, no harm no foul, it's forgiven. But I'm not sure I'd be out of the hospital in the case of an SUV.
I think the article is really saying that SUV drivers feel safe -- safe enough to disregard other's safety (and own in regard to seatbelts).
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Yes, SUV drivers ARE BASTARDS
Granted, not ALL SUV owners are a$$holes. If you have an SUV with mud on the side, you kick butt. But here in DC the recreational SUV-er doesn't exist. Only soccer moms with cell phones and rich husbands. There are too many out here that disregard the safety of others out of convenience. Do SUV owners need to exercise more safety than others? HELL YES! If i am riding a motorcycle down the road at 100mph and I broadside a sedan, I'll be the only one seriously hurt. Now, what if I was driving an '06 Durango instead of a scooter and hit that same sedan? Little Jimmy, Billy and Susie sitting in the backseat will need some very small coffins.
It may be gruesome, but it's true. Safe for you but not for me is beyond selfish. Hang up the damn phone and put your FULL attention on your surroundings.
I'll conclude with a funny story. While shoveling snow off my front sidewalk one wintry morning I heard cars at the stoplight honking their horns at a woman talking on her cell phone in her SUV. She hits the gas, and I give her the "hang up the phone" sign with my hand. She let go of the steering wheel to give me the finger (holding her phone to her ear with the other) and her car swerves, jumps over the pile of snow I was just shoveling and hits a sign on the sidewalk... all with her 10-year old son sitting in the front complete with soccer jersey on.
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suv drivers
"higher up" and they like power. My friends ex only drives suvs and she has a very controlling personality.
I have often been passed by an suv driver on the road while they are driving wildly past me even though I was already over the speed limit. I guess they have to be first or be in front because they are "special" I don't like to have them in front of me because I don't like not being able to see in front of me and You can't judge very well when n exit or intersection is coming up. I wish they would stop making these big suvs and the only person that should be allowed to drive them is someone who is so tall or big they have to.
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H2
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I have seen the end of the world as we know it...
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insulted owner
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SUV bastards
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SUV bastards
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SUV drivers
Every time I see one, I think of the driver as a looser.
Big time looser!
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pointless
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