I Do Have Reasons For My Dislikes...Sometimes

I really, really, really dislike SUVs*. I argue with people about this frequently. My mother drives one, which I will fully admit to having borrowed when things needed moving. My car's pretty small.

That's part of the disconnect I feel, I think, is knowing that I have borrowed one from friends or family when I need to move things and I'm sure I will do so again in the future. I recognize that they can be a logical choice for someone that has a huge family or frequently hauls large objects...or both. They certainly have functional bonuses for those of us who move every year or so. Still, I just cannot stand them.

There are all the common reasons to dislike SUVs: they're gas-guzzlers, they have bad emissions track records, people spend way too much money on them to look cool, people think they actually look cool driving them, a driver's need to compensate...

But I have one major reason that I trumps all of these; I drive a small Volkswagen. I know my choice in cars in no one's fault but my own but I LOVE my car. It gets good gas mileage and has been infinitely better than the lemon that was my Cavalier (may it rest in peace).

The problem? When I'm on major highways, most days I cannot see anything in front of me. Or behind me. Or to either side of me. I will be surrounded by a brigade of SUVs whose sole purpose seems to be to confuse and disorient me. I have had several incidents of being behind an SUV and not being able to see the traffic jam/accident/shopping cart in the road ahead and have had several near-misses when said SUV very suddenly stops in the middle of the road and I almost rear-end them. While I have much faith in my car's design and sturdiness, I'm pretty sure rear-ending an SUV would hurt the Volkswagen greatly.

But one of the things that irritates me most happened just a few weeks ago and I still remember it because it happens all the time and it irritates me every time it occurs. When I park in parking lots at stores or wherever I happen to be in a large parking lot, I always try to park between two cars more on my level of size**, even if my walk to my destination is longer. Why? Because when I do back out, I can actually see if someone is coming. When I'm between two SUVs I cannot see a thing, no matter how adept I am at using my mirrors. Sometimes I have to just take a deep breath and back out slooooowly.

While in a grocery store parking lot a few weeks ago, I was doing the slooooow-back-out-and-crane-my-neck-into-an-uncomfortable-position when a car suddenly came barreling by blaring their horn and visibly screaming at me. It would have been nearly impossible for me to have almost hit them (believe me, I am not that talented) so the only thing I could think of was that it was their right of way and I was clearly ruining this moment for them. Which would have been acceptable except for the fact that I could not see a damned thing because of the Tahoe that was to my right! So I reacted like any normal, human adult would...I screamed back. ("IF I HAD SEEN YOU, MOTHER*@&#!&, I WOULD HAVE STOPPED, WOULDN'T I? HUH? YOU'RE SOOOOOO IMPORTANT, AREN'T YOU??!?!?") And then I seethed for a good long while, then treated myself to a Dr. Pepper because I deserved it.

The moral of this dry, long-winded story? I drive a small Volkswagen. I'm a good driver. If I'm pulling out of a space and I don't stop to let you go, it's probably because I can't see you. A lot of people in smaller cars are having this problem now. Also? Get over yourself.



*When I say SUVs, I mean mostly the ones for show. Though I live in a big city where most of them are for show. This term (SUVs) contains, but is not limited to: Lexus SUVs, Mercedes SUVs, BMW SUVs, Tahoes, Suburbans, Hummers, stupidly large trucks such as F350s or any truck that is raised/has ginormous tires, minivans, etc.

**Obviously, there are times when I park in a spot between two smaller cars and when I return to my car, an SUV has taken the place of one of them. Trust me, I take as many precautions as I can but I can't help what people do when I'm not around.