Why I would drive a hummer

[ok fine]

(I'm refering to the older solid metal ones...not the newer ones)
If I could afford one, I would drive it for one main reason: safety. You hit another car...even an SUV....and chances are you are walking away fine. Heck, you could hit one of those huge Ford diesel trucks and you'd be ok.

Yep...if I could afford one...I'd buy one for me and every single member of my family...to make sure they were safe on the raods. or, as safe as possible.

and no....driving an 18 wheeler isn't logical....so don't try and use that argument.

ok....I'm done...

*puts on flame retarded suit*

[CO Liberal]

1. I'd Rather Get a Hummer Than Drive One

:-)

[ok fine]

i'd rather get both.

:-)

[Liberator_Rev]

11. If we had that much money to burn, then unlike Republicans

many of us Liberals would rather see it used to provide who villages in India with water to drink, cook with, wash with and the like, than throw it away on an endless stream of selfish consumables. See http://www.LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/GODvsGreed for more on this subject.

[terryg11]

2. Darn republican!!!

Just kidding. Yeah you might be safer but wouldn't you feel kind of bad if you accidentally sideswiped a smaller car carrying a family and seriously injured some of them?
It's a free country and you can drive what you want, use as much gas as you want and even flip people off ( I think ) I just wish people weren't able to write the damn hummer off on their taxes..

[ok fine]

3. hmm

"Just kidding. Yeah you might be safer but wouldn't you feel kind of bad if you accidentally sideswiped a smaller car carrying a family and seriously injured some of them? "

if I got into that type of accident...and I had the choice to pick what type of car I was in....I would definetely pick the hummer.

[terryg11]

4. awww, you're just looking for a fight now

If you had the choice to pick what kind of car to be in in that type of accident you would still take the potentially deadly hummer over something that could cause less damage and still save you from any serious harm? why not choose a Delorean, stainless steel, smaller so it should keep you safe without crushing the other people. Why not a pickup truck that would do the same thing?

still, to each their own, although with that last statement I wonder if you could be charged with some sort of reckless endangerment or involuntary manslaughter type of crime. just wondering

[ok fine]

9. what?

"although with that last statement I wonder if you could be charged with some sort of reckless endangerment or involuntary manslaughter type of crime"

you've got to be kidding, right? luckily our justice system doesn;t work that way.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

5. So what you're saying is...

"if I got into that type of accident...and I had the choice to pick what type of car I was in....I would definetely pick the hummer."

So long as YOU got out of an accident alive without a scratch, you wouldn't give an elephant's ass if you destroyed some poor schmucks' lives in the process.

Um, hm.

[Sushi_lover]

6. you want to kill or paralyze your children?

You are wrong that your children are safer in a hummer.

Higher off the ground means more tipovers. During an evasive maneuver, if they clip the side of a car or a curb there is a much greater chance for a rollover.

Rollovers cause fatalities and paralysis for occupants.

You can give it the old "but they're safer drivers and they won't roll over" story. But the truth is, you're endangering your children if you drive them in any SUV or if you buy them one.

[ok fine]

10. hmm

"Higher off the ground means more tipovers."

given the wieght and the wideness of the older hummer...I think you're couldn't be more wrong.

[XNASA]

7. You suffer from a flawed perception.

Has not occurred to you that driving a vehicle that is adept at avoiding collisions actually makes better sense?

One other point, it might seem reasonable that the larger a vehicle is, the safer it's occupants are. This is not the case. For example, say you where in an indestructable auto, and you hit a concrete wall doing 100 mph. The auto would remain intact (it's indestructable, remember?), but the G-forces would most likely kill you, or at least squash your brain and render you a vegetable.

Size is not the only thing that matters.

[ok fine]

13. no....no flawed perception

I'm in a hummer...a ford explorer hits me....I'd be doing alot better than if I was in a volvo.

since you don't know the mathmetics and all the different factors involved....this is just your guess vs my guess.
I think you're wrong...you think you're right. end of story.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. I Know The Mathematics

Want to ask me?
The Professor

[ok fine]

17. go ahead

lay them out....
keep in mind I don't believe you...and I will attempt to verify everything you say...

[ProfessorGAC]

28. You Wouldn't Understand Them

But, in deference to the your likely level of understanding of science, i'll give you these two simple thoughts.

Force is a function of mass and the change in velocity over time. Since velocity is a function of distance traveled per unit time, the change in velocity is a squared function.

Therefore the speed of impact has a much greater influence on force that does mass. So, a heavier vehicle getting hit by a lighter vehicle will have a minimal advantage if the other vehicle is going a relatively high speed. If, for instance, your vehicle weighs one third more (6k v. 4k pounds), the difference in force between 50mph and 60mph is 44% while the difference in mass is only 33%. So, the speed of the other vehicle contributes more newtons than does the weight differential of the vehicle.

The g force thing talked about my XNASA is also relevant. In a heavier vehicle, the time it takes for the side movement in a broadside for instance, is shorter. Therefore, the vector forces that are absorbed by the sideways movement are lower by a squared factor. The additional force taken to move the heavier vehicle, is again, lower than the squared function of velocity.

Now, you can believe me or not. I couldn't care less if you trust my credentials. But, there is no evidence that weight differentials of 20 or 30 or 40% show a statistically significant effect on survivability in a crash. My actuarial friends at State Farm can tell you that. But, in cars that have better handling, without overpowered engines, the odds of even having a collision go down. That's why the insurance rates go down.

So, there. I kept in simple for you. If you want to email me and disucss the mathematical and scientific details, go ahead. Although i somehow question just how much you'd grasp.
The Professor

[ok fine]

30. no

nice little cop out though...with you're childish comments.
unfortunately, it involves alot more than simple velocity and acceleration....although, thats great that you took the time to look those up in an 11th grade physics book.
the math for this equation would involve the detailed dimensions of both vehicles. We'll start with the hummer....you said you know the math for this (which i definetely don't believe)...so, what are the dimensions?

[XNASA]

15. There are more factors involved than one vehicle hitting another.

So not only is your perception flawed, but it's also very short-sighted as well.

But if it's the "end of story" as you note, then have a nice day. And I hope that you enjoy your Hummer.

[ok fine]

19. you seem to be having trouble...

I said neither one of us understand all the factors involved...therefore it is your guess vs mine....plain and simple...

[TXlib]

34. Oh My God!!!

since you don't know the mathmetics and all the different factors involved....this is just your guess vs my guess.
I think you're wrong...you think you're right. end of story.

Linux, is that you? It certainly sounds like Linux!

BTW, did you ever find that 10x large lens you were looking for?

[Maddy McCall]

8. to compensate for your small..............?

nevermind

[ok fine]

12. in other words

you're being childish and have no arguement? ok.

[NJCher]

16. Read Riding High

If you ever did get the money for a Hummer, you owe it to yourself and everyone else to make your decision based on facts instead of flawed arguments like Explorer vs. Hummer. Read Keith Bradsher's book. He's NY Times automotive editor and has put out a well-documented expose on SUVs.


Cher

[ok fine]

20. ok

i'll take a look at that book. is this guy a phyicist? or an auto expert of some kind?

[Maddy McCall]

31. No, I'm not being childish

You are by posting such a crazy topic. And honestly, tell me it has nothing to do with machismo.

Finally, why hummers suck...they are roadhogs and a danger to the rest of us who drive gas-conserving vehicles.

Just demonstrates that you are selfish, thinking about you and your own, and you could care less about others on the road.

I guess the next thing will be military-converted-civilian tanks. And the same people who line up for hummers would line up for them too.

[ok fine]

33. when you're ready

to discuss this topic in an adult manner without having to resort to childish insults...I'll be waiting.

[Maddy McCall]

35. You can't afford one anyway, so why come here to start an argument?

You said it in your original post...you can't afford it.

So why argue about it?

My responses in the thread two above is my response to you. They are gas-guzzling road hogs, a danger to others on the road, and to me denote the selfishness of the driver.

That's the way I feel. Don't ask a question if you don't want responses.

[TXlib]

40. There was a disrupter who went by "Linux"

Don't ask a question if you don't want responses.

That was his MO... he'd attack everybody who told him what he didn't want to hear by saying, "Anybody can claim to be an engineer. So I'm going to assume you're not one, which means you don't know what you're talking about."

He got banned; I'm guessing for precisely that behavior.

[Nikia]

18. I wouldn't feel comfortable

For one thing, they are wider than most vechicles. I am a fairly new driver and worry about hitting semis head on or going off the road on the other side when going highway speed on busy rural roads in a normal vechicle. I wouldn't want any more width to make that more likely. I would imagine that it wouldn't have that good of acceleration or deceleration time. My vechicle is a sports car type and I have gotten used to this feature. Also, I hate parking as it is and parking a hummer would be a nightmare for me. Yes, I would be safer in the event of an accident but probably more likely to get into an accident.

[ok fine]

22. finally

someone attempting to make a valid point. you're right...thats the only thing...it would be harder to find parking and such...it would be less convienent...but to me...my safety is worth that trade off.

[ulysses]

21. what you said:

Yep...if I could afford one...I'd buy one for me and every single member of my family...to make sure they were safe on the raods. or, as safe as possible.

What I heard:

People wealthy enough to drive a Hummer should be entitled to greater safety on the roads. Can't afford it? Guess you take your chances being poor, huh?

That sound about right?

[ok fine]

23. wrong

"People wealthy enough to drive a Hummer should be entitled to greater safety on the roads"

you should listen to what people say...and not filter it with your biased perceptions.

although, it works out that way...I didn't say that is what i wanted.

[ulysses]

25. fair enough

but since we're agreed that it does work out that way, why would you still drive one knowing that you're actively endangering others?

[ok fine]

26. ok

I don't believe I'm actively endangering others. I'm not purposely looking to get into an accident. I drive as safe as I can.

[Maddy McCall]

36. That's my point...they are selfish vehicles.

Good point.

[arcane1]

24. if you are that afraid of driving...

maybe you should reconsider? Busses are pretty safe too

but this post is little more than flame bait, the world rotated just fine before the Hummer was invented, now all of a sudden "safety" is the mantra...

buy the biggest ride, to feel safe from all the other big rides out there... then everybody gets one, and then what? Besides running out of oil twice as fast, significantly more pollution, and reducing everyone's parking spaces

your selfishness is showing

whatever it takes to raise that post count, I guess... :eyes:

[ok fine]

27. I'm not afraid of driving.

:)

[BlueJazz]

29. I don't agree with you on a lot of your points....

...but ...never mind.
What I do know is false is your statement:
"Heck, you could hit one of those huge Ford diesel trucks and you'd be ok."

That is wrong and any CDL driver will argue with that one.....

[ok fine]

32. i know

I was exagerating...but my point is...I think its safer to be in a hummer than in a compact car or an suv.

[greatauntoftriplets]

37. So please tell us....

...what kind of vehicles DO you drive?

[ok fine]

38. as of right now

i drive a ford escort. its good on gas...and handles great.

[TXlib]

39. And a hummer gets 9-11 mpg

Yikes!

[BiggJawn]

41. What ever happened to Defensive Driving?

Now it would seem we have arrived at the age of "I'm too distracted with the cel-phone, and yelling at the kids in the back seat and putting on my make-up and giving myself a testicular cancer self-exam and REALLY tasting this Latte' to watch out where I'm going, so I NEED a humungous road engine like this to make sure I don't come to harm from my own negligence....Oh, and fuck everybody else, too. If they don't wanna get hurt, let 'em buy their OWN H2..."

The trick is to:

A. Not hit other vehicles.

And,

B. Not put yourself in a position where other vehicles would be inclined to hit you.

Works fine for me whether I'm in my 3500 Lb. Ranger, my GF's 1600 Lb. Civic, or my 31 Lb. Fuji.....And it's worked for almost 30 years.