On Thu, 22 Feb 2018 09:02:23 +0000, Brian Reay wrote:

snip


This (driving a 'tank') is often used by folk as a way of 'protecting
them and their family' but they are either unaware ... or are and
simply don't care that the only way that will work is if they crash
into something smaller, putting other peoples families at greater
risk. ;-(

snip

Fact, the above has *nothing* to do with anyone's personal driving
style (so you can wind you neck in). ;-)


Your own reference states:

"Regardless of what you drive, all experts agree that how you drive is
the most important safety factor. Human performance and behavior factors
contribute to more than 90 percent of crashes, according to NHTSA."

No, really?

(From:
https://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/a...arge-cars.html
)


If you don't hit another car, large or small, then size really doesn't
matter.

Irrelevant mate.

The discussion was:

"This (driving a 'tank') is often used by folk as a way of 'protecting
them and their family' but they are either unaware ... or are and
simply don't care that the only way that will work is if they crash
into something smaller, putting other peoples families at greater
risk. ;-("

*Nothing* to do with driving styles, *everything* to do with bigger is
safer.

My point (which still stands and is supported by all the research) is
that *IF* you buy a *bigger vehicle* because it would make it safer
for *your family* then statistically you are only making it safer for
*your family* at the expense of *everyone else in a std / smaller
vehicle's family*.

Given that the vast majority of 'other people' on the road will be
ordinary people in smaller vehicles again statistically someone in a
bigger vehicle is 'more likely' to hit someone in a 'smaller vehicle'
than hitting a 'larger vehicle'.

I've not mentioned anything about anything else other than that.

The idea of buying a bigger vehicle with any though of it being
'safer' for you and your family also means taking up more room (even
if it only 1"), using more fuel / mile, therefore creating more
pollution / mile and doing more damage to the road / mile (than a
typical smaller (lighter) car of the same era).

Now, if you bought a 'bigger vehicle' because you had a bigger family
or needed to tow a caravan or regularly carry bulky items (a
wheelchair etc) then you may have simply bought said vehicle for
wholly / only practical purposes. e.g. The fact that it happens to be
'safer' than and at the cost of a smaller vehicle is by the by.

I made and have not made any judgment on anyone buying a 'bigger
vehicle' so anyone jumping on me is potentially doing so because of
guilt or misunderstanding?

Cheers, T i m