SUV Drivers

Do SUVs and pickups lack a turn signal??

Most drivers don't bother to use their turn signal most of the time, but in my limited, unscientific survey, drivers of SUVs and pickups never do.  Apparently their elevated position above the road and relative to other drivers, as they pilot their 8,000 pound hunk of steel to Costco, makes them feel "above" the need to bother informing other drivers, cyclists or pedestrians of their intentions.  

Come to think of it, the lack of signaling is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my rant about SUV drivers:  how about the sheer stupidity, arrogance and waste embodied by a single person driving a 2 1/2 ton vehicle, all by themselves, to the store to bring back two bags of groceries?

In India, my wife and I rented seats in what in America would be called a "mid-size SUV."  There were 12 people aboard, and they charged us for 3 seats because our backpacks took so much space that there was no room for an additional passenger.

In America, however, not only do we not penalize people for taking up too much space, using too much gas, wasting too much energy, or driving without thinking about other people at all: we reward it.  During the Bush administration the maximum tax write-off for SUVs was $100,000.

Here's an idea: why don't we eliminate writeoffs for SUV owners, and instead tax vehicle manufacturers $1,000 per mile under 45 mpg, per vehicle, per year?  A Hummer that got 12 miles per gallon would yield a tax revenue of $33,000 per year.  Doesn't that make more sense than paying people to pollute?

Portland Drivers

A while ago, my ex-brother-in-law and I coined an umbrella term for the kind of drivers that drive us (no pun intended) crazy with their excessively-slow driving, refusal to use turn signals, insistence on second-guessing other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, and incompetent turning techniques: "Portland Drivers."

Of course, these terrible drivers are found all over the place, not just in Portland, but let's face it, there are far too many of them here.

So, let's review how a Portland Driver drives:

1) They never use a turn signal, particularly if they are driving a pick-up truck or SUV(see other rant "SUV drivers")
2) If they see a pedestrian coming, no matter how far away they are, they stop and wait, even if they have a green light
3) When they arrive at a traffic light, if the light is green they stop anyway and wave the driver, cyclist or pedestrian going the other way (who has a red light) to go first
4) On the highway, they drive in the left lane, going 5-10 miles below the speed limit
5) NOTE: This one is the worst of all: When making a left turn at a traffic light, instead of pulling into the middle of the intersection to wait for the light to turn yellow and then making the turn, they wait at the crosswalk until the light turns red.  Then, they stay there and repeat this bonehead maneuver the next time the light turns green.   I have watched Portland Drivers pull this idiotic routine through 3 changes of the light!

It's almost as if Portland Drivers don't comprehend that the whole point of getting behind the wheel is to get somewhere, as fast as possible.  Who goes for a Sunday drive on Monday at 8:00 a.m.?!

Yes, it's funny (ha, ha) but not when you're waiting behind this moron to make a turn.