Over the last few years there has been a definite change in choice of motor vehicle in my small part of the world ... from the BMW/Audi/Mercedes to that 4x4 'can't see past,' offroader that the blue-rinsed Remuera mum's so enjoy dropping their kids off at school in, that they don't really know where the left hand side is and try so hard, at times, to locate this by feel ... but they obviously feel more secure in these vehicles and feel their offspring are similarly safer.
The advantages are obvious: bigger; better visibility(front and right hand side, attrition rate reversing isn't that good though); do better in head on crashes (I believe a ratio of 1:3 mortality is immediately achievable - just don't roll them); roundabouts constitute no obstacle - just maintain the straight line; parking is easy as curbs are readily mounted; diesel is cheaper and they are rather imposing - those in lesser vehicles defer to you and provide 'heaps' of space, especially if driving one-handed with a cell phone in the other. These pluses have resulted in a huge increase in the number of these vehicles on the road ... many imported at the conclusion of their economic life not overly particular about spewing forth their particulate matter in an ever so wilful manner.
But really how much safer should one feel as the owner of such 'bigger is better' diesel machines?
Travelling to work behind them, often numerous of them, it is not possible to drive 'ahead of yourself,' because you just can't see - so you drive in accord with their brake lights, a difficult, trying and downright dangerous exercise. Next, is the breathing problem you experience, the smell, the taste of their excreta, which at times has been enough (no air conditioning) to make the eyes smart and become liberally tearful. The irony to this of course is that many, if not most of these "I would have a Hummer if I coulders" don't appear to smoke ... rather than pursuing a 'healthier than thou' lifestyle this may well be compensatory, something to do with the knowledge that these 'can't be without accessories for the modern mum' are considerably more toxic than cigarette smoking and in such a more emphatically generalised way than second hand cigarette smoke could ever be.
With the considerable reduction in cigarette smokers over the years, why has this not been reflected in a reduction in respiratory problems, cardiac problems, cancers and the many other health issues that predominantly impact on our more vulnerable members of society, our children, our elderly and our ailing. 'Clean diesel is still dirty.'
The advantages are obvious: bigger; better visibility(front and right hand side, attrition rate reversing isn't that good though); do better in head on crashes (I believe a ratio of 1:3 mortality is immediately achievable - just don't roll them); roundabouts constitute no obstacle - just maintain the straight line; parking is easy as curbs are readily mounted; diesel is cheaper and they are rather imposing - those in lesser vehicles defer to you and provide 'heaps' of space, especially if driving one-handed with a cell phone in the other. These pluses have resulted in a huge increase in the number of these vehicles on the road ... many imported at the conclusion of their economic life not overly particular about spewing forth their particulate matter in an ever so wilful manner.
But really how much safer should one feel as the owner of such 'bigger is better' diesel machines?
Travelling to work behind them, often numerous of them, it is not possible to drive 'ahead of yourself,' because you just can't see - so you drive in accord with their brake lights, a difficult, trying and downright dangerous exercise. Next, is the breathing problem you experience, the smell, the taste of their excreta, which at times has been enough (no air conditioning) to make the eyes smart and become liberally tearful. The irony to this of course is that many, if not most of these "I would have a Hummer if I coulders" don't appear to smoke ... rather than pursuing a 'healthier than thou' lifestyle this may well be compensatory, something to do with the knowledge that these 'can't be without accessories for the modern mum' are considerably more toxic than cigarette smoking and in such a more emphatically generalised way than second hand cigarette smoke could ever be.
With the considerable reduction in cigarette smokers over the years, why has this not been reflected in a reduction in respiratory problems, cardiac problems, cancers and the many other health issues that predominantly impact on our more vulnerable members of society, our children, our elderly and our ailing. 'Clean diesel is still dirty.'
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