I've been enjoying reading this thread. I have a comment or three, and a question (and the question is something I could probably look up, but I figure someone knows the answer....)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > On Sun, 27 Oct 2002 23:42:23 -0600, Dan Minette wrote: > > > >You might be my age, but then you would remember the 50 mpg cars that > >existed in 1979. I owned one of them: a diesel rabbit. SUVs are big > >monsters that get low milage...plus the pollution controls cut gas milage > >significantly. > For the record I am 38. > The Ford Focus is the most popular car in the world. > You've mentioned this before so I have to ask. Do you advocate removing > pollution controls from cars to improve efficiency? 1) I don't remember the Rabbits in 1979, but I remember them a couple of years later. I learned to drive stick shift on one in 1986. That was an incredibly forgiving car; I've never driven another one that would have actually let me drive 10mph in 4th gear. I'm younger than Dean. 2) How many people does the Ford Focus seat? How many infant/child car seats can you get into the back seat of it? > >>Meanwhile, the big 3 auto manufacturers have a long history of putting cars > >>on the road with known safety problems and perpetuating the myth that the > >>heavier a vehicle is, the safer it is. > > > >Well, if it is a myth, then why have my kids been hit several times and > >hardly noticed it in our conversion van? > > About 10 years ago I was in a head-on accident in my Suzuki Sidekick. I walked > away with a sprained ankle and seatbelt bruises. But this doesn't really mean > anything. > This seems like an honest analysis. > http://enews.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/EETD-SUV-Safety.html A large car will, on average, probably protect you better. I looked at the article and I can believe what it says about the SUVs not being as safe as large cars. Heck, if I were driving my car at high speed, the way a state trooper driving the same model did during a high-speed chase a few years back, and I hit an SUV just the right way, I could walk away from the collision and everyone in the SUV would be dead. (But I'd have to hit it at a crucial spot to get those results.) The article mentioned various makes and models, but I didn't see Volvo on there. I'd like to see what the latest results are regarding the safety of Volvos. Looks like they're not popular enough to be included in the 22-page report whose URL is at the bottom of the article. Looks like a very interesting report, and if I get time later this week, I'll try to read all of it. Julia _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
