Never Trust A Mini Van...Ever...Period

[bomber]

BSL has a good point -- I consider every "oops" my fault -- it raises my level of situational awareness to acceptable levels

that said, my threat alerts go deep red and loud around anyting with more than one sticker/rear window decal

two kinds are especially worrisome

the common "I'd rather be _________" (golfing, telling you about my grandchildren, skydiving, pulling the wings off flies

and

the ubiquitous "I HEART my ________" Labrador Retreiver, goldfinches, gold fish, Barry Goldwater, Teacher . . . . . .

let's be careful out there

[kenish]

And it's the little Cavaliers that go wide. I put a big rock at the corner of my grass and someone removed it a day later. I never did see it again. Weird.

Instead of a rock, install a fencepost with about 12-18" protruding.  If wood isn't good enough there are very nice looking square ones made of aluminum or steel.  That should stop a driver from going wide more than once.

[XLR8]

I believe that cagers don't cause accidents... rather they cause emergencies... it's up to the rider to
prevent an accident... life is the prize...

Exactly why I am still walking.

[sagerat]

Bumpersticker in Bend:  My Rollerderby mom can beat up you Soccer mom.  

[OmegaSix]

Funny coincidence to find this thread near the surface.  I was just having thoughts about mini-vans, and the way they're driven.

I commute on my bike a lot.  I try to achieve a state of highway zen most days.  Usually, I succeed.   Go with the flow, treat cars around me as neighbors, see if they respond positively, make liberal use of throttle brake and middle finger to drive points home...

The thing is, in the midst of being a good neighbor, toodling along in the right lane, safely following the poor schmuck in front of me, I will, from time to time get tailgated.   Inevitably by a mini-van.   Not SUV's.  Not silly little Honda-Cars.  Not Semi rigs.  Not Volvos.   Friggin' mini-vans!!!!   DODGE/CHRYSLER mini-vans!!!

WTF is that?

The vehicle on the highway possessing the very  worst brakes on the highway - tailgating the shit out of me.   And not just me - - everybody!!!!    

I owned a Chevy Lumina back in the day.  I had the thing from 1990 to 1997.   It hauled my kids to and fro.   Ball games, cheerleading, field trips, the fair.   You know the deal.   I have to wonder - - did I drive that thing like the mindless pricks I see today?

Maybe...

Maybe it's the kids.   Kids make you crazy, that's for sure.

[Grnarrowe]

.
But Im either headed for a 4 door Jeep Wrangler or a 4 Door Tacoma....no minivans in my future!

This does NOT exempt you, NO NO NO! Why you ask, I'll tell ya.. Last night on my way to work I had to cage it because, surprise, it was raining here. GUESS who the slow fooks were? THAT'S RIGHT! The idiots in the Jeeps and Blazer. Got behind 2 of them at one point, speed limit 45 Dummy 1 & 2 doin about 35. COMEON!!! It aint raining that hard. Dummy 1 turns left onto the street I need to go on #2 goes straight. I make my left turn speed limt 40 I catch #1 quite quickly and PASS his worthless Jeep drivng ass. Several miles down the road I meet up with Dummy #3 driving a Blazer or rather TRYING to drive a Blazer. How much you wanna bet he'll be turning on the street I need to be on? YUP he turns on his turn signal, hey they do have them, and promptly MISSES the turn. He locks up the front wheels and stops in the median before hitting the concrete median. I got around that twit because I CAN DRIVE MY CAR IN THE FOOKING RAIN YOU STUPID SUV DRIVING PUTZZZ!!!!!!!!!!  Good god I feel better now.

Uh, what was the question?  

[bomber]

just wait til the first good snowfall -- all the new-ish SUV and Hummer pilots will have forgotten that their all-wheel-drive systems let them get started easier in the snow/ice/spooge . . . . . however, they do most definately not stop or turn better . . . . .

last winter, I counted 4 jeeps and 3 hummers in the ditch on the way to O'Hare one morning . . . . I tried not to snicker

I really did

honest

[Grnarrowe]

I don't snicker, I point and LAUGH  

[jude]

+1  Soccer moms in minivans, Tahoes, Explorers, Suburbans, Excursions, Rav4.........

...adding numb-headed drones driving sedans/coupes/drop tops from Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Saab and any Hybrid, especially that fcukin' prick in the Prius this morning.

Oh, if that was you or if you drive any of the above, let me just say,  .

[cultureslayer]

...adding numb-headed drones driving sedans/coupes/drop tops from Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Saab and any Hybrid, especially that fcukin' prick in the Prius this morning.

Oh, if that was you or if you drive any of the above, let me just say,  .

I almost got ran over by a Prius today too!  Damn environmentalists think the world revolves around them.

[Blrfl]

...all the new-ish SUV and Hummer pilots will have forgotten that their all-wheel-drive systems let them get started easier in the snow/ice/spooge . . . . . however, they do most definately not stop or turn better.

Tell me about it...  My wife has a Subaru that we both love to death, but man does that thing inspire an insane amount of confidence on slippery roads.

Oh, and for me it's GREEN minivans.  I've had more close calls with GREEN ones than I can count.

--Mark

[bpg]

I almost got ran over by a Prius today too!  Damn environmentalists think the world revolves around them.

LOL!  One of my older sisters has one; your analysis is spot-on...  Overly Earthy-types can almost be as obnoxious as yer standard yuppie-weenie these days, itellyawhat...

[bpg]

I gotta chime in here too.  We have a mini-van.  I hate to do anything in it but travel long distances, at which it excels.

The problem with ours (2000 Chrysler) is the horrendous blind spots.  They're huge.  Maybe that has been rectified in the newer models.  But seeing as how most minivans share the same general shape, size, and layout perhaps freakin' huge blindspots is a common problem?  

The following advice could probably save the country zillions and save a life here and there:

Can't see out of mirror = buy a set of $2 convex mirrors.  

It's amazing to watch people contort themselves to all degrees and still not be able to see the blind spots, when a casual glance to a bubble mirror would show much more with almost no effort

 

So when does my Nobel Peace Prize arrive, LOL!  

[cultureslayer]

LOL!  One of my older sisters has one; your analysis is spot-on...  Overly Earthy-types can almost be as obnoxious as yer standard yuppie-weenie these days, itellyawhat...

I live in granola cruncher central, and give the prii a wide berth.  They still try to run me over, and this is on a BICYCLE.  Hello, greener than your huge toxic battery, so I should be running you over.