Weird California Bill! www.wedrive.org

[nhromyak]

Check out www.wedrive.org

Apparently the CA Assembly is at it again, to kill our ability to choose what cars we want to drive.

I am hearing this all over the radio today.

[Montara22]

I would recommend actually reading the bill itself instead of one of these political information sites. Alot of the information on that site is WAY off. (like the 55mph speed limit reduction, etc.)

AB 1058

This bill would not have any direct affect on consumers until 2006.. and would only affect model years 2008 and later. In my opinion, there is NO reason that the manufacturers can't develop and sell clean air vehicles by then.

That plus the fact that I would support just about anything that would reduce the number of SUVs on the road. I can't stand them.

The facts only exist on the bill itself. All other sources of information are suspect.

[cegerer]

The entire bill appears to be predicated on the assumption that reducing automobile emissions will reduce so-called "greenhouse gas" affects on the ozone. This whole theory is far, far from proven. -- Curt

[wckrause]

California? Isn't that the state that mandates electric cars, but can't produce enough electricity to charge them?

I'll add this to a long list of reasons never to live in CA.

[Jim T]

Originally posted by wckrause
California? Isn't that the state that mandates electric cars, but can't produce enough electricity to charge them?

LOL!

[Moses]

Why would you like to see SUV's legislated off the road? This is America! Drive what you want.

Why not legislate all Porsche's off the road? They drive too fast, bad for carpooling, poor mileage, etc.

Man, everybody wants to tell the other guy how to live. I hate it.

[jrdavid68]

The site does seem a little suspect. You see references to the 55 mph speed limit change - except under their facts section - hmm..

JrDavid68

[speedemon666]

You're right, the bill doesn't lower the speed limit. But I believe Ca. Air Resource Board (CARB) will if it had the opportunity to do so.

[Zeke]

What bothers me the most is that they are lumping in pick-ups with SUV's. While many drive PU's for no other reason than to have one, most that I see are in service so that you can get your lawn mowed, your plumbing fixed, etc. If your service people are penalized for driving a truck to fix your house, you are going to pay for it out of your pocket. I can garuntee that. This is not the same as soccer mom tooling around at 10 MPG from store to store.

[Montara22]

Yea, my words about the SUVs were a little harsh.. What I meant to say was that one of two things needs to happen.

1) Reduce the number of SUVs on the road.

-=or=-

2) Increase the amount and quality of driver education required to get a license.

Personally I'm sick of seeing people talking on the cell phone while cutting people off by weaving in and out of 75 mph traffic at 90+ mph in a 5000lb behemoth.

Yes, this is america.. It's their business until they are endangering my life... then it's MY business.

I don't mean to say that all SUV drivers are bad... with that size of weapon though, it doesn't take too many bad ones to warrant action.

Also, a theory by definition is unproven. Only laws are proven... but that doesn't mean that theories should get the blind eye. I mean, yes.. there may be no such phenomenon. But then again.. maybe there is. Let's look at it this way.. one side must be right. Either there is or is not such a thing as global warming. On one hand we can move on as normal and discard the theory. On the other hand, we can assume that the theory has merit and do everything in our power to avoid global warming. When you consider both sides, think about what happens if the other is correct. Which side would most regret being wrong?

[cegerer]

"Yes, this is america.. It's their business until they are endangering my life... then it's MY business. "

OK, then I want all semi tractor-trailer rigs off the road. They are much larger than my gas-guzzling capitalist pig 3/4 ton 6000 pound behemouth pickup and endanger my life every day.

" ... but that doesn't mean that theories should get the blind eye. I mean, yes.. there may be no such phenomenon. But then again.. maybe there is. "

Well, California certainly is infamous for these type of reactionary legislation. If there's a media hysteria, you can count on a California bill/law to calm the masses. The latest? Mold! Despite a total lack of scientific evidence linking mold counts to health problems, no testing standards, no remediation standards, etc. CA is charging forward with a comprehensive mold bill. Just in case. -- Curt

[Dantilla]

If we should reduce the number of SUV's because most people "don't need one" shouldn't we ban all track driving? I mean come on- just going around in circles using up all that gas? Who needs to do that?

I think you can drive an SUV if you want. I'm on my way back to the track.

[Saffs]

Originally posted by Dantilla
If we should reduce the number of SUV's because most people "don't need one" shouldn't we ban all track driving? I mean come on- just going around in circles using up all that gas? Who needs to do that?

I think you can drive an SUV if you want. I'm on my way back to the track.

To play Devils advocate, Dantilla: people use SUVs all the time for daily vehicles; track driving, for most part, is a rare pleasure and not part of everyday car use. Therefore, they don't logically compare as an anti, or pro, SUV argument, do they?
As an observer of SUV culture, I notice people are really touchy about SUVs and pickups, and their rights to own and drive one.
Personally, I'm not a fan - I fine the handling on the few I've driven are really unpleasant, not surprising given the somewhat primitive rear suspension often seen on some SUVs. However, that's irrelevant if you need one for work or large Families, of course.
I suspect there's a lot of SUV users that want large vehicles for safeties sake, i.e., they can feel safe in their large vehicle despite how they are driving, and this promotes a quite blasé attitude to other road users: I'm sure many would agree to seeing this, often.
On a cynical note, and as someone who uses an old 911 all the time, I often find my self surrounded by an SUV in front, and a huge pickup at my rear. There I am, unable to see much over them, then see one person in each of them (latté and cellphone in hand?) and I think, go and get a small car, please....

[cegerer]

"As an observer of SUV culture, I notice people are really touchy about SUVs and pickups, and their rights to own and drive one. "

If this hasn't been booted to OT yet, it should.

Personally, I need my large truck to pull a travel trailer. But if I 'needed' a 3/4 ton 4wd truck to drive back and forth to the donut shop down the street on Sunday mornings, what business is it of the government or any individual? I think there is a HUGE amount of jealousy and class-envy at work here. If the government has ANY role at all, it should be to revamp driver training/testing so people are either capable of safely driving or they don't get a license. -- Curt

[Montara22]

OK, then I want all semi tractor-trailer rigs off the road. They are much larger than my gas-guzzling capitalist pig 3/4 ton 6000 pound behemouth pickup and endanger my life every day.

I disagree. I rarely if ever have any problems from tractor trailer drivers. I don't think I've ever seen one in the fast lane at 90 mph on somebody's tail. They understand that they are driving a 20 ton vehicle... and they know what happens when the porsche they are tailgating slams the brakes to avoid that tire tread in the road up ahead.

If the government has ANY role at all, it should be to revamp driver training/testing so people are either capable of safely driving or they don't get a license.

This I completely agree with. If we had proper driver education in this country, we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion.

My comments weren't meant to offend. I am actually not into government power at all... I'm just a little sensitive about this particular issue. I don't think the problem is with the SUVs themselves.. The real problem is that there are some people in this world that equate the size of their vehicle to an intimidation factor.

Me got BIG TRUCK. You move or I tailgate you until you're too scared to stay!

[Don Wohlfarth]

"THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
(b) California is the fifth largest economy in the world."

and the rest of us in the United States have to pay the higher costs associated with products that meet state regulations.

[cegerer]

"I rarely if ever have any problems from tractor trailer drivers. I don't think I've ever seen one in the fast lane at 90 mph on somebody's tail."

Huh?? You can't possibly be serious!!!!! I drive 50,000 miles per year. Not a day goes by when I don't see some hillbilly doing something really stupid in tractor-trailer. Some of these guys drive these things like they're in a little sports car. It's nothing for them to tailgate 20 feet behind a car at 80MPH. Last week some guy rolled a tanker full of chemicals on an on-ramp near my house. It was sunny and dry out. No excuses. But this guy managed to forget what he was driving and do it anyway. Luckily, he didn't crush a family of 5 in a minivan in the process! -- Curt

[Superman]

ALL GENERALIZATIONS ARE FALSE.