Miata Mailing List: March 1999, Message #147

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Let's see, my Nissan Pathfinder gets 16-18mpg and can haul 5
people + cargo.  The Miata gets 23mpg and can haul 2 people
plus a box of Kleenex.  Which is more environmentally
friendly?  Depends on how many people need to go to the same
place.  I would also mention that the Ford Festiva and the
Geo Metro get considerably better gas mileage than the
Miata.  If you are really concerned about the environment
maybe you should get one of those.  No?  Didn't think so.

Maybe we can get the government to outlaw all bigger than
normal vehicles like SUV's and all smaller than normal
sports cars like Miata's.  Then everyone can drive cars that
all have similar acceleration and braking profiles as well
as comparable kinetic energy in the event of an accident.
Then everyone would be better off.  Didn't think you'd go
for that one either.

I guess you are saying that you should have the right to
drive a teeny weeny little sports car and no one else should
be allowed to drive anything bigger because it endangers
you.  Is that about it?

And speaking of those a$$holes getting into accidents, last
little storm we had here, there were 9 cars in the ditches
on the way to my work and one SUV.  But I understand where
you are coming from because I have never heard of a Miata
being involved in an accident.  And I certainly can't
remember a multiple car accident that didn't involve at
least one SUV.

Since you mention accident statistics, it has also been
shown that accident deaths are indirectly related to speed.
Maybe the government should mandate a 25mph maximum speed
limit across the nation.  That would sure cut down on
accident deaths.

I'm not big on government intervention either, but I agree
with you that the government should limit the rights of
everyone else who doesn't want to drive a small car like us.
Maybe the will come to their senses soon.


Tom Blough &
"Molly" '99 Red LP
tblough@snet.net
Avon, CT
Team ToastyButt (Duetto Seat Heaters)
Team LoudNoises (Triple Air Horns)
Team LightsUp! (Interior Light Delay)
Team '99TrunkLights
Team GonnaWinTheMiataInTexas

When a man opens the car door for his wife, it’s either a
new car or a new wife.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921)

-----Original Message-----
From: miata@realbig.com [mailto:miata@realbig.com]On Behalf
Of Travis A.
Smith
Sent: Monday, March 01, 1999 12:26 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Yet another SUV? (NMC)


At 10:34 AM 2/27/99 -0500, Sean Fletcher wrote:
>The rest of us fall somewhere in between... so let's drop
this damn SUV
>rant- there's are people that will drive like a$$holes
regardless of the
>mode of transportation- yes even Miatae - just *deal* with
it.

Sure, but when those a$$holes get in accidents, which they
usually do, they
end up killing or doing a lot more damage in an oversized
SUV to regular
cars.  Not to mention the damage those things do to the
environment since
they have less strict government standards.  Do all these
"outdoorsy" SUV
owners not care about the environment?  After all, the SUV
commercials
portray these monstrosities out in the woods on an unpaved
road chasing
after wolves or something.

Didn't you read the stats?  There are more deaths caused by
SUVs hitting
regular cars than regular cars in accidents without SUVs.
And there are
like one quarter of those type of SUV to car accidents.  Do
those SUV
owners have more rights to live after an accident then we do
in our little
sports cars?  Just because they could afford a $50,000 car?
When will it
end?  Will each generation of SUV get bigger and bigger so
that we can feel
safer?  Are we all gonna be driving Sherman tanks with 20
inch lifts soon?

I am not big on government intervention, but I feel the
government needs to
make all SUVs comply with passenger vehicle standards.  So
people with
normal cars can feel safe on the road and so there will be
an environment
for our children that isn't filled with ozone free carbon
monoxide.  There
has to be an end to the SUV madness.