srsly

Big and Bad – from the January 12, 2004 issue of the New Yorker, via Gladwell.

it’s a very interesting article that explains why SUVs aren’t as safe as everyone thinks they are. what i find absolutely hilarious is that studies show that people that purchase SUVs and the like aren’t as competant drivers as people that purchase something sportier. that isn’t to say that there aren’t reckless assholes that buy a porsche; it’s just more likely that the guy buying the porsche knows how to handle it than the guy buying an SUV. i also think it’s funny that men that buy SUVs tend to be more vain and insecure about themselves. again, this isn’t to say the guy driving the big red ‘vette doesn’t have a small penis, but that’s another study.

things i took away from it:

1. bigger is not better. in fact, the bigger something is, the harder it is to make it stop/move out of the way
2. as far as actual safety goes, engineering more than makes up for 3000lbs of extra steel
3. if you’re an aware, and decent driver, either vehicle will carry you out of harm’s way. it’s just that the smaller, more agile car will do it better.