Dear Editor, We all know this is the era of the "big car." There are more SUVs than small or mid-sized cars on the
road by a long shot. Admittedly, some of them even get decent gas mileage. The issue for me isn't how
"green" they are; rather, it's that they are visual hazards. I drive an old Volvo, a car of medium height, and
whenever I have the misfortune to be behind a "big car" in city traffic, I can't see a thing. This makes me
less able to react quickly if a traffic situation arises that requires my response. (I've joked that I should
invent a periscope that allows people in short cars to see up and over tall ones!) It's an even bigger
problem when the large car, let's say an SUV, is parked on the street. I can't count the number of times I've
stopped at an intersection to make a right turn, only to have my view completely blocked by an SUV that's
parked at the corner. Sometimes, there'll be one on either side, so I can't see traffic in either direction! That
means I have to pull out into the street completely blind. Now, I know that big cars will likely never be
outlawed, but I do think some kind of ordinance needs to be passed. One idea would be to make it illegal
for cars over a certain height to park at corner spots. I guess it would be too much to ask that drivers of
big cars simply be aware that they pose visual hazards and just not park where they block the line of sight.
It might take a law to get people to change their ways. That will only happen if a lot more people make
their voices heard.
Sincerely,
Arnold Luchtman
1 point
What kind of support does the author use to support the claim that big
cars present a visual hazard to drivers?*