I love the original CNW report. Best comedy written in years!

......cause most 1972 GM products are still on the road right! (...and that's the average!)

Later!

Dang

 

One example of hybrids leading to more driving is in cities that allow single occupancy hybrids to use the HOV lanes. People who used to carpool bought hybrids, took the tax deductions, and started driving to work by themselves. Not only are they driving more, but the cumulitive affect of having more cars on the road increased traffic, increasing fuel consumption and carbon output.

I don't think the point of the show was that hybrids are evil. The point was that even the holier than thow people that loathe SUVs and Christmas lights sometimes hurt the environment more than necessary whether it be intentional or inadvertant. They think that they can do other damaging things because they drive hybrids, they are taken for a ride by corporations using the term "green" when they really aren't, or they are just guilty of being human and wanting to make life easier or healthier.

 

The attached .pdf seems to say driving a hybrid alone is better than carpooling 5 people in a gas-only. hmmmm...
It IS about the pollution then.

 

It's all nonsense and anyone can get statistics to justify any position they want.
The other side of that argument is that if five people were all in one car, there would be four less cars on the road. If everyone car pooled (even in inefficient cars) there would be a lot less traffic and the cars would operate at highway speeds, presumably, more efficiently, and would spend less time on the road idling (less polution).
I say, enjoy your car, don't worry what someone may think about your choice...the choice you made is right for you.
The only one not polluting is the guy walking or riding a bike to work.
The rest of us are polluters, it's only a matter of degree.
Life's short...enjoy your car.

 

finman - I was surprised that there was that much of a difference. Though, it seems to ignore the fact that adding to the congestion by having more cars on the road increases the output by every vehicle. If a person who carpools really wants to make a difference, they would keep carpooling after they bought their hybrid. I work in DC and I don't know a single person that owns a hybrid that carpools.

 

Interesting statistics... But I understand where trzlucky and haroldo are coming from as well. More cars, more congestion, more aggravation, longer commute time, less efficiency, etc...

Also, most people with hybrids seem to want to maintain a speed as close to the speed limit as possible, meanwhile people in regular cars seem to speed like mad (HOV lane or no). It's no wonder they are angry about hybrids getting in the way of their 90 mph commute in a lane they only get to ride in because they pick up people from work that they probably hate anyway.

Also, when I had my gas guzzling Envoy I would carpool with anyone and everyone, but now that I have a hybrid I've carpooled maybe twice? When I go to work, there's hardly anyone on the road anyway, so I can just go.

 

But I still don't understand the connection between the Hybrid and carpooling. In which way owning hybrid car stops you from using carpooling? except for your own conclusion " now that I spend less on gas I don't care no more"? I thought carpooling was mostly to lessen traffic jams? As far as driving fast, again I don't see the connection : I own hybrid and it's the minivans and SUV's driven by soccer moms that stand in my way of driving fast on half empty highways, the car itself is pretty capable of doing 90 MPH and more. I always got the impression that Volvo drivers are buying their cars for presumed safety reasons and would be driving slow and very careful most of the time as well.
But going back to original topic of Boston Legal show and their anti hybrid propaganda, outside of not having their facts together, they're about 15 years behind, since right now as far as I know just about any car manufacturer announced working on hybrid/electric models from GM to Mercedes and even Congress increased CAFE standards which would require some drastic changes in the way the cars are build. At the end it's not about Hybrids, but about more fuel efficient, less polluting cars with Hybrids being the best solution at the moment. Give me non polluting, water powered car at reasonable price and I'll switch tomorrow , vowing to never drive hybrid car again , but at the moment, between diesel, gas and hybrid we don't have many choices, do we? Being a writer for TV show doesn't make anybody smarter or more educated , just somebody with better writing skills, so their opinions count as much as anybody else who wasted time in science classes

 

Have to say this used to be my assumption too, but frankly (and no offense to any out there but) my experience has been that people in Volvos can be some of the worst, stupidest, most irresponsible drivers out there. I haven't figured out if they're buying a safe car because they're horrible drivers, figure they can drive as badly as they want because their car is "safe", or they just don't get it. *shrug*

 

In my neck of the woods the majority of Volvo drivers appear to be Asian. Maybe that's the reason.

 

When I taught my daughters to drive, I asked them a trick question.
I asked them to point out the safe drivers, pointing to various cars, new and old.
They answered correctly, there are no safe drivers. I taught them to drive defensively and expect the worst when on the road.
The soccer mom in the SUV with a MADD bumber sticker and the kids buckled into their car seats seems like a safe driver, but she yaks on the phone.

Volvo, Toyota, Yugo...it doesn't matter...the roads are loaded with accidents waiting to happen.
It's your job to avoid them