Cars and the oil shortage. Why is it that most people could care less?

Question

I live in a small town (about 45,000) and I swear, the only thing I see are big *** suv's and trucks all over town.

My question is: Why is it that most people do not care about conserving oil? Why do people need to drive big cars? Is it because they do not care, or because everyone else drives them?

Then people in my town complain about how they have to spend $60 to fill up their trucks/suv's. Come one people! Use common sense!

/I drive a 1996 Honda Accord EX 4 cyl.

/Gets about 26 mpg city and 32 highway.

///love it.

Answer 1

I have a lot of trouble feeling sorry for people that complain about the high price of gas while filling up their SUV's or trucks that get less than 20 mpg.  I drive a small car that averages near 30mpg but ride my motorcycle most of the time because it gets better mileage.

SUV's are seen by many people as status symbols due to their high cost and a truck makes a person look tough.  Advertising has done a good job of implanting these images.  There are very few ads that show the value of small cars with great gas mileage.

JMS:  There are some people that need to drive larger vehicles but most families don't consist of 4 kids.

Answer 2

Because most people in this country are self-serving b******s and care about nothing but themselves.

Answer 3

shortsightedness

Answer 4

It's called freedom of choice. I don't like small cars because I'm tall and they don't provide enough leg room. It's your choice to drive a Honda

Answer 5

Why are you driving that big a**  Accord around? Get a M'cycle (35 to 55mph) or a Moped (50 to 100mph) or better still a bicycle (no gas at all)?

Answer 6

A. The "I'll do what I want because this is a free country" argument.

B. The "Bigger cars are safer. I'd rather be the windshield than the bug" argument. Which would disappear if people realized that by driving big cars for safety they are causing others to drive big cars for safety which is the problem they are afraid of in the first place.

C. The "the peak oil crisis is a liberal myth" argument.

Answer 7

Because we're rich.  And spoiled.  We think we have an absolute right to use a 6000 lb SUV to take one person a mile on paved streets to the grocery store, regardless of the environmental damage we cause.

What people who claim this right are overlooking is that SUVs are cut a special break on gas mileage standards.  If we fix that problem, and require them to get the same average mileage as cars, I'll have no problem with the "freedom of choice" argument.  But SUV owners will claim they "need" special rules for them.

If everyone would just buy the smallest car that meets their real needs, and stop buying large trucks because it makes them feel good, we'd be a lot better off.

Answer 8

People drive big cars and/or SUV's for various reasons and they have every right to do so.  You drive a 4 cylinder Accord for what ever your personal reasons are, and you also have every right to do so.  But, you have no right to tell other people what they should drive any more than they do to tell you what to drive.

Answer 9

Do you fit 4 kids in your car,and all their gear as well? Do you then take them to their games and shows etc? You are trying to live in the perfect world that doesnt exist for the rest of us. The trouble with common sense is it isnt very common.

Answer 10

Because the "oil shortage" is artificial.

The only reason for a 'shortage" is...  Envirowhackos not allowing us to drill for oil in ou own country.  There's almost as much oil in Alaska as there WAS in Saudi Arabia before they started pumpng it out.

Then there's the envirowackos not allowing us to build newer, more efficient, oil refineries in the US for the past 30 years.  Its acutally amazing that the old refineries have been able to keep up with demand for fuels and lubricationg oils and other petroleum distillates...  We keep demanding more .... but havn't increased production capacity since appx 1970....

And if you want to complain about gas prices... consider that appx HALF the cost of each gallon is federal TAX.

If you want to complain about oil company progfits... consider that if Starbucks had the same return on investment... they would close every shop as being failures.  The reason the oil companies make so much money is.. they have HUGE volume... with VERY low profit margin.

Most businesses ar considered failures if their profit margin is under 30%... Big oil has appx 5% profit margin...  They could make MORE money by just putting their money in to savings bonds... and telling you to go burn cow chips to heat your house in the winter...

Answer 11

Oil shortage?  What will you liberals think of next?

Where's the shortage?  Can't scare enough people with the global warming fraud?

The only shortage there is lies with the refining capacity and where you will let us get our oil from.  It's okay to feed our addiction while drilling in oil fields in an overseas sandbox, just don't try drilling in the US for it.

Don't allow us to expand our refining capacity because some other tree hugger will get all fired up about it.

Everyone should drive what they WANT to drive.  As fast as you liberals what to legislate our freedoms away, we still have the ability to choose to drive what we WANT to drive.

I feel a LOT safer if someone on the interstate hit me while driving my truck than some tin can ultra-econo or hybrid car.

Some people NEED bigger cars, but we all have a RIGHT to CHOOSE!

Answer 12

People just think big cars are cool and to answer your question, It's not average people's job to conserve oil. When there's so little oil that alternative energy is actually cheaper than fossil fuels, we will definitely be using alternative fuels.

Answer 13

They think the cost is worth the benefit of driving the bigger vehicle.  If they didn't they'd buy a smaller, more-efficient vehicle.

Answer 14

A lot of the answers here get right to the heart of it. Do you have the right to tell me how to live? You have bought a foreign car. You are contributing to the trade deficit. That is highly offensive to me. It is harmful to the rest of us. We should ban the import of foreign cars. You shouldn't be allowed to be so irresponsible. We need to raise awareness to what people like you are doing to harm this nation. We need legislation to correct this injustice.

Also, do you eat beef? Because that is not good either. And I'll bet there are several other things that you do that indirectly affects the rest of us. Maybe your local government should audit all of your activities and decide how you should live.

Answer 15

The last I heard this was still a free country.  The people that are not "green" enough for you love their "big *** SUVs."   Why do liberals demand that everybody think and live as they do?

Answer 16

Good questions, wish I knew the answers.

Will return to read the Answer.