Why do people in Eastbourne keep driving SUVs?

From: Jane SchulzeWilmington Square
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Letters

As a diversion from Brexit fever I write to you, the Herald, and residents of Eastbourne, in the hopes that I may receive an answer to a question that is puzzling me.

Not so long ago we were all encouraged to own small eco-friendly cars .

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What has now become apparent for all who regularly drive around Eastbourne and other areas is that a large majority of cars are SUVs (sport utility vehicles).

Most car manufacturers are now producing such vehicles i.e Mitsubishi, Citroen, KIA, Nissan, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Toyota to name a few.

And as for the Jeep and Land Rover which we see round every bend surely these vehicles were designed for country folk to work on their farms and for rounding up the sheep and in the Australian Outback and as the only answer to driving through pot-holes in third world countries and travelling through other remote terrain.

Apparently these SUVs keep the passengers safer but they also inflict greater damage to smaller cars cowering by the kerbside as the large SUV hurtles towards them.

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I no longer drive along Victoria Drive or Compton Place Road (to name a couple) because our smaller cars are dominated by the large high-powered Land Rovers etc.

And I have noticed in my wanderings that there is a problem for the SUVs that because of their width they no longer fit into parking bays and their huge tyres protrude over the white line – what action do our traffic wardens take in these cases?

My question is why do the SUV owners want to own such a vehicle?

Is it a status symbol, a must-have novelty, kudos or what?

Does the average family of four need such a prestigious vehicle?

I would appreciate your reply because I really don’t ‘get it’.