[W126 Coupe] 300SE meets Sucky Utility Vehicle (SUV)

[Dick Spellman]

Well for those of you that do not know me, I have a particular rant that 
simply stated suggests that this government and US automakers conspired 
to permit the sale of SUV's at a time when they realized they could no 
longer compete with a sedan or other family vehicle made in Japan.  It 
started with the Dodge/Plymouth Caravan which was in my opinion a 
reasonable compromise and natural evolution of the family station 
wagon.  The caravan even made a reasonable utility vehicle once absent 
the rear seats.  Gas mileage, visibility and safety were good as well.

But, today we have nothing but gas guzzling SUV's on the roadways where 
the drivers are forever thinking they are invincible and do more stupid 
SUV tricks than any other motorists on the road.  100's in accidents 
from a single snow event mostly SUV's (snow rare this winter in Btown).

Now for today's case in point.  Today while stopped at a RED light (a 
long wait I might add) in the left turn lane to enter a MASS highway the 
SUV operator in front of me decides he needs to move to the lanes to my 
right for local traffic and not the highway.  Without so much as a 
glance in his OBSTRUCTED rear view mirror, he throws the sucky utility 
vehicle in reverse and slams into the front of my 300SE Euro sedan.

I was polite enough given the adrenalin rush from the stupid event 
(that's why they call them accidents I suppose) but, had he been driving 
a sedan or other similar passenger vehicle his glance in the rear view ( 
I won't bother to comment on not checking his side view mirrors) would 
have given him the visual clue that a line of cars was in fact behind him!

Anyway, rental car tomorrow for the rest of my weeks business, then the 
insurance hassle etc.  Just another day in Boston where driving is 
always an experience.

By the way, last winter it was a city plow truck that drove into the 
trunk of my other MB sedan at yet another red light where traffic was 
clearly stopped.  There's no escaping the madness!

Dick
rant off and a glass of merlot in hand.  By the way I don't care if you 
own an SUV, it's all a part of the conspiracy and marketing hype that 
says everyone's gotta have one, not much you can do about it.  If I had 
been in a lean, efficient SMART Brabus car it would have been trashed by 
the SUV and I might not be writing this piece at all!  So, no way I'm 
getting a smaller car where the roads are nothing but SUV's.