Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Why I don't like hybrid cars



OK... I'm not against the concept... although I do love the South Park episode that pokes fun at hybrid owners and their smugness. I don't like them for an entire different reason...
they are silent.
not a big deal, right?
Try walking through a crowded parking lot, full of hybrid cars, and bad inconsiderate drivers.
Try wrangling 3 kids through said parking lot. It's a rule to hold hands while in the lot, look for vehicles that are on, and listen for running engines.
Yesterday, while walking to our car, the E's and I were almost hit by an SUV hybrid. We couldn't see the driver, the lights were not on, and of course, we couldn't hear it. It was parked next to our mini-van and the driver didn't turn around before she backed out of her space. I was turned away from the SUV, but caught the movement out of the corner of my eye just in time. When I jumped out of the way, dragging two E's with me, she finally stopped.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Of course, hybrids have back-up lights like other cars, but some drivers throw it into reverse and step on the gas with no lag in-between.
Someone needs to put back-up beepers on those things.

5 comments:

The Mrs. said...

Wow... I had never thought about that. I am teaching Dash-1 to listen for cars too. hmmmm time for plan b

Bon said...

!! This would scare me no end. Best you can do is watch for back up lights but you are right...silent isn't such a good thing. Never thought of this. Yuck.

Buck said...

What Trying said...never thought of that aspect. I'm glad you got away clean from this episode, TripleE.

On the subject of hybrids and such... I don't like the things, either, mainly for the Smug-factor. The Second Mrs. Pennington, who used to be a good upstanding conservative woman and but is now a living caricature of the Liberal-Left-Academic, drives a hybrid and was an "early adopter." She also lives in Colorado, and teaches at ColoState...shades of South Park. And yeah, she's too danged Smug for her own good.

Anonymous said...

I suppose b/c one thinks he/she is saving the environment, they don't need to follow the rules of Driving 101??

Makes you wish you had a lunch sack full of ball bearings in your pocket, didn't it??

Susan said...

There are plenty of bad drivers around here, especially in parking lots... it was just easier to watch out for them when you could look and listen for them.
I've had a couple friends that have had the same type of close call... it's only a matter of time.... like I said, they need the back-up beeper things like the giant SUV's have.