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| No | 68% | 301 votes | Total: 443 votes | |
| Yes | 32% | 142 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe Hummer, as we know it in the United States, is that of the H2 variety. Yes, there are two other Hummers in the world, but non more present on our roads than is the H2. The original Hummer, or Humvee, was a military based vehicle used for off-road terrain in battle and during training. Many people are unaware of this vehicle so for this I will no longer reference it.
The Hummer (H2) is a truck, plain and simple. It is no more or less truck than its family members the GMC/Chevy Suburban. In fact, they are built on the same chassis and share the same engine and drive line, the Hummer, Suburban and Tahoe. So to say that the Hummer should be banned is just the tip of an ever growing problem and would not solve anything long term.
Picking on one small segment of the large SUV market seems unreasonable and should not happen.
I do not agree with people who purchase Hummers or even those who buy the Nissan Armada (which consequently receives a lower fuel economy rating than does the Hummer) and other large SUVs, I feel that people who own these vehicles do not take into account anything other than their own actions and do not see how it affects the world around them. I do, however, stand by their ability to purchase these vehicles as I would not want someone stopping me form buying a Ferrari or Ford SuperDuty 350 Diesel.
Who are we to take a purchase choice away from someone who is financially able to buy and maintain a vehicle? The same can be said about a person who buys a Lamborghini, a car company who has never in its existence built and sold a vehicle that achieves more that 18mpg. Should we then outlaw Lamborghini from our streets? I think not.
People would argue that the owners of a Hummer would be safer in a collision than someone in a smaller, more economical vehicle. This may be true but what about the collision in the first place? No one can expect to go their entire driving life without experiencing some sort of auto collision, but there are people who can't go an entire year without an accident. Should those people no longer be allowed to drive on public roads? Wouldn't the rest of the driving population be better off and not need a huge "safer" vehicles?
Outlawing a specific vehicle, making that vehicle the scapegoat, because of its supposed ecological damage isn't fair and should not be allowed. To say that the Hummer is responsible for higher fuel prices or the destruction of our environment is asinine and does not merit further discussion. If you outlaw one item you're not helping anyone or anything, the root of the problem is not the Hummer, rather it is the vehicle production and choices, or lack there of, available to the U.S market.
To change the automotive world we would need to start form the bottom and work our way through, not to start at some random place in the middle like the Hummer.
Learn more about this author, Stuart Smith.
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Yes
The Hummer serves only one purpose, and that is to the satisfy the narcisistic needs of the totally self-absorbed people who purchase these vehicles. On every other level, it is a menace. Let's start with the most basic reason why the Hummer should be banned, and that is safety. The Hummer is so much larger than every other vehicle on the road, including other SUV's. If you are trying to make a left turn, and a Hummer is trying to do the same thing, your vision of oncoming traffic will be almost completely blocked. Thus, in trying to inch closer to see if you are clear to make your left turn, your chances of getting hit are raised substantially. It has happened to me more than once. There have been numerous times when I and a driver in a Hummer were both trying to make left turns, and my vision was completely blocked. And this was with my wife's vehicle which is itself an SUV, a Chevrolet Equinox. After nearly getting hit when trying to move just a bit more to my left to see if there was no oncoming traffic, I now simply wait until the light turns to make my turn. If you are in a regular car, there is absolutely no way to see oncoming traffic.
The other safety reason is the obvious weight of a Hummer. What may be a safety advantage for the driver of the Hummer is a definite detriment to the other driver if that person is herself not in another Hummer. Any type of collision between a regular car and a Hummer will seriously damage the much smaller vehicle, while leaving the Hummer in much better shape. I see no reason why someone should have that type of an advantage on the road to the obvious detriment of everyone else.
The other reason to ban the Hummer is energy independence. We are now entering the worst energy crisis since the long gas lines of the 1970's. The United States, as a matter of economic survival and national security, must soon begin to become energy independent, and the enormous gasoline that Hummers consume does not do anyone in America any good! Such a step, along with conserving and exploiting our own resoureces here in America would be a good way to start the process of becoming energy independent.
Hummers should have never been introduced into the market. It is a vehicle which puts quite literally everyone else on the road in more peril. The only function this road menace has is to allow its drivers to show off their supposed affluence. Thus, my message to all Hummer drivers is this; if you feel the need to show the rest of the world how much money you have, buy a Lexus. The road would become much safer.
Learn more about this author, Juan Izquierdo.
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