That's just your opinion of what we use them for. I had an estate it wasn't big enough and it was crap in the winter on the hills.

too true.. on driving lessons it was farcicle.. parents showing such disregard for their childrens' safety.. the kids will just learn terrible behaviour around roads.. my instructor would shout out of the windows as sometimes we'd be waiting to get by for ages.. so embarrassing!

I can't, it's the only exit from our village, it's on a big hill, it's very narrow, and the school is half way up it, and what with just about every other mother in the world stopping on it, it makes life very difficult, and if I want to drive up it at 8.45 because I have a doctor's appt. down the road at 9.00 am. why shouldn't I??? Jeeeeze they would get up my nose even more if they stopped me going out when I wanted to go out, I have to put their priorities first - that wouldn't happen, I probably choose that time of day just to be awkward if the truth's known! Lol!

When my son was about 8 we moved and as it was mid term the nearest school that could take him was miles away. I used to drive and park several streets away and lost count of the number of occasions when parents nearly ran us over while we were walking on the pavement They are seriously dangerous.

Well I'd make my appointment for a different time of day, but that's just me. How on earth is it less inconvienient to sit in traffic fuming than to either leave earlier to miss it or avoid the road at that time.

But it starts at 8.15 and goes on till 9 am. so quite honestly, I'm beggered if I'm going to fit my day around THEM!!! Yeah I know, I must be mad, I'm sure I quite enjoy giving them that "look" though!

Now when I'm at a point to point meeting, or I see Colin steaming along the M23 in his posh Range Rover sport that's another story It's just these ostentatious mothers outside the school that I dislike and my reasons have been made quite clear!

So you don't dislike 4x4's just the fact that they inconvienence you by the school, that would probably happen whatever car they drove. It's the people not the vehicle And as for your statement about people living in a terrace house not needing them, what's the size of your house got to do with what car you need to drive Or should only the rich be allowed them then

• Unlike their US counterparts, European 4x4s have a smaller 'footprint' on the road than similarly priced saloons. A Range Rover is 20cm shorter than a Mercedes S class, and a Toyota RAV4 is a massive 47cm shorter than a Ford Mondeo!
• 4x4 vehicles account for only 3% of the cars on the road — that means that in London there are three times as many buses and fifteen times as many taxis entering the central area every day than 4x4s (figures from TfL)

• Fuel consumption figures for 4x4s vary greatly, but the vast majority sold in the UK are diesel engined and do between 25 and 42mpg — they are comparable to family saloons not '12mpg gas guzzlers'
• Luxury 4x4 vehicles sold in the UK average 27.4mpg according to Spyder Automotive, comparing well with the 28.4mpg achieved by luxury saloons and 27mpg for premium sports cars.
• The Honda CRV 2.2d manages 42 mpg combined, the seven seat Discovery TDV6 does 30mpg. The new Lexus RX400h hybrid delivers 32mpg despite having a powerful petrol engine and automatic transmission.
• 4x4s that do consume more fuel than average also have drivers that already pay more fuel duty, because over 70% of the price of fuel is tax. This is the biggest incentive to restrict sales of these vehicles, and its working. The Land Rover Discovery is the best selling heavy duty 4x4 and 99% of buyers opt for the 30mpg diesel rather than the petrol engined models featured in the publicity material of the anti 4x4 groups
• A fairer comparison on fuel consumption would take into account usage annual mileage — many 4x4s are used for towing and carrying whilst longer trips are made by the second family car.
• A 4x4 can provide transport for up to 9 people at a time (Defender 110 Station Wagon)
• Older petrol engined 4x4s invariably either do a very low annual mileage or are converted to environmentally friendly LPG. These are usually bought due to real customer need — off road use or heavy duty towing.

• The Environment Transport Agency says that drivers have been hit too hard by the carbon debate
• Other forms of taxation on 4x4s (higher VED or congestion charge) would be less fair than fuel duty and they would penalise:
  - essential users like farmers along with urban dwellers
  - those who do a low mileage and so dont burn much fuel
  - those who choose a more economical 4x4
• Transport for London recently admitted that they could not define a 4x4 robustly. There are many 4x4 cars on the road, like the Jaguar X TYPE and the Audi Quattro models. Equally, some 4x4 models like the Nissan X-Trail are available with front wheel drive only.

• All types of car will have to meet the same stringent pedestrian impact tests (new models from 2006, all cars from 2011). The Honda CR-V (the second best selling 4x4 in the UK) already achieves the top rated NCAP 3 star rating for pedestrian safety
• DfT and Government Office statistics show that buses are bigger killers of pedestrians (per km driven) than all cars, and that Light Commercials typified by the Ford Transit, which have similar dimensions and driving positions to 4x4s, are actually the safest group of vehicles on the road in terms of pedestrian deaths and injuries.
• Arguments about weight in car to car impacts could equally apply to all cars — a new VW Golf GTI weighs twice as much as the 1970's original, largely due to better crash performance and increased safety features.
• 4 wheel drive makes cars safer in poor road conditions, and the higher driving position of SUVs gives a better view of the road ahead, which is the most crucial accident avoidance measure of all
• Most of the more expensive 4x4s are now fitted with parking sensors that aid manoeuvring in tight spaces, reducing the risk of hitting low objects ­ like children — close to the vehicle
• 4x4s typically have lower insurance groupings than similarly priced saloons indicating a better safety record.

Not that at all. Here's my take on it. I don't dislike them at all, I had a Range Rover years ago, I bought it coz I needed it to tow a horse box, then a catering trailer to Kent every week-end, I was in the horse world so it fitted in niceley, it carried all my horsey gear in the back to shows etc. that's why I owned one! Hence I like them, I like them for what they are and for the purpose they serve. What I don't like is, the stigma they have nowadays for mummy taking little Freddy to school in one, with no other purpose whatsoever, she doesn't own a horse, she doesn't own a dog, she probably doesn't even do her own shopping to doesn't need to stuff all of that in the back, so why oh why oh WHY, do they have to block up our roads at schooltimes???????? Especially in my village too!!! At the time of day when I want to get out of it and why the h*ll shouldn't I go out WHEN I want just coz they're blocking up the road???!!!! They look down on me in my doggy old Astra as if I'm something they picked up on the bottom of their shoe and it's just not on! Who do they think they are?????!!!! I know they don't live in this village, I see them driving in and out day in day out at school times, they drive off home down the town, and down the town they have terraced houses!

How do people know or even care what others use their vehicles for Do you follow them 24/7. A 4x4 takes up no more room on the road than a large saloon or estate, Yes they are taller, they give a better view of the road etc. Maybe you just think they're looking down their noses at you, or maybe they are reacting to your attitude towards them. who knows. I still don't see what relevance the size of the house they live in has to what car they drive. Maybe they block the road at school times as they only have the one vehicle and they need it for something else at other times and a KA or a Micra just wont do.