(Photos courtesy of Daily Traffic Reports: https://www.facebook.com/DailyTrafficReports) So the local motoring community was shaken to its foundations yet again over the weekend when news of a nasty accident involving a large MPV and a C-Segment passenger car went viral over a popular social media site. Soon after of course, many ‘keyboard-warriors’ and armchair critics were quick to denounce the MPV, without fully knowing the details of what happened.
Strangely enough, based on the comments posted by various individuals, it was because of the make and model of said MPV – a Toyota Alphard – that caused the backlash of criticisms hurled toward it, as though it, and whoever was driving it, was guilty until proven innocent. While it is of course grossly unfair to lay blame without knowing the facts of what really happened, I know exactly what prompted this outright negativity, because I too have seen this happen, all too frequently.
First-off it has to be said that a large MPV drives very differently from a passenger car. Its larger dimensions notwithstanding, there are also several other factors to take into consideration. For starters, it has a higher CG or centre-of-gravity, and by virtue of its name, is able to carry more passengers than a regular car. Thus when fully loaded with passengers, it’s a lot heavier than a car too, which means it’s going to handle very differently as well.
Simple physics will denote that a heavier object carries with it a lot more momentum, and thus going from just the driver to a full load of passengers will have a definite effect on things like suspension, ride and handling, manoeuvring, and of course the most crucial, braking distance. Yes, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist and all that help, but there’s just no defying the laws of physics. A heavier vehicle will take longer to stop thanks to the aforementioned momentum; the brakes will have to work a lot harder to bring to a halt all that mass.
Long ago I recall a special PSA on TV, in which it warned owners that ‘a van handles differently from a car’, and showed exactly what I just described. A new owner of a van picks up a bunch of friends and goes for a drive, only to crash because he drove it like a car. Anyone else remember this?
Well, for all intents and purposes, and let’s be real, the same applies for an MPV, which is just a fancy name for a fancy van. The thing is though, having tested some in the past, latter day luxury MPVs, in addition to being very well-appointed, comfortable and very upmarket, are also deceptively fast and very powerful. There’s a reason for that of course, and that’s because no one wants a high-end MPV that’s going to be overtaken by express busses and small motorbikes on the highway.
But as the saying goes, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, and that’s the Achilles heel of modern day luxury MPVs; their power is being abused, and from what I’ve witnessed, wantonly so I might add.
As someone who travels a great deal on our nations roads by virtue of my job and the fact that I’m addicted to driving, I’ve often witnessed these high-end luxury MPVs absolutely flying down the highway, ‘flashing’ other motorists out of the way. I’ve even seen some tail-gating other vehicles, knowing full-well, that the sight of one of these things in a rear-view is daunting to say the least.
I’ve lost count at the number of times I’ve been tail-gated and ‘bully-shoved’ out of the way by one of these barns-on-wheels while I was in the midst of overtaking another car; I’ve been ‘flashed’ even before I had a chance to finish overtaking and get back into the middle lane. I guess I’m not the only one this has happened to, judging from the very negative comments following this unfortunate incident over the weekend.
Of course not all drivers of these huge luxe-MPVs are diabolical maniacs, let’s not stereotype; but there must be quite a few out there who’ve upset a fellow road-user to garner the kind of surprising hateful backlash that this incident has been getting. Unfortunately, whilst I wish I could say that everyone walked away from the wreck, there was a fatality, and my condolences go out to the family for their loss.
At the end of the day folks, we’re all road-users; it matters not if you’re on a motorbike, a small car, a large car, a sports car, truck or MPV. As I said in my previous article, we’re all in this together, so let’s try having a little more respect for each other on the road. As for who’s right and who’s wrong in this incident, does it really matter when it ends like this?
Photo source: Daily Traffic Report (https://www.facebook.com/DailyTrafficReports)
