Its not just people getting obese

stansgran I used to drive a Mazda MX5 ?and know the knicker problem only too well.
I try to avoid refined sugar in my diet as much as possible and anyone who addressed me as ‘sweetie’ would get a clip round the ear ??

I have always driven smallish cars and now feel completely dwarfed by the size of many of the vehicles that park either side of me in the supermarket car park. I find it so hard to see to reverse out of a space! My daughter drives a mini and people are always surprised at just how much luggage/shopping, etc she can get in the boot, whereas a friend of her has a 4x4 and she struggles to get the baby buggy in.

FlorenceFlower totally agree with you as far as public transport. Husbands excuse for us not moving is that we live on a bus route and we can get to the station in 30minutes on foot (down hill). When we stop driving I only hope we still have a local bus that serves local (ish) hospital and GP surgery.

I drive a fairly small car, and normally there is only me in it but I think that it’s useful to remember that cars nowadays are getting larger ... but still small compared to the HUGE lorries, transporters, coaches and some service vehicles on our roads.

I think it would be amazing if public transport, including trains, buses, ferries and (why not?) canals, etc, could all be improved so that the dependence of so many on individual cars for transport and holidays could be lessened. ??

Recently I found myself stuck in a fairly narrow lane behind 2 cars that were having difficulty passing each other. One of the drivers in a very wide car seemed incapable of reversing and was having to be assisted by someone on foot. I think the worry was scratching the paintwork on the hedge. It was hilarious to watch. Fortunately I wasn't in a hurry!
When I last changed my car, my 18 year old Peugeot 406 was replaced by a Peugeot 407. Within 4 days I'd managed to scratch and dent the nearside on a low railing in Tesco car park as the car is wider than the old one. Otherwise the car is very much a like for like replacement but it is definitely wider and is harder to fit in a tight space. I am used to it now 2 years on but haven't bothered to repair the scratch so find I'm less concerned about moving close to hedges in narrow lanes, unlike many other drivers. They say all cars are getting bigger so I guess it is down to the manufacturers designs and possibly extra safety features.

And Florence Flower I so agree about public transport. Our local bus service is so bad now that I can only get to work by car. It is a bit too far to walk and when my car didn't start in the winter I had to get a taxi!

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My point about the Touran was tbat it doesnt have to be a 4x4 to get 3 children in the back.

No, but 4x4 are useful if you live at the top of a hill which never gets gritted in ice and snow and is essential if you have to drive on dirt roads.

No, we haven't got one!

We always needed a larger car when we had the caravan to tow.

Yet another fattest thread which is beginning to make Gransnet intimidating.
I drive a "big car" because it means I am higher up and have greater visibility. The sitting style also helps my back and getting out of the car is much easier because I am not trying to push up and stand at the same time which plays havoc with my joints. I'm not what is classed as fat at the moment but a little higher than the healthiest BMI because I can't move very well to exercise. I feel sad that my choice of car will make me feel judged for my size in the eyes of people on here.

Icanhandthemback I think I said in an earlier post that my very slim DD has a very large 4x4 - because that suits their lifestyle.
You obviously need a bigger car too for whatever reason and there are more reasons than over-eating for being overweight (medication for one).

I hope the OP was tongue-in-cheek ?

Anyway, very small parking spaces are a nightmare because I could see someone getting into her reasonably sized car next to my small car and repeatedly banging her car door on my car
She was quite slim too, just inconsiderate.

There obviously not anything on tv worth watching

SUVs are taking over. I personally feel safer in mine, easier to get in and out of and the higher seat gives a better view in traffic. Still getting used to all the features. My favourite is the massage function. Still to master the automatic parallel parking as I find it rather scary to hand over complete control. Love the cameras which allow me to judge my reversing. Not sure how I would cope going back to no cameras. Hope I never experience the automatic braking and have no desire to try it out by deliberately driving into something. It's all the features that make them so popular M0nica.

Blimey!
No need to be personally abusive princesspamma !

I don’t drive an SUV or 4x4,but agree that children’s car seats are now so large, that the cars have to be bigger to accommodate!
I have noticed the child car seats have expanded over the 8 years since DGS 1 was born and DGS 5 birth last year! My eldest DD and SIL have 2 of my 5 DGC and frequently transport middle DD’s only child and mum as well (she doesn’t own a car), it’s a real squeeze!! and they recently acquired a 7 seater This is absolutely necessary, as there are 3 huge bulky car seats which take up a row and a half of seats, and then there are three adults (driver included) to fit in?
DH and I have a Peugeot estate which now only fits 2 car seats and 1 adult aside from the driver! When our own were small we would comfortably accommodate 3 (reduced sized car seats) in the back of a car this size and did so! Car seat and car safety measures go a long way to explaining the rise of people carriers.

Hi...can you tell me which one you drive? We need to change our hatchback and drive on an unsurfaced road to get home! Hope you don't mind. Been looking for a small SUV(?) Thanks

Jalima1108, my comment wasn't pointed at you but tongue in cheek threads about fat people would be fine if there weren't certain "Grans" on here who appear to be obsessed by fat. I have an overweight daughter who has a congenital condition which causes her problems with weight, pain, disability, etc. She steadfastly refuses to use a wheelchair or mobility scooter because she thinks people will just judge her as being too fat to walk, consequently she is mainly housebound . Actually, she's not that fat but her anxiety about it knows no bounds. I tell her that nobody will think that but when I read Gransnet it makes me think that people are that judgemental. I would never judge people on their weight, colour, creed and find it difficult to see other people doing so,

jenpax, children's car seats have to be bigger because children have to stay in them for far longer than they ever used to. I think that is a good thing. Also, bigger cars don't alway have the bigger engines nowadays so they are more efficient so the fact that they are big shouldn't really be a bone of contention.
We are looking at buying a big car so we can go travelling. In the old days there were many you could comfortably convert into a small camper but modern cars seem to be big but without space!

Just found out - SUV = Sport Utility Vehicle.
or Suburban Utility Vehicle.

icanhandthemback I wasn’t criticising the new safety rules as such just commenting that factually car seats are now huge! Very heavy and very bulky.
Personally I don’t have strong views about SUV or 4x4 but do feel that our narrow British roads are not really designed for these types of vehicle!

jenpax, I didn’t take your post as a criticism. I was just adding to your comments

Did anyone see the report in the papers today that some British cards are getting too big to get through road width constrictors put in to stop vans and lorries using certain roads?

The number of scrapes in car parks have also risen by 30% because so many cars are too big for standard parking spaces.

or parking spaces are too small..depends on how you look at it !

Does anybody remember the episode of The Simpsons where Bart repaints the parking bay lines - closer together?
I think he’s been in some of the car parks around here.