SUV Owners Shouldn't Read This

newspaper syndication ^ | March 22, 2003 | Donald "Lefty" Kaul

[newgeezer]

There are few things more misleadingly named than the Sports Utility Vehicle, which is neither sporty nor particularly utilitarian.

Oh, it's advertised as useful, I'll grant you that. And maybe it is, if you live in a remote mountain village where you occasionally have to drive over a rock-strewn field in bad weather to get where you're going. But most of the people who do things like that wouldn't be caught sober in one of the modern, fancy-schmansy SUVs, with the soft ride and the leather seats and cup-holders. (Real mountain people drive pickup trucks with a gun-rack in back of their heads.)

No, SUVs are bought, for the most part, by city folk, many of them suburban mothers who use them to cart kids around, with side trips to the supermarket. They claim that they buy them because they are:

1. Roomy (for the kids, you know)
2. Safe (don't want to be out there in a tin can)
3. Able to travel in inclement weather (because of the four-wheel drive so many of them have)

Which would be fine, except that none of those things is true. By the numbers:

1. Even the biggest SUVs (and there are some monsters) don't have any more passenger room than, say, a full-sized minivan, which costs thousands of dollars less and is easier to park.
2. SUVs have the distinction of being both more dangerous to themselves and more dangerous to other cars than other vehicles. Because of their high center of gravity, they have a distressing tendency to roll over and their fatality rates are higher than traditional vehicles (6 percent higher on the average; 8 percent in the bigger models). However, because of their huge size, in a collision with a normal-sized car, they are more apt to kill the occupants of the other vehicle. A Chevy Tahoe, for example, kills 122 people for every 1 million models on the road, while a Honda Accord kills only 21. This what's known as a lose/lose situation.
3. Inclement weather? Don't make me laugh. People with SUVs think inclement weather is when you can't play golf. For the occasional snowy day in most areas there are better ways to get around. SUVs are not the only four-wheel drive vehicles around anymore, after all. There are cars with all- and four-wheel drive that are superior in every way to your average SUV.

Every way except one. You can't bully other vehicles with a car the way you can with an SUV. And that's what the extraordinary popularity of the SUV is about---bullying.

Keith Bradsher, a New York Times reporter who been waging a crusade against SUVs for years now, has just published a book, High and Mighty, which documents the case against the vehicle. In it he quotes market researchers who have found that the SUV craze is "about not letting anything get in your way and at the extreme, about intimidating others to get out of your way."

SUV buyers, the researchers say, tend to be "insecure and vain, often lack confidence in their driving skills [and] are apt to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in neighbors and communities."

Does that sound familiar or what? Picture the typical SUV driver---the beady, close-set eyes of a serial killer set above a snarl that could curdle a latte. And that's just the women. The men are worse. Think of Hitler's Panzer divisions invading Poland.

On top of every else, these behemoths handle badly, get lousy gas mileage, are exempt from the safety standards that regular cars have to meet and don't have to pay the luxury tax that similarly priced cars have to pay. (It's called campaign contributions.)

Let's face it, they are an unmitigated disaster; assault rifles with power steering. If a terrorist country was trying to do to us what the SUV is doing, we'd be bombing it by now.

Yet the SUV has become the backbone of the American auto industry, and, as such, is with us forever or until the gasoline runs out, whichever comes first.

[cardinal4]

Its been a roller coaster, right after I posted, I got a call saying I was OK for now. Thanks for your kind words though. It appears a contract we have been waiting for was just signed. Hope you search ends soon.

[RightWhale]

When my neighbor Stan brought his new Suburban home many years ago, sport was the last thing on his mind. Nobody ever accused Stan of being anything but utility.

[Darnright]

>They buy cars that are used for their intended purpose.

Oh, and that purpose is what? Wasting gasoline?

[irish_links]

"...I'd like to see stats on wrecks that involved two SUV's. I'd also like to see certain breakdowns of the statistics the author has quoted such as demographics of those killed(age, income). I'd like to know how many incidences of SUV related fatalities involved a single-car wreck too...."

All of the foregoing statistics would be interesting, indeed. To wit, as regards demographics, someone posted on an FR forum on this topic months ago that SUV drivers tend to be considerably older and more likely to be married with children than the drivers of passenger cars. As a result, they tended to drive more safely and have fewer accidents.

So, while SUVs are more dangerous for their passengers and the passengers of autos that may be involved in an accident with them, the drivers may be somewhat safer. I don't think this is completely mitigating (SUV drivers aren't that much safer), but it does provide food for thought.

[cardinal4]

A sorry pig? Because of what I drive? You dont even know me! Im sorry I called you a liberal, it was out of line.

I should have called you a jerk instead.

[dljordan]

I live in Colorado too. I moved from a farm in Tennessee where the SUV was a four-wheel drive pick-up truck to a subdivision where every air-head cell-phone using soccer-mom drives a monster SUV. These women are so distracted by the cell phone they run over curbs, telephone poles and you if you get in their way. The men driving SUV's seem to be arrogant as hell, daring you to impede their progress to the health club. They also allow their teen-agers to drive these things too. Quite frankly these people are pussies. Of course this is just my emotional reaction to barely escaping with my life day after day. BUT, this is still America and thank God you can buy whatever you want.

[biblewonk]

Hope you search ends soon.

I'm glad your still in there. Sorry to mislead but I'm currently employed. My last layoff was about 12 years ago.

[thoughtomator]

I too agree with the author completely. I don't know what the story is in rural areas, but in the cities and suburbs on the east coast these vehicles are primarily offensive weapons. The most common driver of these vehicles is a young or middle-aged male with no passengers. Too many people die for the egos of these drivers.

Also the author has neglected to include the fact that because these vehicles are much heavier than the average vehicle, they do far more damage to roads and vehicular infrastructure, for which we all pay.

[biblewonk]

But 12 years ago we had 3 kids and my wife was pregnant. When I got layed off I had no insurance and couldn't begin to afford Cobra. We wound up selling our house after missing a couple of payments and losing part of our credit rating. The Lord has so made up for it since then it seems like a different life.

[newgeezer]

I drive 40k miles per year...in a Ford Crown Victoria. Screw mileage, I want to be comfortable and go fast.

I sure enjoy my '97 Crown Vic with the Performance and Handling Package. I only wish it had a 5- (or 6-) speed stick, bucket seats, ...

[Constitution Day]

Can't say as I blame you, that's a helluva lot of miles.

[cardinal4]

Im in the airline industry, so the potential for layoffs has been prevalent since 9/11. Just keep praying for better economy!

[thoughtomator]

I wouldn't mind the SUVs so much if my Toyota had .50 cal front and rear mounted options.

[gridlock]

SUV buyers, the researchers say, tend to be "insecure and vain, often lack confidence in their driving skills [and] are apt to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in neighbors and communities."

Well, shouldn't insecure and vain people, who lack confidence in their driving skills and are apt to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in neighbors and communities be allowed to buy whatever kind of vehicle they want?

[Atlas Sneezed]

The leftist weenie big government regulators CREATED the SUV craze!

They established CAFE standards for cars that killed the incentive for automakers to modernize and develop the large, comfortable safe cars that many people actually want. SUVs were the only real option for many of these buyers. I don't like CAFE, but if they had set one standard average for all vehicles, then we'd have more of the cars that people would naturally prefer. Big cars would be better and cheaper, and SUVs would be more expensive, leading only those who really desire them to pay the price.

In addition, there are discriminatory regulations on safety standards, and import duties, if I recall.

Did you know that a business can depreciate the full cost of a large SUV like any equipment purchase, but can write off only the first ~$20,000 of other business vehicles?

I support freedom of choice, but equal treatment of vehicles so as not distort natural market demand patterns.

[cardinal4]

I have an automatic now, but I really enjoyed my 82 Volkswagen rabbit, It was a five speed. I also had a 1970 Chevy pickup that was a "three on a tree". Now that took some getting used to! But when all is said and done, I prefer the automatic in mu Jeep.

Williams is staring tonight, lets make it 2-0!

[martianagent]

I could be wrong but I don't think an SUV is heavy enough to damage roads; I think you need real trucks for that.

The problem is that these things are being totally misused. You could picture somebody wanting one for camping or fishing trips but most owners are driving them around in traffic. They guzzle gas, putting money into the pockets of our enemies at inordinate rates, they make it so nobody can ever see further down the road than the damned SUV one or two cars in front of them, and they pose a threat of rearending other vehicles in traffic simply due to their weight.

[cardinal4]

They guzzle gas, putting money into the pockets of our enemies at inordinate rates

Dont you think thats a little unfair?

[ArrogantBustard]

Aha. The crux of the matter:

I personally loathe SUV's and would prefer a cool pick-up for offroad applications.

Disagreeing with you, or this twerp of an author, is not unamerican.