[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.

[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.

[Henrietta]

"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."

Most road repairs and improvements are paid for by gas taxes, and since SUV owners use more gas, they pay more tax, so SUV owners do pay their fair share for road wear and tear.