Do you drive an SUV alone? Often? How do you justify this in light of its documented environmental detriment?

Question

True, older vehicles may get less gas mileage in some instances, but nobody will argue that modern SUVs get good gas mileage. If you can afford an SUV, can't you afford a cheap car to commute with when you don't need 4-wheel drive or take mass transit?

Hey pinelake, sounds like you have a mind to open: yours. I believe in empirical evidence, not sentimental preachings. The oil companies need to be obsolete, we need to find other ways to power our lifestyle. I love seeing SUVs or other big vehicles on the road that are powered by biodiesel...

Hey April,

I am well aware that SUV driving ignoramuses are not the only environmental problem. I thought I would tackle one thing at a time if that is alright. If you are going to spout off about packaging and whatnot, why don't you propose a solution. I don't like all the plastic and methane, either, and I am doing what I can to reduce and recycle. By the way, the modern-day "hippies", as you so intelligently put it, are well-educated and for the most part don't drive '68 VW anythings. For all its hippie cred. back in the day, VW sure isn't doing too much about our fossil-fuel dependence. Anyway, I would just request that you make fewer assumpitons about my concerns before politely asking me what my concerns are.

Answer 1

I live in a country town in Australia and I can say that less than 10% of the vehicles here have an engine capacity of less than 2 litres. There needs to be a massive cultural shift before men stop dressing in SUVs and start equating masculinity with protecting, rather than power. Cars are sold on power and machismo and SUVs are sold on the illusion of safety. SUV's are not safer. They are more likely to roll over, causing head injuries, they are more likely to run over small children because of limited visibility and they are more likely to kill pedestrians and other vehicle drivers in a collision. SUV drivers are considerably more likely to use mobile phones while driving because of this illusion of safety, which combined with all the factors above means that they are considerably less safe than a conventional vehicle. SUV should stand for Selfish, Uncaring and Vacant. There should be a tax on engine capacity which can be offset for professional use. Our complete dependence on automobiles is a huge economic disaster waiting to happen. Bring back the pushbike. Most trips are less than a few kilometers anyhow. We should be saving fuel for those applications that need it- agriculture, industry, invading other countries and killing their civilians to get their fuel, etc. There ought to be a move to make fuel look exactly like blood- because that is what it is. it is now the lifeblood of our economy and too often it has been bought with the blood of other nations. While fuel is getting more expensive, it was never cheap, not in the real sense.

And Pinelake? Maybe you should try hugging a tree one day. Feel the tree pumping water and oxygen into the air, absorbing carbon dioxide. Feel the coolness of her trunk. Listen to her whispering her ancient secrets. It might give you pause before you go off about "treehuggers". Yes, I have driven trucks too.

Answer 2

Don't generalize by blaming SUV's for the destruction of our environment. There's a lot more to it than that. How about all that plastic that your food, organic or otherwise is packaged in? The production of that creates soooo many off-gases that are bad for the environment. Cows & termites are the largest methane producing critters on the earth. Shall I go on? Don't be one of those ******* that trivializes the earth's destruction by blaming the folks that drive H2's. I don't drive one. I don't even like them, but some hippie's 1968 VW bus emits more emissions than any new vehicle on the road today. Justify that.

Answer 3

I don't drive an SUV however I do drive a large truck to pull my 5th wheel trailer.

Don't believe all the junk put out by a bunch of tree huggers that only put out such garbage so they can get money from your federal government.

Instead you should require that the oil companies refine their gasoline properly and you would not need all the anti pollution mileage cutting junk on your car. The only reason you need this stuff on your car is because the oil companies no longer refine their product even to the standards of the 1950's. They claim it is too expensive to refine gasoline completely so the auto manufactures pass the cost of refining on to you through hundreds of dollars of equipment on your car.

You best do some research and learn the truth before you ask questions based on Tree hugger information.

Answer 4

I agree. I also need the 4 wheel drive. My other option is not to leave the house for five months of the year when there is 4 feet of snow on the ground. Also a small car does not have enough ground clearance for country roads, and I don't feel safe on the highway in a small car. I also have a large diesel truck to haul hay, equipment, animals etc...should I get rid of that and let my livestock starve because the truck is bad for the environment? Mass transit is not an option for rural folk, but I still have to get to work on the city outskirts every day.

Answer 5

The environmental detriment of any vehicle older than 20 years or so is much, much larger than almost any modern SUV on the road. Carburated engines consume much more fuel than fuel injected ones, so if you want to make a huge difference lobby for all cars older than about 1985 to be removed from active use.

Good luck with that.

Answer 6

Live in town, work on a ski hill need 4x4. I hate the gas prices, I'm not happy about the harm to the environment but it is nice to have something to sleep in when I go camping or can't find a couch to crash on when the roads are too bad to drive home. Also biodiesel doen't work in cold weather. We looked into it for the snowcats on the hill but it solidifies when it goes below zero. Hopefully one day they can change that. When I am in town I do use the bus most of the time.

Answer 7

No SUV for me....I drive a hybrid! I hate seeing all those SUV on the road that are mostly driven by single drivers. If someone honestly NEEDS a 4x4 and use it for what it was meant to be used for...I have no problem with that...but SUV's are a status symbol nowadays. All the teenagers want them because they look cool! It ridiculous!

Answer 8

I don't drive an SUV. Most people who do don't care much about the environment. The cost of gas will get the attention of the SUV drivers soon enough.

Answer 9

I fully agree with you. I went down from an suv to a volkswagen golf (older one) Maybe it is bad because it is older but at least I use less gass to get to and from my work etc..

Answer 10

well if this is the car that I have, then its what I gotta use. No one else is paying the note on it but me. Until they do, I dont want to hear anything about it, or get dirty looks from other drivers.