Phoebe Chang Chang is a third-year
history student. Tell her what you think and e-mail her at feebs@ucla.edu. Click
Here for more articles by Phoebe Chang
There’s a phenomenon occurring on the asphalt lanes of Los
Angeles. The number of sport utility vehicles like the Ford
Explorer and Chevy Suburban is growing exponentially. Consumers are
beginning to see them as viable alternatives to cars. Carmakers
advertise their 4x4s by glorifying the adventurous, outdoor spirit
these vehicles supposedly evoke while praising them as safer
vehicles for consumers.
But does the consumer know or realize that the advertisers are
lying and that their sales talk can actually put lives in danger?
Have we once again been taken in by a media that takes away our
right to know the whole story and decides what’s good and bad
for us?
There are many positive myths about these roadhogs, but the cons
of owning a SUV quickly outweigh the benefits. Though they are able
to traverse terrain smaller cars cannot, they are a threat to the
very terrain on which they drive. They may appear safer but, in
reality, they are not safer than cars. In fact, they are more
dangerous.
 Illustration by Ed Oyama Although the increased
capability of SUVs to drive on rugged land is undisputed, who
really goes off-roading in them? Answer me honestly, SUV drivers,
how many times have you taken your vehicle off-roading in the years
you’ve owned it? Except for a relative few, most people
prefer to stick to the freeways and traffic lights of our
metropolis rather than rough it on the steep, jagged rocks of a
mountain.
According to Ford Motor Company, a whopping 87 percent of Ford
Explorer owners said they have never taken their SUV off-road.
That’s a lot of metal we’re wasting.
For those who take vehicles off-roading or plan to take them
off-roading, SUVs allow people to experience the outdoors. But with
these types of vehicles on the road, soon there won’t be much
of an environment left to enjoy. SUVs burn more gas than passenger
cars and release more carbon dioxide, which causes global
warming.
In 1998, SUVs wasted 70 billion more gallons of gas than cars.
Especially with the extremely high prices we’re paying for
gas right now, consumers will not only waste gas, but their own
money as well. Does that make sense? I don’t think so.
For each gallon of gas that is burned, 26 pounds of carbon
dioxide is emitted. Thus, since 1990 consumers have wasted 717
million metric tons of carbon dioxide by driving sport utility
vehicles rather than opting for smaller passenger cars. SUVs also
emit 30 percent more carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and 75
percent more nitrogen oxide than passenger cars. Because these air
pollutants irritate the eyes and throat, more air pollution means
more coughing, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, confusion and headaches
(www.suv.org/environ.html).
Not only does the environment lose when people buy SUVs,
consumers also lose. With the huge amounts of gas we’re
wasting, we’re also wasting our money by paying for more gas
when less gas in a smaller (and probably cheaper car) will still
get us to the same destination.
A new car gets around 28 miles per gallon while SUVs typically
get less than 20 miles per gallon (Model Year 1999 Fuel Economy
Guide, United States Department of Energy). SUVs also cost more
than regular cars, but given the scarce number of people who
actually use them to their potential, they function the same way as
passenger cars for most drivers. The significantly higher insurance
and maintenance rates also add to the cons of owning an SUV.
SUVs can also endanger people’s lives. Although they may
look tougher, they are not as safe as passenger cars. An SUV is
three times more likely than a passenger car to roll over. In 1996,
53 percent of deaths from accidents in an SUV came from rollovers
compared to only 19 percent for passenger cars. Because of their
height and build, if a driver steers too hard, SUVs can easily roll
over.
SUVs are not only dangerous for passengers and the people who
drive them, they pose an even greater danger to others on the road.
I’ve often been on the road at night, unable to see what is
around me because the headlights of SUVs behind me have the same
effect as high beams since they are placed so high. Not only is it
annoying to look in one’s rearview mirror and be blinded by
light, it is also extremely dangerous to lose visibility at any
time on the road.
Car drivers have all had the experience of being stuck behind a
large SUV during traffic. When a car is behind an SUV that much
taller and wider, the driver cannot see how the traffic ahead is
moving, which makes it harder to make accurate judgments.
The size disparity between cars and SUVs accounts for the fact
that most fatalities on the road occur from light trucks (of which
SUVs are a type) crashing into passenger cars. SUVs cause much more
damage to cars when colliding with them than if another car crashed
into them.
In a side-impact collision with an SUV, car occupants are 27
times more likely to die (“Detroit Circles the Trucks; the
big three defend sports utilities and other hot sellers against an
assault by regulators and environmentalists,” Los Angeles
Times, April 5, 1988).
Sport utility vehicles are more harmful than beneficial and
should not be on the road. Consumers can make a difference, take
care of the environment and care for the safety of others on the
road by not buying SUVs. They’re popular right now and may
enhance a person’s image, but fads pass quickly.
The earth we live on is here for much longer than we are.
Don’t listen to the commercials. Realize the harm these
vehicles can cause. Although the commercials and popular opinion
make a 4x4s seem irresistible, resist the temptation. Be active in
getting these roadhogs off the road. Encourage acquaintances to opt
for passenger cars. Send carmakers complaints about their
actions.
For more information and suggestions on how to get involved,
visit http://www.suv.org.
Consumers have been deceived for long enough.