[at-l] Why off topic, SUV's

[KarenS62@xxxxxxx (KarenS62@xxxxxxx)]

In a message dated 1/7/2003 11:30:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, ellen@clinic=
.net writes:

> http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D14839

Okay, I've been good and have stayed out of the flame wars for weeks now, i=
f not months. So I figure I have earned this right to comment. I am not try=
ing to start a flame war, but there is one line in that article which reall=
y, truly pissed me off.

"Sport utility vehicles have become like guns: Everyone knows they're dange=
rous, but you can't exactly force millions of Americans to give them up ove=
rnight. "

It's general comments like this that make me question everything the author=
 has to say. Guns are NOT dangerous, it's the people who misuse them (typic=
ally illegal owners) that are dangerous. Just like a gun, if an irresponsib=
le driver is driving an SUV then yes, it is dangerous. I have seen plenty o=
f drivers who think just because they have four-wheel drive, they can speed=
 on ice. Well, that just means there's 4 wheels slipping. But suddenly, it =
is that the fault of the vehicle. It's so typical that the tool gets blamed=
 for the human operating it.

Personally, I own both a SUV and guns. I am responsible in my use of both a=
nd am well versed in the appropriate safety measures of their operation. I =
get as good, and sometimes better, gas milage out of my current vehicle tha=
n I have from my past four which include a Suzuki Sidekick (which is that c=
lass of mini-suvs that even the DMV doesn't know how to classify), a four d=
oor Subaru Legacy sedan and a Jeep CJ7.  I often follow old cars (and the m=
ini-vans the author thinks are the solution to everything) around this litt=
le city of mine who are spewing so many fumes you can see and smell them a =
half mile away. My vehicle is in good repair and runs efficiently.

Now, do I really "need" an SUV?  That could be debatable. I probably don't =
even "need" a vehicle, but it is a tool that allows me to accomplish what I=
 feel is important to me.  Have I used it to it's full extent? Oh yeah. I c=
an transport five hikers, with packs, and have. I can sleep in the back, an=
d have. I have needed and used my four wheel drive five times in the last m=
onth, including bringing two very chilled hikers from Max Patch to their ow=
n vehicle which they had to abandon three miles down the road. Having the s=
ecurity of a relaible vehicle with four wheel drive allows me the freedom t=
o access some of my favorite hiking areas in all seasons.  Anything that co=
ntributes to my ability to get out in the woods is a good thing in my book.

The real issue here is that there is an abundance of idiots in the world - =
SUVs or not. In my teens, I remember being a passenger going 108 MPH over a=
 long, wet high bridge crossing the Thames River on I95 and swerving from l=
ane to lane. Were we in an SUV? Nope, we were in a Mercury sedan. There is =
no doubt we were being idiots, but that had nothing to do with what specifi=
c vehicle we were in, it had to do with being 16.

Our society tends to blame the "tool" instead of the human using the tool. =
This holds true for SUVs, guns, cell phones and even eating while driving.

I'm stepping off my soap box.

POG