Driving in Provo in a Honda Civic hatchback, my roommate looked across her passenger window, her face directly in line with the tires of an oversized Dodge Ram. Ram is right, those trucks are huge, and being the east coast city girl she is stated, 'No one needs a truck like that.'
Hmm, being a west coast country girl I thought to myself that was an untrue statement, but in the same breath I have to admit that the majority of the people I see in oversized vehicles have them for looks not for needs. I tried to point out to my roommate that my father has a truck and truly needs it. Of course he doesn't have a Dodge Ram with tires the size of a new born whale, but his light truck hauls lumber, rocks, furniture, and a fishing boat. He gets plenty of use from it and people that emphatically state there is no need for trucks should spend sometime out of the office.
But, it seems most people use their Sport Utility Vehicles and trucks to commute to the office, the mall, or the grocery store. Though my father has several uses for his truck, SUV's don't seem to have any purpose besides a big size and a cool look. They can haul your groceries and fit your kids, but so can a Honda Accord. Many SUV's only have seating for five, the same as a four-door and you won't be able to fit 2x4's or a refrigerator in the back. Many Utahan's may own one for the safety in the snow and on rough terrain, but SUV's aren't as safe as people perceive. According to Frontline News there will be an estimated 70,000 SUV rollovers in 2002, in which an estimated 2000 peo
The United States government is constantly looking for new oil resources besides providers from the Middle East. Instead of looking for new sources, like Russia and the homeland wildlife preserves, the citizens should try conserving on their own and the automobile industry should use the technology already available to make more fuel efficient vehicles.
The United States consumes the most fuel and emits the most pollution from the cars driven. The federal government has regulations on how much pollution a vehicle can emit, but SUV's and light trucks are held at different standards, allowing them to spew up to three to four times the air contaminates as cars.
I had the privilege of sitting through five hours of a capital hill senate hearing on fuel economy. Senator McCain was there and said he was in favor of driving a more fuel efficient vehicle if the industry could make one in a size that he could get into without his (cowboy) hat falling off. This is all fine and dandy, but the tasks many people use their oversized vehicles for are not necessary to accommodate a cowboy hat. Despite what commercials say, many SUV's have felt only pavement under their wheels. Furthermore, technologies to improve SUV's are available that don't implement a substantial decrease in size.
Though I don't share my roommate's feelings that trucks and other vehicles high off the road have no business on this earth, I think many people aren't using them for the right reasons and at the same time are creating problems for our nation and world.