Why just SUVs?

I don't want to target only SUVs, but all gas-guzzling cars, trucks, vans, etc. The more gas America consumes, the more money that can go to rouge nations and end up in terrorist's bank accounts.

SUVs make up such a large percentage of vehicles on the road today that consume the most gas. Not only are they expensive, but they pollute our environment and compared to a car, are highly unsafe. People buy them because they are a status symbol. Keeping up with the Jones' can cost American lives and it shouldn't be that way.

But SUVs are family vehicles!
No they are not. SUV stands for "Sport Utility Vehicle". With their high ground-clearance, they are designed for off-roading. How many SUV commercials do you see packed with baby seats and full of kids on their way to their soccer games, or commuters stuck in rush hour traffic? You see them being driven through streams and mountain trails. Come on, how many people actually drive through the woods and over mountains like you see on TV? I'm sure there are some, but not many compared to the number of people who use them for everyday errands and commuting.

Consider this: With the high ground-clearance and high center-of-gravity that SUVs have, the more you pile into them, the more top heavy they are. When the vehicle is top heavy, the chances of a rollover in the event of an accident are much greater. Think about that next time you strap your baby in the car seat, or drive the whole team out to practice. SUVs are 40% more likely to rollover than a regular car.

Ford vs. Firestone
In the recent Explorer and BridgeStone/Firestone tire scandal, we found that people lost their lives because they blew a tire. A TIRE!! There is something wrong with a vehicle that flips because of a blowout. Ford says is was Firestone's fault, and Firestone says it was Ford's fault. In my opinion, they are both to blame.

Firestone was at fault for withholding information from Ford.

Ford was at fault for not demanding the safety information regarding the tires.

Ford did not care enough to say to Firestone "Give us the safety info, or we will go with another tire maker". Instead, they shrugged their shoulders, said "OK" and slapped the defective tires on anyway. The most disturbing thing about everything is that after all that, Explorer and other Ford SUV sales continued to soar. That should have been a wake up call to America regarding the safety of SUVs.

Related Links:
SUV Safety Issues
SUV overloading dangers (20/20 segment)

Please feel free to e-mail SellYourSuv@yahoo.com