Re: [GBlist] Gasoline - OT

[Alan Courtright <acourtri@krl.org>]

On Thu, 22 Aug 2002, Corwyn wrote:

> I am not stating this to brag about my car, but rather to show that the 
> claims of 'needing' an SUV are sometimes overstated.  A toyota celica or 
> honda civic are not the only choices for alternatives to SUVs. I can 
> take 4 friends cross-country skiing (better than my brother in his 
> jeep).  I can pick up sheetrock and compound, or take four people 
> grocery shopping.

Without wishing to defend SUVs--at least those owned by people who buy 
them just because they're "cool"--one point I haven't seen mentioned is 
the superior visibility from higher vehicles, which surely contributes to 
reducing accidents (while the greater weight and heft of SUVs helps reduce 
injuries in many cases).

Of course, with so many SUVs on the road now, one would almost have to buy 
a semi in order to get that superior visibility. 

If everybody would just learn to drive using gas-saving techniques, it'd 
make a huge difference.  I get 18-20mpg out of my 10-year-old Ford Ranger, 
where most people are lucky to get 15 I suspect.  

                         -|//*Alan Courtright*\\|=   
                                Poulsbo, WA
                             acourtri@krl.org
                       




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