| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A Vote for the SUVI read your article in California Wild entitled "Driving Model T. Rex" and was surprised to find such an opinionated article in that magazine. Some of your statements were out of line and I was expecting a more scientifically oriented article based on many findings and interviews. Even the title is offensive. If you truly want to change the behavior of drivers and the manufacturers of vehicles, your article does not achieve that goal. It puts people like myself on the defensive. I used to drive a Ford Ranger, a small pickup, because of the work I did (I'm a horticulturist). I got used to the high seat and the simplicity of that truck. It got old, and my job changed and I recently purchased a Ford Escape, a small SUV. The reasons? 1. Because it rides high off the road. Driving the freeways of California, a low or small car does not have the visual capability that a taller vehicle does. It is important when driving down a highway during rush hour to have good visibility. 2. Its roominess. I can put passengers, plants, groceries, camping equipment, etc, in the back. It is easy to put down the back seats and make more room, something a car is incapable of doing. 3. It has 4-wheel drive. My Ranger did not have this and I go into the countryside to view wildflowers, for one thing. I also like to camp and go on dirt roads. An SUV fills the bill perfectly. By the way, I am 62 years old, so I am not one of htose hellions you mention in your article. As a matter of fact, most of the dare devil drivers I see on the road (I live in the Los Angeles area) are emphatically not drivers of SUVs but are drivers of sedans. They are young men and women who dart in and out of traffic, squeezing into spaces that are technically too small, and use the freeway as a raceway. I find it offensive to focuson SUVs with what is wrong on our highways and roads. Buses, large trucks and semis pollute the air. Vans and pickup trucks have been around for many more years than SUVs, and although they are in smaller numbers, they are large and hard to see over and around. I do agree that SUVs use a lot of gas, but have read that Ford is expecting to put on the market in a couple of years an SUV that uses less gas. I think the entire autor and transportation vehicle industry should be investigated and all vehicles be brought up to better standsards. There are reasons why people, such as myself, buy SUVs and these should be taken into account. Equating SUVs with terrorism is an abominable statement. It is a joke. Let's get real. Ann Richardson, |