Ticket to Ride essays

Ticket to Ride essays A lot has been made in recent years about the dangers of driving an SUV (sports utility vehicle). Many people and political groups think that they are bad for the environment, use too much fuel, and are dangerous to other vehicles on the road. Some people have even suggested that SUV owners should pay higher insurance premiums and taxes than other drivers on the road. I come from the opinion that it is not vehicles that are dangerous, but the people who drive them. Gun owners have been fighting this battle for years. The issue of downsizing, taxing, or even doing away with the SUV has been backed in Congress by the Sierra Club, a lobbyist group who puts animals above people. But upon closer inspection, Ive found the Sierra Clubs position lacks merit. The Sierra Club maintains SUVs are not safe. This could not be further from the truth. A 1999-2001 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study revealed that reducing auto weights an additional 1,000 lbs. and reducing wheelbases by 10 would result in an added 2,000 extra fatalities and 20,000 serious injuries each year.* Also, Mr. Brian ONeill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway safety, states, If you want to have the biggest effect on safety, get rid of small cars. After reading Mr. ONeills statement and the findings of the NHTSAs study, I feel the Sierra Clubs argument about SUV safety doesnt hold water. Bigger does equal better. The Sierra Club is also in favor raising insurance rates for SUV drivers, as well as imposing an environmental tax to help subsidy damage to the earth. Should people who drive big Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Mercedes pay more if they hit a Honda Civic or a Ford Focus? If safety is such a large concern, why arent they buying an SUV themselves? Some SUVs cost under $20,000 now. Does anyone remember the oil embargo back...