Boy,
do I feel sorry for SUV drivers these days.
Consider a new book by a New York Times reporter Keith Barsher, former
Detroit bureau chief. In "High and Mighty: SUVs, the World's Most Dangerous
Vehicles and How They Got That Way," Barsher not only attacks SUVs but
vilifies those who drive them. To wit:
"They tend to be people who are insecure and vain. They are frequently
nervous about their marriages and uncomfortable about parenthood. They
often lack confidence in their driving skills. Above all, they are apt
to be self-centered and self-absorbed, with little interest in their neighbors
or communities."
Ouchy.
Now I consider myself a fair observer of my fellow man, but I don't think
I could ever draw so many conclusions about a fellow based on the kind
of vehicle he drives. To understand the origin of this name calling, however,
it's worth learning about the origin of the SUV.
The SUV was originally developed for military use during WWII. After
the war, it made a modest transition to the American market, where outdoors
enthusiasts bought the four-wheel-drive "utility" vehicles to trek out
into the wilderness.
Then a few things happened. In 1975 Congress began mandating improved
fuel efficiency in cars. Automakers were forced to make cars smaller and
lighter, and Americans were forced to end their love affair with the massive,
tail-finned hunks of
steel that still make many a man's heart race.
Well, in the 1980's, Detroit got clever. There was one classification
of vehicles, "light trucks," that wasn't bound by strict fuel requirements.
So in 1983, Detroit found a way to give us the size and space we were
pining for, while maintaining half-decent fuel efficiency. It was called
the minivan.
But there was soon another problem. By the 1990's, families were so embarrassed
driving around in these dork-mobiles, Detroit needed to come up with another
brainstorm. And, boy, did they deliver. They satisfied our lust for steel
with a line of massive, testosterone-crazed gas guzzlers that got our
hearts racing again. That was the beginning of the SUV boom, and today
such light trucks account for half of the vehicles on the road.
Which is one reason the SUV has become a symbol of everything people love
and hate about America.
See, SUV drivers praise the size and solidness of their vehicles, which
makes them feel safe. But safety advocates say their high bumpers and
heavy weight are no match for the smaller, lighter cars the government
has forced the rest of us to drive, and that they rollover easily anyway.
Environmentalists say that SUVs waste gas and pollute way more than cars
do, which is true, but others argue that the humans-are-causing-global-warming
concept is based on junk science and that in a free country people should
be allowed to drive any SUV they dang well please.
That brings us to the personal attacks. In addition to laying out a number
safety and environmental arguments against the SUV, some of which do hold
merit, Basher displays an open contempt for people who drive SUVs. This
is further demonstrated in a Times piece he wrote in June of 2000.
He reported that an auto industry study demonstrated a psychological difference
between those who drive SUVs (bad) and those who drive minivans (not as
bad). And what is the difference?
Well, minivan drivers are more "other-oriented." They're more likely than
SUV drivers to take part in conversations with their friends, attend family
gatherings, read, do volunteer work, and participate in church functions.
Minivan drivers are less likely to balk at being parents. They want to
be in control in terms of safety, being able to park and maneuver in traffic,
being able to get elderly people in and out.
But SUV drivers? They're more self-oriented. They drive faster, consider
themselves better drivers than average motorists and show less courtesy
on the road. They also hold a greater fear of violence and crime, which
automakers exploit by designing masculine, assertive SUVs. That's
why, says one psychologist, SUVs have "vertical slats across their grills
to give the appearance of teeth and flared wheel wells meant to resemble
bulging muscles."
Anyhow, that's the interesting origin of the SUV debate in a nutshell.
The SUV phenomenon agitates so many different activist and advocate groups
at once that it would have to get personal sooner or later. That's why
I feel sorry for SUV drivers. They're being made out to be so self-centered
and heartless.
Geez, you'd think they're some kind of Republicans.
