Whyare SUVs so popular? Is it because of their size? Maybe it's because they canhaul a lot of stuff, even though they are gas-guzzling monsters and have a highrisk of rolling over. Whatever the reason, these monsters have taken over ourroads.
Many people think they are safer behind the wheel of an SUV, but inreality they aren't as safe as they would be in some smaller cars. Because oftheir higher center of gravity, SUVs are highly unstable in fast, tight turnswhich might cause a rollover. In general collisions SUVs score lower in crashtests than most cars. This is because cars are held to a higher standard thanSUVs. The only way an SUV is safer in a crash is if the other vehicle is muchsmaller.
SUVs are also bad for the environment due to lack of emissioncontrols because they fall into the category of trucks in regard to safety andpollution controls. They are some of the most inefficient vehicles on the road.Some of the larger ones barely get 15 miles per gallon compared to most carswhich get 25-30. With the dramatic increase of these vehicles on the road, airpollution has increased around major cities.
With gas prices increasing,some major SUV manufacturers are trying to make their vehicles more efficient.This year, Ford will introduce a hybrid model of their Escape. A hybrid combinesa gas engine and an electric motor. The engine powers a generator which chargesbatteries to power the motor. The electric motor adds power to the gas engine,which is smaller than what it would be in a conventional vehicle of its size, tohelp with acceleration and other high-power needs.
As you can see, SUVsare large and inefficient forms of travel. It wouldn't be so bad if their seatswere all filled to capacity, but most usually carry only one or two people. Thereare other ways to lessen the environmental impact and still have an SUV for whatit was intended - like making it a hybrid.
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