Television advertisements present SUV’s as a way to return to nature, yet SUV’s actually accelerate existing environmental problems. Commercials often depict happy families driving on mountain roads, avoiding falling rocks and enjoying the flowered wilderness in leather-seated comfort (Bradsher, 29). The truth, which many choose to ignore, is that SUV’s can spew 30 percent more carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons with 75 percent more nitrogen oxides than passenger c

Even though very popular, SUV’s are increasingly the subject of safety studies. The statistics are surprising. Rollovers are a leading cause of auto related deaths and SUV’s are three times more likely to roll over than other vehicles. More than 60 percent of the SUV passengers killed in traffic accidents were involved in rollovers. The main cause for the high rollover rate is that the SUV’s center of gravity is too high, making it more difficult to control in turns. For drivers, the higher passenger compartment can lead to a false sense of security with a perception of driving speeds considerably lower than actual rates (Rist, 14). Having driven friend’s SUV’s, I can see how speeding becomes extremely easy without noticing. Just thinking about SUV’s, I can name off a number of flaws, leaving me to wonder why SUV’s came to be so popular today.

One effort to stop pollution includes the new electric cars. Electric cars, according to the California Air Resource Board, compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, emit 98 percent less hydrocarbons, 89 percent less nitrogen dioxide, 99 percent less carbon monoxide, and less than half as much carbon dioxide (qtd. in Naughton). Electric cars are much cleaner than even the most efficient and environmentally friendly gasoline-powered car. The price of an electric car can be the only drawback. Rather new on the market, electric cars seem pretty pricey to most consumers, but the benefits of the car make the money worth it. Electric cars can run during hot days, cold days, at night, and can accelerate or remain idle and produce hardly any pollution (Winerip, 47).

SUV’s have been proven to be more fatal for drivers in smaller cars. When an SUV collides with another vehicle, its massive size and high-riding frame tend to mutilate smaller cars and prove more fatal. The driver of the SUV usually walks away from these collisions unscratched while the driver of the smaller car can be injured or killed (Naughton, 25). I reme

Some topics in this essay:
SUV’s Washington, SUV’s Americans, Bay Davis, Naughton Electric, SUV’s American, SUV’s SUV, A4 Officials, Vehicle Transportation, Resource Board, Shaver A4, electric cars, public transportation, shaver a4, qtd shaver a4, environmentally friendly, qtd shaver, percent nitrogen, pollution includes, carbon monoxide, percent carbon, driver suv, percent carbon monoxide,