Tag Archive

 Do We REALLY Need Those SUV’s and Trucks?

By Shlomo Maital   

       Did you know:   over 7,500 pedestrians were struck and killed in the US in 2022 – a new high?   And did you know:  some 80% of new vehicles are either trucks or SUV’s?

        Hey, is there a connection?   There is, according to the NPR program Living on Earth.

        Ford F150 trucks have grown in the past 30 years, they are 800 pounds heavier and 7 inches higher.  And they are the #1 best-selling truck.

         Those SUV’s?  Do we REALLY need an SUV to drive to the corner grocery store? They are gas guzzlers and do huge damage when they strike pedestrians.  And both trucks and SUV’s have blind spots, because of their size.  So there IS a link between what vehicles we buy and all those pedestrian deaths. 

           A study experts conducted showed that some 1,100 pedestrian deaths could have been prevented, had we just bought normal-size vehicles, as the Europeans do.

           Why do Americans buy those huge vehicles?  Here is a theory.  In a rather chaotic world, we seek to buy things that convey power, strength, safety.  Maybe, maybe an SUV is safer in a crash than an i10 Hyundai.  But safer for whom?  For the driver?  Sure.  But not for the pedestrians who are struck and killed.  Is it MY safety I seek?  Or my safety and the safety of those trying to cross the street, when a F150 smashes into them by making a right turn and simply not seeing, say, a 5-year-old, trying to cross, with the light, in a school zone..and completely invisible to the driver.  This is a true case.

            I am frequently upset when capitalism at its worst manipulates consumers into buying things they don’t really need, playing on our worst fears.  How come the Europeans do not buy huge trucks and massive SUV’s?  And why should we? 

            As the song goes:  When will they ever learn?