Interesting viewpoint on the topic of large SUV's.
Just start slapping these cards onto the HUmmes of music/movie stars and it may actually make a difference. Sadly the commen man/woman will be hard pressed to afford a new car, especially if they recently bought a new SUV.
Just a thought...

Yes, by all means tell others what they should drive - I guess giving advice is the gift that just doesn't know when to quit.

I drive a Honda Civic. I never owned a SUV. People with larger families need larger vehicles sometimes. Since my wife drives to work about 3 miles one way, I would seriously consider getting a SUV for her to drive so we would have a big vehicle to take the kids to and from college with all their things. Lucky for me, my youngest will be done before we buy another vehicle, so we can get something we want.

You can't possibly know the individual circumstances of every vehicle owner. Have a little faith in the economy - gas prices will cause all this to work out over time.

I like your column, and tend to agree with you much of the time. I think this one's a clinker and you sound like a scold here.

Um, I don't put these on the old Cherokees, but on the big, brand new Navigators and Escalades. And Mark, you don't seem to understand not only the power of but the obligation of free speech in this country. What I did is start a meme against driving these things. A meme is to cultural evolution what a gene is to biological evolution: an idea that spreads rapidly across culture. I got this campaign on over 100 radio stations, and written about in newspapers around the world...including the New York Times and the London Independent and the Guardian. It cost me $35 at Staples to promote the idea that SUVs are uncool to drive. I dunno about you, but I can't look at dead soldiers faces in the papers these days and drive anything but my Honda Insight hybrid. Am I "a scold"? Well, I don't think that's how the campaign comes off -- but I sure hope so. And when you see somebody in a Hummer or some big shiny new SUV, I encourage you to give them the finger. If you drive one of these things, you should have a really bad day. And no, I have no problem with some contractor who needs a big vehicle to haul around timber. But, the average person parked at the grocery store? Just vulgar superconsumers who never gave a dead soldier a second thought. There's a Spanish proverb, "Take what you need, but pay for it." That's really all I ask. Oh, PS I spent $207 on gas. Last year. All last year. If I don't drive too fast on the highway, I get 66 or 67mpg.

YEAH.....What she said!!!

Here in God's Country, the overwhelming majority of SUV's are driven by Soccer Mommies with small weenies and small kids.

You really have to watch out for blondes herding black or red rigs. They typically have a cell phone fused to their left ear. As they enter the freeway at 70 they immediately zip to the fast lane and you'd best not be in the way because the only mirror that concerns them is the one in their purse.

Full Disclosure: I drive a moderate-size SUV that gets better mileage than almost any car did 25 years ago and Arrowsmith wasn't talking about me when they wrote Big Ten Inch.

I concur: the brain-dead soccer mom pulling out of her grocery store parking space while talking nonsense to her gilrfriends on her cell is a particularly serious danger to the community!

As for guys in humvies: have you noticed that they're most inevtiabtly short and nondescript, and have to hop rather than walk out of their car? Pathetic. "Petit zizi, grosse voiture", as they say in Fench (small willy, big car).

Amy,

I'm highly amused that you can spend so much time and effort verbally scathing the SUV community. I just finished reading your article about finding your 1960 Rambler that was stolen. I'm not sure what type of gas mileage that thing gets, but I'm fairly certain that those that live in glass houses should not throw stones.

I'm not saying everybody must drive a hybrid. My Rambler was, adorable as it might have been, a cheap junker. I couldn't afford anything else. As soon as I could, I did the responsible thing, and bought the hybrid with the best mileage out there -- the Honda Insight. It's SULEV - Super Ultra Low Emissions, and if there isn't a lot of traffic on the freeway, and I drive at about 64 mph, I can get 60-something miles per gallon.

It's like the old "If smoke, please try Carlton" ads they used to have on NYC taxis. If you can afford a gigundo new SUV -- you can probably afford a Prius. If you're poor, drive what you drive. We understand.

hey "KMR" - it's Aerosmith, NOT Arrowsmith dude. If you really listened to them you'd know that simple little fact.....

Sorry you think what we're doing over here is only, or primarily about the oil. If it was, we'd have stabilized that part of the equation by now.

I drive a full-size 4WD pickup, and will continue to drive one, like so many of my fellow Soldiers who grew up in small towns and on farms. When you've grown up driving large vehicles, the lack of comfort level in a small car or death-mobile mini-SUV or truck is not worth the savings in gas. I grew up driving larger trucks than any Ford Excursion or Chevy Suburban. The size of my "manhood" is not an issue. It's about average. I'm not going to be "shamed" or cowed into driving a coffin on wheels. Full-size pickups don't often end up underneath semi-trailers.

Oh, and another thing: The resale value on your hybrid may be good now, but wait until the batteries have to be replaced. Someone's going to eat that cost somewhere. I'll stick to clean diesel technology. That vehicle will last a long time if built right, and have a high resale value. Just look at diesel vehicles on the market now. It will only get better with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel/Biodiesel and 2007 emmissions requirements. VW Jetta TDIs already get 40-50 MPG, and they have a good resale value, as do 8 year old MB E300TDs.

Tony, nobody -- liberal or conservative -- has ever been able to give me a good explanation of what it's about. Perhaps you could. I appreciate that you're fighting on behalf of the rest of us -- I always appreciate people in the military, as well as firemen and cops -- but forgive me if I can't quite put together why, when Osama attacks the WTC, we go into Iraq instead of flattening Afghanistan and getting Osama. Remember when GWB said that was job one? I don't even think it's job six now. What we did is a bit like when somebody robs a bank, and you want to bring them to justice, but you just grab some dad off the street because somebody should pay.

Yes, Saddam was a bad guy who did horrible things. But, if that's the standard, shouldn't the first stop have been Darfur? And our president campaigned on "No nation building." Whatever happened to that? Iraq was a sovereign nation we attacked. Again, I had no problem going into Afghanistan and taking the terrorists out. But, that's not what we did.

PS I wrote this piece long before we were in Iraq.

And, check out what Donald Rumsfeld offered as a justification:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/17/rumsfeld-gas-prices/

RUMSFELD'S QUOTE: "The fact of the matter is - if Saddam Hussein were still in power in Iraq, he would be rolling in petrol dollars. Think of the price of oil today. He would have so much money."

I walked through an airport in Ft. Worth yesterday, and mouthed "thank you" to the people in uniform I saw there. In the LA Times, I see faces of men and women who are 19 and 21, killed in Iraq. I can't see how anybody can look at those faces and drive a vehicle that's one iota bigger than they need.

Amy, I'm all for your meme. My first point is that people are in a "keep up with the Joneses" race and have to keep up appearances for their friends and neighbors with the latest, biggest most decadent SUV on the market. Second, is our highway battleground mentality. Folks feel like they need an army tank to do battle on our freeways when everyone just needs to slow down and be courteous. Third, is the notion that you are safer in a larger vehicle. Yes, you are, but only when someone hits you. These SUVs have a higher center of gravity and more weight which makes it harder to stop and impossible to maneuver around obstacles or avoid accidents like a car can. How many people have been killed in SUV rollovers that wouldn't have happened if they drove a car? Who knows, but there are plenty of these type accidents everyday in our country. Fourth, how much better would our economy be if people had half of their weekly gas budget to spend on other things? I'm no economist but I'd say any amount better is more desirable than putting our cash into some Arab oil guy's robe so he can buy more sui/homi/cide bombs. Fifth, the damned exhaust fumes are choking me and burning my eyes, you bastards!
It's a free country and you are free to be responsible and free to be an A-hole. Your choice.

Oh, yeh! While I'm on a rant, you rude SOBs who drive around with your bumper lights on should be banished from our public roadways. Y'all are a nuisance and safety hazard.

And Amy... you're hot!

Again with the stupid and ill informed arguments about the “safety” of the ginormas SUVs, the “I'm accustomed to driving big because I grew up on a farm”, the “I need it to carry the four kids blah blah blah”. What a bunch of crap! How did people do it before the Hummers and Escalades? How does the rest of the world survive and build without them? Lets face it, unless you need to tow giant equipment, these vehicles are a fashion/image statement.

I work with so many of these dumbasses. One complains he's paying $700 a month in gas and he doesn't have money for the 5 kids. I told him get a used Honda or something, drive the truck only when he needs the space or towing power. Heck, at that rate he could buy a Porsche and still be ahead. But he was more concerned with “when people see me coming they get out of the way” and “can't let my kids see me driving those little cars”, better they have no shoes I guess. You see, as he said, “that's what I was raised driving”.

I'm at my laptop reading these comments and a commercial for the Subaru "L. L. Bean Edition" Outback SUV comes on the tube. Now THAT'S Comedy.......

I DON'T KNOW WHO MADE YOU GOD'S GIFT TO THE WHOLE WORLD BUT I DO KNOW THAT YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT. SO I WOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU OPEN UP YOUR MAN FACE BEFORE INFORMING SOMEONE OF THEIR RIGHTS AND WRONGS.

Tiffany, there's no evidence there is a god, but your apparent certainty there is, along with your apparent personal visits from the guy so he can tell you that I'm not his gift to the world, well...I guess it's something to do while you're waiting at the gas station to fill the Hummer with the "Proud Supporter of OPEC!" sticker on the back.

Sorry I have to comment here. I have a fairly new Nissan Pathfinder and do so because I have to drive once and a while to get wood (for my capentry hobby), carry clients and take my little child to and from school. For over 20 years I have used my bicycle to commute to and from work 4 out of 5 days of the week (had to bring the stinky stuff back ... just kidding). In some cases I have more miles on my bicycle in one year than my vehicle, at trade in time they think that the truck was never driven. All I ask is do not put a mean and nasty letter on my Nissan.

Regards...

when you run head-on into me and my HUGE suv, i will exit the vehicle and try to find the pieces of your deathtrap...drive what you want, i will survive...

Big brave man, too much of a pussy to leave his name?

What kind of courageous guy lives in pride that he might kill somebody else?

I think your time is better spent busting people for their bad behavior. In that role, you are a crusader for social justice. The SUV thing does make you sound like a little old lady in tennis shoes and is a total waste of time.

Well, this article is just silly, but I like the other things that you have written.

Some people just like big trucks and it has nothing to do with some psychology department attack on trucks that psychology professors do not like. No doubt one of them is driving your old Rambler when he is not on stage :)

There is as much "science" behind that man-made global warming as there is behind Chinese decorating tips. But, nothing stopping you from believing what you want.

Did you know that there is a concensus of UFOlogists who believe that we are being visited by exteraterrestrials? Just listen to the Art Bell radio show. He is their version of Albert Gore, Jr. and every bit as believable. No, I do not believe either of them.

For the record, I drive a 1996 Jeep Cherokee and I am restoring a 1972 Dodge Charger. Both use hydrogen of the C8H18 variety and that joke is documented a few places around the internet as my "hydrogen powered Jeep".

Actually, I drive very little, but I fail to see how I am being more "planet friendly" when I am the only person in a shuttle bus on my way to work than when rumble along with a 2 bbl. 318 V8.

The idea that I'd stop doing something because I care about how people see me...well, that's obviously not going to happen. Don't you like breathing? Do you think people who pollute unnecessarily, ie, when they can afford not to, or have jobs that don't require them to drive a huge vehicle, are being fair?

For one thing, the vehicles I noticed that you ratgeted are gasoline powered with catolytic converters and all of that other performance killing stuff on them. You would be lucky to get a head ache if you stayed in it in a residential garage with the engine running.

At least putting silly little cards on them is better than the "I am changing the environment" stickers that were a bit of a fad a while back.

Anyway, all of the personal assumptions detracted from your story too. But it was still funny, in that knee-jerk humanities department way.

Also, your "Remember me?" button is not working when I use it.

Lastly, I have a really cool sound system in my Jeep. Wanna check it out? ;)

"Remember me" button? Not quite sure what you mean by that.

These vehicles pollute a great deal. That's why they call my Insight a SULEV - Super Ultra Low Emmissions Vehicle. Why should anyone pollute the air of the rest of us unnecessarily? And unnecessarily endanger others on the road?

If you can't afford a low-polluting car, that's one thing. Furthermore, no kid should die in a rollover because his or her parent is a style whore. The mere perception of safety in an SUV and actual safety are two different things.

Under the Post a Comment section there is an option for our information to be remembered when we return to your page. It is not remembering anything and I am typing it all back in when I return.

So, it really is a big style issue for you? Fair enough. But that littering habit with the cards and all is bothersome.

So, wanna checkout the Alpine with Sony speakers? Can pick you up at Reagan National on your next flight here :)

I'm not littering. I put the cards under people's windshield wipers. I frequently get advertisements under mine. I don't litter. I throw them away in a trash can.

You really don't have a good argument.

What I'm doing is exercising my right to free speech to make a difference in something I see is a problem. Shouldn't you be commending me for trying to motivate change instead of trying to legislate it?

As for the comments issue, it's a spam problem, and I have to manually publish all comments here and on my advice column questions, despite what the software says. It's unfortunate, but just as people pollute the air we all share without a concern for the breathing of the rest of us, spamming parasites try to use a site I pay for along with many others to up their Google ranking for free.

Um, Amy, putting paper on other people's property without their permission IS littering, but you are doing less of it than those pesky advertising flyer people are doing.

I am glad that you are trying to change people's minds without making yet another stupid law, but commending people for tossing paper about is not on my list. I am socially libral because I DON'T care and all that :)

Look up the definition of littering:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/littering

Carelessly discarded refuse, such as wastepaper: the litter in the streets after a parade.

This is anything but. It's the pointed placement of a message -- the exercise of freedom of speech in hopes of making a positive change.

Flyers on your car, likewise, are annoying, but they don't fit the definition of litter. If they did, people who advertise that way could be fined for littering. As far as I know, they aren't because it's not (littering).

And free speech that is not advertising is very protected speech. I thought all of this through before I created my campaign. Perhaps you should work to get the facts together before you post. I'm on deadline today, and I really don't have time to keep checking back to correct all these hastily posted misconceptions of yours.

Wow! Great looks AND a sense of humor! Nice combination.

I am kind of busy too, hunting for a new assignment at the Defense Contractor I work for.

You know where to contact me for that Jeep demonstration :)

Montag - Shouldn't you be out starting fires, or something?

Um, what the bleep does automobile choice have to do with the size of the owner's penis? If a woman, well, obviously nothing. If a man, still nothing. There must be as many reasons for buying a tank on wheels as there are buyers. Some reasons make sense, some don't. So instead of ranting against men and their imagined sexual hangups, deal with real issues. They use more gas so they pollute more, they damage the roads more, and they cause more damage in collisions. Those are real reasons to discuss. There are SO MANY ways our planet is being harmed. Why are you so vocal about that one? Spend your vocal energy convincing people there really is an issue.

Um, joke, Jonathan. And I discuss other issues on my blog. But, personally, I'm big on breathing and not having my safety compromised by some asshat in a Hummer.

FYI, in my columns, I help men all the time -- and there's even a column helping a man who's insecure about his small penis.

Perhaps your biggest problem is your missing sense of humor?

P.S. You can say "fuck." We're not in church!

What if I have a small penis and drive a mini van?

Regarding dead soldiers...

Back in the 80s I was telling Californians to vote for offshore drilling, for nuclear power stations, yada yads. "You're volunteering my son to fight in the oil wars of the early 0ties, you stupid, ignorant jerk!", I told them. Did they listen? Hah. Mostly they slugged me.

When it's about solving problems I love environmentalism. When it's about wallowing in a green goo of Gaianic self-righteousness, not.

Love your stuff, Amy.
--
Vorticity

Okay, Amy. Gas guzzlers are horrible, and I agree with you all the way on that. HOWEVER, there is no need to go blaming the entire freaking war on a soldier who is doing his job!

Also, SUVs are not AT ALL safer than cars. People can die just as easily in a Dodge Durango as in a Lincoln Town Car.

OK, I can see your point and can understand the annoyance of SUV's being "the thing" now, but I would be rather ticked if one of your notices ended up on my 4-Runner. I like to see a SUV for what it's meant to be, a Sports Utility Vehicle and when I see these too low to the ground, wouldn't dare take that over a bumpy trail, luxury versions, driven by well off young adults, it gets a bit frustrating. However, there IS a need for them by some. I own and work around horses and use mine quite often for loading up hay, grain and shavings. Yes, I find it a pain to drive my SUV everyday, but can I afford another car? No. So yes, you would find my vehicle parked at the post office or grocery store. I need to have access to a SUV or truck and cannot afford to even think about paying another set of loans and insurance for a more efficient car. I also like having a SUV as there are occasions where I have to (or shoot even LIKE) to go offroading or need to pop it into 4 wheel to be safer when driving in bad conditions. I also drive less and spend less on gas than everyone else I know who drives a car since I don't wrack up much mileage over the year. I have a 1999 model and only 50k miles on it, which is greatly under the average. So perhaps that SUV you are glaring at is actually eating less gas than you think.

Oh and yes, while in school, I did take the bus, but sometimes I even wonder if my effort to carpool was even worth it by the huge billowing clouds of smoke coming out the back of those buses. But somehow that is supposed to be better than driving my SUV everyday.
People drive SUV's and trucks for many different reasons and you shouldn't judge without knowing their reasons. People are already aware of their impact on the world, whether positively or negatively, and one little notice is not going to change their mind, especially where it serves to irritate rather than educate. jmo.

[And Mark, you don't seem to understand not only the power of but the obligation of free speech in this country.]

So that's how you justify yourself to yourself. I'm trying real hard to recall that part in Civics class. Yes, now I remember; First amendment protection from the Government kicking the ass of a citizen for bad mouthing it or otherwise stirring up revolt. ---> the right to say anything one wants whenever one feels the impulse for however long one wishes to bang on about government or otherwise---> the right to be obscene, to be rude, to obtrude whenever wherever one wishes ---> the responsibility to speak out. ---> the requirement to never shut up. ---> The requirement to obtrude. (it gets even worse than here) ---> The requirement to extend this right to non-citizens. ---> Requirement to extend the right to leaders of regimes that deny that same right to its own citizens.

A simple splendid right is mangled into something unrecognizable. But I don' want to put words into your mouth. I must be careful not to attack something you haven't said.

But you're right, I don't understand the requirement for me, as a citizen, to never STFU or in other ways make a nuisance of myself. What a drag for you blogging is insufficiently direct.

From this post you seem like the type of person I avoid with a 10 foot pole. (with poo on the threatening end). *throws down oven mitts* I'm leaving.

I will drive what I drive. If you want to make an impact start investing in thermal depolymerization, pebblebed reactors, hydrogen as a fuel source. You cannot conserve your way to having enough available fuel for development, transit, etc. You have to expand the pool of fuel (so to speak).

Also, if people were as serious about pollution as they claim they would recognize the problem is not here it's in developing nations (China, India). Our pollution trend line is down. Theirs is way up.

Why not start pressuring those countries that if they don't cut pollution we won't buy their products? You would find a whole new set of problems to cut your teeth on if you did that.

I drive one of the smaller SUVs(seats 5). We live in an area that gets snow,and is hilly, so there is one reason to drive something with 4WD. Family vacations were another motivator. We three plus the in-laws, everyone's crap and a large dog :-). Before SUVs? We'd go in two cars...that's pretty wasteful, I think. Now, one vehicle to haul everybody and everything.

How much of SUV purchasing is vanity-fuelled, I wonder. Many are really really big, and when you see them on the road it's usually to take one kid somewhere. But, perhaps like my family, on weekends and over extended holidays it's packed and used for it's true purpose.