SUV’s - Harmful to the Environment and Hazardous to their Owners' Health
Sport utility vehicles, better known as SUV’s, propose a hazard to other drivers on the road as well as their occupants. In addition to being unsafe they are also harmful to the environment. In the past six years SUV’s have become the most popular vehicle on the roads in America and today they account for nearly fifty percent of all new vehicle sales. The annual sales of SUV’s are currently on the rise as lower gas prices sweep across the nation. The combination of the SUV’s hazardous nature and their rising sales makes for a very dangerous situation. Sport Utility Vehicles are harmful to the environment, hazardous to those occupying them, and create a hazard to other drivers on the road.
SUV’s are engineered from the same platforms that are used to create trucks and most of the time they share the same engine and components. Instead of having a bed like a truck, which is very light, they have an enclosed area for more seats or a cargo compartment, which is very heavy. The added weight forces the engine to combust more gas in order to be able to provide adequate power to move the added weight. This is the reason that SUV’s get worse gas mileage than their truck counterparts. Even an SUV that comes with a small engine will get bad gas mileage because it has to struggle and keep the RPM’s high in order to move the vehicle. Higher RPM’s equals more gas consumption. The emissions that SUV’s put...
In Mr. John Braggs writing, he proposes that the SUV is attacked by the same individuals whom support former Vice President, Al Gore’s call to abolish the production of internal combustion engines. Considering John Bragg is a policy analyst for the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism, it is safe to acknowledge that he advocates the production of SUVs not because it is conducive to maintaining the environment but because the SUV is the symbol of Americanism. Additionally, according to “Why Environmentalists Attack the SUV,” the production of SUVs has declined because of federal fuel efficiency mandates, which were emplaced in 1975.
Andrew Simms, a policy director and head of the Climate Change Program for the New Economics Foundation in England, presents his argument about the impact SUV’s have on our roadways, and the air we breathe. “Would You Buy a Car That Looked like This? “. The title alone gives great insight on what the article is going to be about, (vehicles). “They clog the streets and litter the pages of weekend colour *supplements. Sport utility vehicles or SUV’s have become badges of middle class aspiration” (Simms 542). Simms opening statement not only gives his opinion on how SUV’s are the new trend, but he also paints a picture of what we see every day driving down our roadways. Simms also compares the tobacco industry’s gap between image and reality to that of SUV’s; stating that the cause and consequences of climate change resemble smoking and cancer. Simms comparison between SUV’s and cigarettes shows how dangerous he believes SUV’s are.
I believe that the essay, “Did My Car Join Al Qaudea” by Wood Hochswender, is persuasive. The reason why I think Hochswender’s essay is persuasive because he makes several statements about why SUV’s are more efficient. Hochswender shows the use of ethos by stating “I choose not to whip around corners or to follow others so closely and at such high speeds that I have to make harrowing, emergency stops. I drive so as not to roll over (Hochswender 155).” I believe Hochswender is trying to get individuals to understand that it is not the SUV that makes the passengers unsafe, but more so the driver. Hochswender shows the use of pathos by stating “If some drunken driver veers across the center divider-I would prefer that my 9-year-old and I not be
WHAT IS YOUR SUV DOING TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY? DETROIT, AMERICA NEEDS HYBRID CARS NOW.
In the 21st century, there are too many vehicles on the highway and most people drive a vehicle all around the world. According to Tencer, ‘’The global number of cars exceeded 1.015 billion in 2010, jumping from 980 million the year before’’ (2013). If a person is thinking about driving a vehicle, there are two options that can bring different experiences. SUVs are 4x4, strong, big, and more dangerous than sedans. While, sedans are fast, small, and the more popular choice. Driving a SUV and sedan are different in terms of safety, power and comfortable.
According to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, "automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33, with 43,005 (118 per day) Americans killed in 2002 alone" (Clayton, Helms, Simpson, 2006). Worldwide, vehicle accidents consist of 1.2 millions deaths per year, "behind only childhood infections and AIDS as cause of death amount people aged 5 to 30 years old" (Clayton., 2006). The annual cost of road accidents is estimated about $518 billion"(Factor, Yair, Mahalel, 2013). The fact alone of being in a moving, heavy vehicle is a danger in itself but individuals that do not wear their seat belts, talk on the phone, text, and do other distracting behavior also put themselves in even more harmful situations.
Off-highway vehicles (OHV), which include snowmobiles, four-wheelers and dirt bikes, are the mode of choice for millions of Americans who want to experience the outdoors. They're blamed for irreparable damage to the environment, and touted as one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time with friends and family outside. Environmentalists insist that much harsher restrictions of OHV use on public lands are vital to preserving fragile ecosystems. OHV users say they follow the rules already in place and don't need any more.
These days, cars are necessary for everyday living. They take us where we need to go. They are the method of transportation for everyday traveling. Road rage is an increasing problem in America. Incidents of violent driving have been rising for many years now. Many people identify themselves by the car they drive, because of this; road rage is only increased. Potential problems should try to be avoided.
Most American cars are not hybrids or fuel-efficient, they are usually big SUV’s or trucks that get eighteen to ten miles per gallon. Most of Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundai’s get around 20 to 30 miles per gallon, and hybrids get 50 miles per gallon. Peoples demand fuel-efficient cars because oil is i...
The majority of people, especially in America, cannot go about their daily lives without a car. Automobiles have instilled themselves in peoples’ lives and shown their usefulness since their debut in 1769. Since then, humans have redesigned and refined the automobile thousands of times, each time making the vehicle more efficient and economical than before. Now as the world approaches an ethical decision to dwarf all others, many people look toward automotives for yet another change. The emergence of the hypercar due to ecological turmoil exemplifies the change the world has demanded. Hypercars alter everything people know about automotives, modern ecology, and fuel efficiency. Not only do hypercars offer a solution to many ecological problems humans are faced with now, they also represent the only logical area for the automotive industry, and by some stretch American society, to expand.
Many hazardous pollutants escape from the internal combustion of the engine. Conventional gas powered vehicles use irreplaceable fossil fuels to run. When burned, these fossil fuels create numerous toxins like carbon dioxide (Larminie 246). Carbon dioxide is considered the main greenhouse gas that creates the foundation for global warming (hybridcars.com, pollutants). This harmful pollutant may not have a serious effect on people at first, but it does have consequential effects on the environment that in turn put people in danger (Nutramed.com). The major consequence caused by global warming is the rise in average temperature. This results in a domino...
Since then, Motor Companies have made numerous types of vehicles to fit your driving style the best including SUVs, trucks, compact cars, luxurious cars, and sedans etc. Even countries across the globe have have joined the competition such as Toyota, Nissan, and other european c...
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming the environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel spills also cause pollution. Cars, trucks and other forms of transportation are the single largest contributor to air pollution in the United States, but car owners can reduce their vehicle's effects on the environment. Car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Cars and trucks emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes worldwide temperatures to rise.
Automotive ethics is a subject that is often over looked. Not many people tend to look at what is ethical in the automotive industry; most people are generally satisfied if they can get a good deal on a car. However, in reality, automotive ethics has an affect on how automobiles are made, what regulations the government puts on them, and their hazard on the environment. Before the engine was invented, life revolved around a much more complicated system of transportation. Much advancement in technology has been made to make the common lifestyle today much easier; a few examples are cellular telephones and onboard navigation systems in automobiles. Cellular telephones and navigation systems have become an everyday item, but nobody looks at the dangers that can have while operating a motor vehicle.
Transportation is one of the basic necessities of human civilization. If there is no transportation on land, sea, or air, there may not be communication between human beings on this planet. But there are also side effects of transportation, which includes pollution. Pollution means the harmful wastes produced by humans which damage our environment in many ways.