Kephale
Full Member
Just ran across an article on MSNBC about a new book coming out about how terrible and dangerous SUVs are. Scary that this has gone from mere articles to someone spending enough time to write an entire book. Admittedly, all I read was the excerpt in the article (http://www.msnbc.com/news/813301.asp), but based on that, I can't imagine getting through the entire book with my blood pressure down. The author does start with true, and sometimes important, facts and points, but then end up running in the most ridiculous directions with them. My personal favorite from the excerpt:
Talk about sensationalism (and I'd LOVE to see the evidence to support that last 1000). Add that to the other questionable conclusions and I'm just not sure what to think. Anyway, just thought you guys might be interested in seeing this.... If anyone reads the entire thing, I'd be very interested to hear their thoughts. Might actually be a well thought out book....or it might not....
My best estimate is that the replacement of cars with SUVs is currently causing close to 3,000 needless deaths a year in the United States-as many people annually as died in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.
Roughly 1,000 extra deaths occur each year in SUVs that roll over, compared to the expected rollover death rate if these motorists had been driving cars. About 1,000 more people die each year in cars hit by SUVs than would occur if the cars had been hit by other cars.
And up to 1,000 additional people succumb each year to respiratory problems because of the extra smog caused by SUVs.
Talk about sensationalism (and I'd LOVE to see the evidence to support that last 1000). Add that to the other questionable conclusions and I'm just not sure what to think. Anyway, just thought you guys might be interested in seeing this.... If anyone reads the entire thing, I'd be very interested to hear their thoughts. Might actually be a well thought out book....or it might not....