High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) have become the fastest-growing  market segment in the automobile industry. They have an image of  being safer and easier to handle in bad weather than traditional  passenger cars. But in this new expos , New York Times reporter  Bradsher delivers sobering facts about the conveyances: they  protect occupants poorly, inflict horrific damage in crashes,  guzzle gasoline, spew emissions, and are, in fact, difficult to  control in bad weather or panic situations. He traces the  checkered past of SUVs and how they came to be classified not as  cars but as light trucks, which are subject to softer federal  regulations regarding safety, gas mileage, and air pollution.  The recent recall of tires and SUVs by Ford and Firestone after  scores of roll-over deaths is apparently only the tip of the  iceberg. Bradsher makes a powerful case that SUVs are inflicting  great damage on their occupants, other motorists, pedestrians,  and the earth. While the information has been available for some  time in bits and pieces, this book is the first to put it all  together with documented facts and figures. In the tradition of  Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed, this should be read by  drivers of SUVs and all those who must share the roads with  them.Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., ProvidenceCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.