<p>They were mentioned in the article? Not the link I read.</p>
<p>“Evironmental lawyer/activist” Robert Kennedy Jr also (nearly exclusively) flies on private jets</p>
<p>No, they weren’t in the article, Hanna. Reading that article simply brought those two to my mind. </p>
<p>I’m sure the people on this forum do our best to conserve energy, and of course you’re not a hypocrite, Hanna. </p>
<p>Kluge won’t believe it <em>smiles</em>, but my husband, kids, and I all drive energy-efficient VWs.</p>
<p>I do wonder if money were not an object, how many of us would be as conscious of being energy-conservative.</p>
<p>I really don’t see the point of nailing these celebs as this article does. One could make the argument (and George Clooney’s rep did) that it’s a necessity for him to have a plane at his disposal for last minute business trips , because he needs to fly on his own schedule etc. As such, theoretically Clooney always has a choice of what vehicle to drive, but not which plane to fly IF he wants to fly from Point A to Point B on his own schedule. I think a bigger, unstated reason, and one that I can readily understand, is the issue of personal privacy and safety for themselves and their families. The paparazzi have turned that fear into a justifiable concern. </p>
<p>But whether or not you believe that it’s morally correct to fly or own a private plane when commercial planes also exist, I think what’s undeniable is that celebrities have an influence on the behaviors of the rest of us. The potential of these celebrities to influence millions of people to drive more environmentally firendly vehicles is a postive thing, and has the potential to make a much bigger impact on the environment than an occasional private plane trip taken by a miniscule few. And not much risk of the rest of us being influenced to buy our own private jets and give up commercial air travel, is there? ;)</p>
<p>Brandon’s mom, I never said that the government should regulate who buys what car, but I am entitled to my opinion that people who don’t have a need for a hummer or other gigantic gas guzzling car shouldn’t be driving them. </p>
<p>And, as I said before, I would like to see a list of the celebrities who drive these gas guzzling cars and the numbers of these cars they own. I may choose to boycott their movies, concerts, etc.</p>
<p>Safety - an I bet you think a Honda Civic is a safety car</p>
<p>Ok I get it: the celebrities can lecture about the evils of SUVs and for themselves Gulfstreams intecontinenatl business jets (the industry stanard for celebs) can be ready for their 'disposal to take care of last minute business" The business of movies -ITS NOT LIKE THEY ARE HEART SURGEONS</p>
<p>However when an individual for example drives a FORD EXPEDITION and does so because its one of the safest vehicles on the road for belted drivers and passengers, drives the speed limit, doesn’t tailgate, doesn’t use cell phones while driving, and follows all applicable laws, and does so because of the PROTECTION OF ONE’S FAMILY- THEY ARE now THE BAD GUYS</p>
<p>Well, last I heard SUV’s were statistically no safer than regular sedans for their occupants - but they were 6 times more likely to kill the occupants of another car in a collision. So, yeah, maybe they are the bad guys, since they apparently believe that a false sense of security is more important than avoiding killing others.</p>
<p>And by the way, CITATION X, I think I mentioned this before:</p>
<p>PLEASE STOP YELLING AT US. WE CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE WHEN YOU TYPE IN LOWER CASE.</p>
<p>Kluge:
You need to look at all of the data. Sure - a heavy vehicle into a concrete wall may be worse on the occupants than a lighter vehicle but most accidents incvlove impacts with other vehicles in which case the law of physics typically prevails with the heavier vehicel coming out ahead. In a Land Cruiser versus Civic crash, I’d rather be in the Land Cruiser.</p>
<p>Odyssey:
A Hummer H3 gets 19mpg highway - not so bad. Substantially better than the city buses with 3 passengers aboard that I see.</p>
<p>Anti-SUV crowd:
The very term “SUV” seems to have taken on a life of its own with the anti-SUV crowd always having a picture in their mind of the evil Hummer H1 or a 1982 Suburban. If it’s been a while since you’ve actually looked at them, consider the 25mpg 7 passenger SUVs that can be more efficient than two 32 mpg cars in its stead and can be more appealing than a mini-van to many. Also consider the 36mpg (city) Ford Escape hybrid or the 32mpg Highlander.</p>
<p>Actually, u<em>u</em>dad, the problem with SUV’s is that they roll over and crush their occupants. It happened just the other day not far from my home. They’re designed with a high center of gravity, which, combined with heavy overall weight, makes them prime candidates to tip over. You’re right about the rest of it - which is why SUV drivers are more likely to kill other people. Mass is mass. If you drive a Land Rover into a Civic you’re likely to kill the occupants of the Civic; less so if vice-versa. I’m not anti-SUV - there are people who legitimately can use them. I’m just irritated by stupidity. And touting safety as a reason for driving an SUV is a sign of either ignorance or self-absorption or a combination of the two. </p>
<p>(By the way, your argument about one SUV instead of two smaller cars only approaches making sense if you have more than five passengers in your car most of the time. And nobody - nobody - does that.)</p>
<p>Added: Here’s some info from the NHTSA:
</p>
<p>Complete report at <a href=“http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20Safety/Studies%20&%20Reports/Associated%20Files/IPTRolloverMitigationReport.pdf[/url][”>http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20Safety/Studies%20&%20Reports/Associated%20Files/IPTRolloverMitigationReport.pdf[</a></p>
<p>kluge:
The greater tendency of high-centered vehicles to rollover is true. Design and technology is helping though. Many SUVs are designed with a lower center of gravity than they used to be and now many SUVs are equipped with electronic stabilty control systems that help avoid rollovers. </p>
<p>I’ve had SUVs since before they were the ‘in’ thing to have (1985). I originally purchased one to go 4-wheeling in (responsibly - only on established 4wd roads) which I did extensively. This was a Jeep with a 2.8liter V6 engine - it wasn’t the gas hog many equate with SUVs. I found that that type of vehicle was comfortable for the family to ride in due to the seating position of the back seat and also found it very handy for Home Depot runs and towing trailers. I’ve since had a couple more SUVs and am about to buy another replacement one. My current 7 passenger one has been very handy hauling girl scout troops, family+Grandmothers, lumber, the dog, bicycles, etc. around. If you haven’t tried owning one, depending on your lifestyle, you might want to try one - they can be practical vehicles. My work car though is a 1966 Mustang that gets around the same mileage as my SUV but think of all the energy saved by me not driving and wearing out 5-7 vehicles in the time I’ve been driving this old Mustang.</p>
<p><a href=“http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/shanklin_archives/In%20A%20Yugo.asx[/url]”>http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/shanklin_archives/In%20A%20Yugo.asx</a></p>
<p>If the libs all want to drive YUGOS - fine with me</p>
<p>KLUGE - you are a bit confused</p>
<p>No one is telling these left wing celebrities they cannot fly in private jets - however WE are constantly being lectured by them that we should not be driving SUVs</p>
<p>I can’t speak for celebrities, but having driven a hybrid for over 4 years now, I can say that they are fun to drive and that if everyone owned one, they would change their driving habits. You do feel a little self-righteous when you first drive one when you suddenly notice diesel smoke puffing out of trucks as you idle at a red light while burning no fuel (hybrid battery only).</p>
<p>I traded my Prius in on a hybrid SUV this year because I felt safer in a larger vehicle on the highway. Most cars don’t get the advertised mileage, so on the highway I’m now averaging 28 mpg and 23 in town. It is fun to try to eek out that extra mpg (setting cruise on 30 mph) but can tick off the people behind you. It’s a shame every car doesn’t have a mileage bar to see how they are doing. Coasting is key!</p>
<p>I am glad that car makers are finally coming out with smaller more gas mileage friendly SUVs. I wish they would also provide more options for the station wagon. I would like to have a Camry or Accord station wagon, but alas, they are not made anymore. (I haven’t had good reliability with cars other than Toyota or Camry, so I’m hesitant to buy other than those two brands.)</p>