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Safety and SUVs


THE DISCORD between those who drive sport-utility vehicles and those who can't stand them seems to be growing -- probably a reflection of the increasing number of SUVs on the road, the intimidating hugeness of many of them and the way they're often driven, especially in urban environments. It doesn't rise to the level of Abraham Lincoln's "house divided," but the issues of wastefulness, air pollution and safety are bringing forth emotional reactions that are unusually intense for something so mundane as daily transportation. Lately the opposition to SUVs has taken some odd turns -- into theology (the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign by a group of churches) and the question of whether driving gas-guzzling SUVs aids terrorism (as alleged in an advertising campaign by Arianna Huffington and others).

This week the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Jeffrey W. Runge, did something to steer the debate onto a useful course. Dr. Runge is a physician with long experience in emergency rooms, where he has seen firsthand the carnage wrought by cars and trucks. In a speech to an automotive group in Detroit and an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he sharply criticized SUVs on safety grounds. Avoiding religion and the higher morality of fuel economy, he stuck to his job as chief of the agency responsible for promoting highway safety, and simply cited some numbers. He pointed out that SUVs, because of their high center of gravity, are about three times as likely as automobiles to roll over. And while rollovers account for only 3 percent of highway crashes, they are responsible for about a third of the deaths of vehicle occupants. Dr. Runge also cited an "astounding" 22 percent increase in deaths in single-vehicle rollovers in 2001.

This is not exactly news, and the American auto industry regularly responds to it by saying that many of the rollover victims would have survived if they had worn seat belts (which may be reassuring to you if you think you can always count on your 17-year-old to buckle up when he sets out for a Saturday night in the family SUV). What is news -- although it surely shouldn't be -- is that a high federal official is speaking openly and honestly on the dangers of one of the most profitable products of a major American industry. It's especially remarkable in a Republican administration, one that has been notably lax in dealing with some of the loopholes automakers have procured from Congress over the years for SUVs -- in the areas of safety, mileage and pollution.

Dr. Runge says new federal requirements may be needed -- perhaps additional air bags -- to reduce deaths and injuries in SUV rollovers. Automakers, who have fared marvelously well in fending off regulation of this class of vehicles, can be expected to make themselves heard and felt once again if the doctor attempts any serious measures. This time, though, perhaps they'll find the going a little harder -- provided their opponents' rising evangelical fervor can be channeled in the right direction.