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Incentives will not change our fossil-fuel guzzling habits.

Our leaders in Washington set fuel consumption standards for all vehicles operating on the roads of the country, but left a massive loophole in the law permitting trucks' to have lower fuel standards. Despite gas prices, we saw a continued climb in the numbers of those gas hogs operating on the roads, people driving them out of safety' and convenience.'

Which begs the question what soccer mom or urban dweller out there ever has a need to haul a hog to market, or tow a tractor through the mud which is what a truck is built for? What price comes with the safety of the people driving these behemoths for their vanity's sake?

The safety in an SUV is completely illusory. The safety' comes from the difference in mass between a piggy Lexus LX with its pathetic 13 miles per gallon, weighing in at a whopping 5,950 pounds, striking a 3,500 pound car that gets 35 miles per gallon. Injury statistics for comparably sized vehicles are virtually identical.

As far as convenience rent a truck when you need one. Trucks were not intended to be a commuter vehicle so you could do battle on the roads with the rest of us.

I am all for people being permitted to freely choose what they purchase but not if it comes at the expense of all of us.

I call for an annual tax on anyone driving a vehicle that does not meet minimum mileage standards, across all makes and types of vehicles, and incentives for purchasing a vehicle that exceeds that minimum by 20% or more.

Learn more about this author, W Thomas Payne.
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