Size Matters

by Janet Levine

Moments before it happened we were in my car, sitting at a red light, discussing the relative morality of driving an SUV. Even a smallish one like mine. My passenger was of the opinion that I wasn’t a bad person, I was doing a very bad thing. She drove a much smaller car which left only a tiny carbon footprint.

I didn’t disagree with her. But I like being high up and able to see where I am going. And in a city where it is statistically probable that you will have more than one accident during your driving career, I find myself weighing safety against the environment.

But her little car is cute and a lot of fun to drive. Not to mention the much better gas mileage. Maybe I should look for a more eco-friendly car.

And then the noise, followed by the sensation and our bodies, even tethered by seatbelts, thrown about. Finally, the recognition that someone had careened into us. Hard.

I pulled over to the side and the behemoth Lexus SUV followed. The driver was young, newly licensed and terrified. She had been driving her aunt’s car, and it was pretty well beat up. The front was crushed, the hood all funny angles, and she couldn’t open the driver’s side door. More, there was something ominous leaking from underneath.

The rear of my car was not a pretty sight, but it was just the rear and the thing was clearly drivable. After we exchanged all our information and I called my insurance company, I pulled slowly away.

So, said my passenger, completely reversing her former position, maybe driving an SUV isn’t so bad. Her car, she avowed, would have been totaled. If a huge SUV hit her, she very well might have suffered a bit more than surprise.