32 



[Statement of Mr. Mcllwaine may be found at end of hearing.] 

 Mr. Saxton. Thank you very much. Ms. Steed. 



STATEMENT OF DIANE STEED, PRESIDENT, COALITION FOR 

 VEHICLE CHOICE 



Ms. Steed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate this oppor- 

 tunity to discuss the "Teaming with WildHfe" proposal today. The 

 CoaHtion for Vehicle Choice is a nonprofit organization that was 

 created to preserve the freedom of Americans to choose safe and af- 

 fordable motor vehicles that meet their individual needs and their 

 freedom to travel. 



CVC includes about 40,000 groups and individuals from all walks 

 of life who believe that freedom of choice and mobility are impor- 

 tant values that must be considered as society develops its govern- 

 mental policies. CVC believes that government has an important 

 role to play in the development of policies to address legitimate 

 public concerns. But we also believe that government has an obli- 

 gation to protect the mobility of Americans and the needs of car 

 and truck buyers for function, safety, and affordability. 



It is the proposed inclusion of sport utility vehicles that interests 

 the coalition. And although the objective of the proposal, the pres- 

 ervation of our nation's wildlife population and habitat, is definitely 

 well intentioned, CVC believes that the proposed fee is not a user 

 fee in the traditional sense of the word, where those who pay are 

 those who actually use the resource. Instead, we view the fee as 

 an excise or hidden tax that would be imposed on the users of sport 

 utility vehicles, whether or not they travel offroad. 



In fact, I would have to say that the assumption that most, if not 

 all, owners of sport utility vehicles bought them to engage in some 

 type of recreation simply is not true. While that is true for some 

 purchasers of these vehicles, it is not true for many others. Many 

 people buy sport utility vehicles in order to get around in bad 

 weather or for the added safety for driving onroad. And I have to 

 say that many women favor sport utilities for these reasons. 



I recently visited a dealer showroom in the suburbs here in 

 Washington, and the owner told me that the majority of his cus- 

 tomers looking to buy a sport utility vehicle are women, and that 

 they prefer this type of vehicle because they feel safer in a larger 

 vehicle sitting up higher than the rest of traffic. 



I can confirm that feeling since I too drive a sport utility vehicle. 

 The reasons I bought the vehicle were for safety because a larger 

 vehicle is safer than a smaller one, for four-wheel-drive capability 

 in foul weather, and for hauling capability for errands. I do not use 

 that vehicle offroad. 



And I have to add that last winter, my neighborhood certainly 

 appreciated my four-wheel-drive since my next-door neighbor is an 

 emergency physician and asked me to get up at five in the morning 

 and take her to work when her car couldn't get through the snow. 



People who buy utility vehicles for these reasons or business ap- 

 plications would not directly benefit from this so-called user fee 

 since from their standpoint, there is no more reason to tax a utility 

 vehicle than any other type of vehicle such as a station wagon or 

 a minivan. 



