Dumbest editorial today.

The good folks at the ultra-conservative Manchester (NH) Union-Leader editorialize today on the story that New Hampshire's own Timberland is giving employees a 3,000 credit if they purchase a hybrid vehicle. That sum basically offsets the extra cost of most hybrids. Right now, the only available hybrids are the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and Ford Escape. A Lexus is coming soon.

"The laws of physics dictate that, all else being equal, larger and heavier vehicles are safer than smaller and lighter ones. In relation to their numbers on the road, small cars have more than twice as many occupant deaths each year as large cars," reads the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's guide, "Shopping for a Safer Car." For some people, the utility of a pickup or SUV, or the safety of a heavy sedan, are more important than the higher mileage and lower emissions of a small car. If your child is killed in a collision, it is no comfort to know that at least you polluted a little less before the crash. For others, small vehicles are a better fit, whether for environmental or practical reasons. Neither side is necessarily more virtuous than the other. Timberland's cash for hybrid program is well-intentioned, to be sure. But employees who decide to take the company up on its offer and switch from a large vehicle to a small hybrid will want to know the risk involved. While hybrid vehicles are a great invention, only Ford makes one (the Escape) that is not small, and it is hardly large. Until auto makers figure out how to get high mileage and low emissions from heavy vehicles, purchasers of hybrid cars will sacrifice safety for a smaller environmental impact. That is a trade-off not everyone will be willing — or should be expected — to make.

The thesis of this idiotic rambling? EVERYONE WHO OWNS ANYTHING SMALLER THAN A TRAILBLAZER: RUN! HIDE! YOU'RE NOT SAFE!!! What poppycock. Note what I've highlighted above: ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL. Well, they're not equal. Not by a longshot. Cars must be built to very exacting emissions and safety regulations. Trucks don't. Here's a safety statistic or two from the very IIHS that the Union-Leader quotes: IN A 40 MPH OFFSET-FRONTAL COLLISION, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INJURED IN THE FRONT SEAT OF A MINI COOPER THAN IN A CHEVY TRAILBLAZER SUV, A CHEVY VENTURE/PONTIAC MONTANA MINIVAN, OR A JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. The same goes for the Honda Accord, the Honda Civic, and the Honda Insight, all of which are available with hybrid engines - in the Insight's case, only available. In fact, those cars aren't just better in a front-end collision, they're BEST PICKS for Chrissakes. Chevy Trailblazer: MARGINAL frontal protection; Chevy Venture/Olds Silhouette/Pontiac Montana: POOR frontal protection Jeep Grand Cherokee: MARGINAL frontal protection Honda Accord: BEST PICK frontal protection Honda Civic: BEST PICK frontal protection MINI Cooper: BEST PICK frontal protection Here are some selections from the Federal NHTSA's safety crash testing: 2004 Cadillac Escalade: 4-star frontal protection. 2004 Chevy Suburban: 4-star frontal driver, 3-star frontal passenger protection. The 2003 Suburban tested 3 stars for rollover protection. 2004 Trailblazer: 3-star front impact protection, 5-star side impact. Ford Explorer: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3299.html The driver's door latch opened during side impact. 3-star rollover. 2004 Toyota Prius: 5-star front driver, 4-star front psgr, 4-star side impact, 4-star rollover. 2004 Scion xA: 4-star front & sides. Rollover not tested. 2005 VW Golf: 5-star front, 4-star side. 2005 Honda Civic: 5-star front & side, 4-star rollover. 2004 Accord: 5-star front, 5-star side rear, 4-star side front. 2004 Honda Insight: 4-star all around. So, the point is that smaller cars are built to be strong and safe, and to withstand the impact from a Hummer driver who is chatting on his cellphone and mangeing some breakfast. Not only that, but your child is safer in the front seat of a Mini than in a Grand Cherokee, if you get into a severe front-end collision. And we haven't even mentioned Volvo or Saab, now have we?