Own an SUV? There’s a chance you might end up as the target of a climate activist group that’s made it their mission to get big vehicles off the road . How are they doing this? By going around and slashing tires.
The Tyre Extinguishers (or Tire Extinguishers, depending on what part of the world you live in) are taking a stance against climate change by making it impossible to drive an SUV .
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The group began in the U.K., but has started to spread to the U.S.
The group’s social media account shares posts about their efforts , which include slashing tires on dozens of vehicles both in the U.K. and the U.S.
While they have their support, there’s plenty of opposition, too.
A flyer left on a vandalized car made its way on to Reddit , where people were far more confused and angered by the actions than supportive in any way whatsoever.
A user posted a pic of the flyer, captioning it with, “Yeah, this is a thing now.”
The user found this in the San Francisco Bay area. The flyer is a surprisingly long read, with points about how SUVs are horrible for the environment, and the fact that most drivers take unnecessary risks. In addition, car crashes involving SUVs tend to be deadlier than ones involving smaller cars .
The comments under the post were not in favor of this tactic, though.
Many Redditors brought up valid criticisms and concerns regarding The Tire Extinguishers’ decisions to deface SUVs that belong to individuals, rather than take their fight to larger companies or legislations.
For many, it seems wrong to punish individuals.
A commenter wrote, “I have an issue with large powerful corporations, but I’m going to target my complaint against individuals who have no power or influence on the system. Seems fair, amirite?”
Messing with someone’s property seems pretty counterproductive.
“This is one weird way to recruit more allies to your cause,” said one comment. “Yeah, thanks for wrecking my day and costing me money, I share your beliefs now.”
You’re mostly just going to upset people rather than change their minds about their driving choices.
For some users, this whole crusade seems pretty short sided.
One comment reads, “The flat tire isn’t going to cause someone to give up their vehicle. It will cause premature disposal of a tire and, in some cases with an all-wheel-drive vehicle, premature disposal of all 4 tires.”
In other words, the damage they do might end up causing more pollution in the end.
Not to mention the fact that it’s not logistically viable.
Some commenters pointed out that there are large parts of the United States where driving is the only viable option, as it might be too hard to walk or bike somewhere, and public transit doesn’t reach every place.
A commenter wrote, “Like, there’s no bus that even touches my workplace. Walking to the grocery store is hazardous in most areas. Cross walks are a rarity outside of cities.”
But this isn’t to say that The Tire Extinguishers are completely in the wrong.
It’s no secret that cars on the road present a risk to individuals and the environment, and bigger SUVs and pickup trucks are the worst offenders.
But the way the group has gone about it is definitely scratching heads.
That’s not to say this won’t make a difference in the end, though.
In any case, if you happen to own and drive an SUV or a 4×4, here’s hoping you don’t end up a target.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
