Dagny, you pose a very good, and old, question.

Much like you I am inclined to help people; I have don SAR and EMS for over 12 years, and not for the glory of it. (Though the fun red and blue lights are a good perk, LOL). The question of rescuing more people in lue of gear is not entirely how I look at it.

I have lived in areas where my neighbors would have stolen my truck from me if given the chance rather than work with me. If memory servers correctly there were unconfirmed reports that Katrina refugees were stealing from there hosting families. There is still the point that if you have the resources you should try to help some people, meaning pick those that you will help make a plan to involve them and bring them with you. This way you’re not picking up random strangers on the side of the road that you have no history with.

Given the opportunity I would take a preparedness drive and see how many side and back roads. Maybe power lines or dirt roads you can find. Seek out the roads that are unappealing to the average driver and you may find a route that will be longer in miles but NOT in time or gas. Perhaps carrying a bit of extra gas may pay off also. Google maps will pay off in spades on this.

The Honda element isn't what I would call and SUV. Yes, it has 4x4 and will go great in the snow. But hardcore off reading it may break, or lack the clearance. But dirt roads and some reasonable power lines you should have no problem. Keep in mind that a Ford Explorer has about 7 inches of cleanse.

I have to agree that what is being sold as an SUV/4x4 is not what I would like to take off road. Stock tires, and suspensions are made for highway driving and looking cool. Conversely do you really want to be rock crawling or taking on class 5 off road trails when you are evacuating? If you ventured up the, "old mountain pass" road that requires a supper lifted or modified or even a seriously modified vehicle and you get stuck, guess what, no one is going to come pull you out. If you have a winch, well that may help, a little.

The truth is that if you find a series of less appealing roads to the average driver, you will be more likely to not see traffic. But as you review these alternative routes ask yourself if you can take them when the weather is bad. Also I will pose the question, who said you couldn't drive on the grassy strip between the highways?

To sum it all up, I would say bring people, chose them wisely remember that the complexity of anything is not simply increased for every person you involve but expediential increased for every person you add. Also remember that being prepared is being ahead of the lemmings.



FYI, Honda element 2010 has 6.9 inches of ground clearance.