Remember the environment

Re “Hybrid vehicle sales go from 60 to 0 at breakneck speed,” March 17

Nowhere in The Times’ otherwise thorough article is even passing mention given to the environmental benefits of increasing the number of hybrid vehicles on the road.

Like many other early adopters, I chose to get my first hybrid almost a decade ago because of the vastly cleaner emissions and lower environmental impact. Somewhere along the way, however, fuel consumption trumped cleaner air as the news peg for hybrids.

Yes, more hybrids will reduce American dependence on foreign oil -- but they also reduce air pollution and the associated health effects, benefiting not only the hybrid driver but the entire community.

Perhaps the message between the lines is that less toxic air is a luxury we cannot afford in tough economic times. Take a deep breath and think about that when you consider the “cost” of a hybrid vehicle.

Alan Silverman

Culver City