Snow and safety might be the first few reasons mentioned in trying to explain Minnesota’s meteoric rise to fourth place on America’s list of sport utility vehicle ownership per licensed driver.

But let’s be totally honest.

Does it really snow enough to justify buying an SUV? Plus, if you do enough research, you will find that SUVs aren’t necessarily all that safe.

So what’s really pushing us to buy SUVs?

Courtesy of the state Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Safety, here are some numbers that might explain why the Land of 10,000 Lakes is home to 493,600 SUVs. There are:

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More than 845,000 registered boats and other watercraft.

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At least 277,000 registered snowmobiles.

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At least 160,000 registered ATVs.

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About 103,000 recreational trailers, which we’ll call pull-behind campers.

That’s almost 1.4 million pieces of &uot;stuff,&uot; most of which needs to be hauled to a lake, a trail or some remote site to be used. It doesn’t count trailers for off-road motorcycles, fish houses, etc.

No wonder Minnesota families are demanding towing power and passenger room. And like it or not, the best answer is an SUV.

Sure, trucks are a good, but those without four doors aren’t very comfortable for older kids, not to mention full-sized adults. And, yes, minivans and even some cars are able to tow stuff. But most simply don’t offer the combination of horsepower and space found in SUVs.

Just ask the minivan driver who spins the tires pulling the boat out at the public landing. Or the car owner who has to either tie a duffel bag to the roof or stuff it under passengers’ legs because a cooler and two suitcases have filled the trunk.

Couple those factors into a state that has pretty good income levels, and you see why SUV growth exploded from 1997 to 2002.

Minnesotans’ demand for SUVs isn’t necessarily about being able to drive through snowdrifts and see over the cars gridlocked in front of you. It’s more about owning a vehicle that can carry people and their stuff to &045; and from &045; any place.

&045; St. Cloud Times