Recreation Vehicles

The top U.S. auto-safety official said Monday that there is no clear solution to the dangers light trucks pose to cars in crashes and that any future regulations to minimize the hazard should be broadly drawn. The remarks by National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Ricardo Martinez signal that so-called vehicle compatibility will take years to address with a variety of strategies that are likely to be employed by auto makers.

Afew years ago when Dorothy and David Counts, a husband-and-wife team of Canadian anthropologists, began applying for research grants to rent a recreational vehicle for a leisurely journey through California and the rest of the Sunbelt, their colleagues scoffed.

Rosa Ocampo, surrounded by weeping relatives, sang Christian hymns and prayed Friday as she buried seven members of her family who perished recently in a freak explosion during a Mexican vacation.

The government's highway safety agency will propose strongly worded labels for sport-utility vehicles, prompted by statistics showing their risk of rollover is double that of other vehicles.

If your concept of a getaway is more middle of the road, consider hitting the brakes at Lake Isabella RV Resort, owned by Daniel Wasbin of Irvine. The California Travel Parks Assn.