First I would not recommend installing Simple SEO URL on a website which was not previously running this module. The main reason is because the module is no longer supported (is listed as 1.3.8 and 1.3.9a as compatible - not 1.5.x). So when you upgrade to the latest version of Zen Cart (you will eventually need to upgrade) there is a good chance you will run into additional problems.
If you need human friendly URLs for a business reason (keywords in URLs are not a magical way to automatically improve your SEO) - both CEON Mapping URI and Ultimate SEO URLs are currently supported on both Zen Cart 1.3.9h and Zen Cart 1.5.x.
Back to your error message... Your host probably has
PHP "safe mode" enabled. This will limit your use of PHP and may cause additional issues down the road.
PHP "safe mode" is also deprecated (and will be removed in future PHP versions). I would recommend having your host turn "safe mode" off or switch to a host which does not have "safe mode" enabled.