CAFE standards lead to more auto deaths
September 4th, 2007 by Brendan SteinhauserOur friends at the National Center for Public Policy Research have put together a great guide to mandatory CAFE standards increases. Basically, there is a direct link between higher CAFE standards, which means lighter cars, and an increase in highway deaths due to car crashes.
 As part of its debate over the Energy Bill (S.1419), the U.S. Senate is now considering raising CAFE standards to require all passenger cars and light trucks to average 52 mpg. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) have proposed an alternative increase, which would require a 36 mpg standard for cars by 2022 and 30 mpg for light trucks by 2025.
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CAFE standards are dangerous. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences released a report, “Effectiveness and Impact of CAFE Standards 2002,” concluding that since CAFE standards were imposed in the U.S. in 1975, an additional 2,000 deaths per year can be attributed to the downsizing of cars required to meet CAFE standards.
As Congress returns from its vacation, we need to remind lawmakers that the Senate version of the energy bill should not include these mandatory increases in CAFE standards. Ask your Representative and Senators whether they support a policy that they know would lead to more highway deaths.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I think thats an important point you raise but I think that with the Congress we currently have there is no chance that CAFE standards won’t go through in some form. After doing some work with the AAM and I know that there is some legislation in the House that at least puts cars and trucks in separate categories with reasonable increases - but that is the best on the table. Drivecongress.com has some good info on this subject on their site and ways to contact your Congressmen too - its worth checking out.