Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Government fuel efficiency standards may kill you


The Obama Administration is pushing Detroit and the American public towards smaller, more fuel efficient automobiles. This move would certainly save energy and reduce carbon emissions that "global warming theory" advocates are concerned about. A negative consequence could be more injuries and fatalities on Americas highways. One of the prime reasons Americans chose the large SUV's was their good performance in crash tests. Many of these larger vehicles were bought by families with small children. As you might have guessed, the micro cars Obama wants us to drive don't crash test very well. Details from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are here. Here is the story from Freep.com.
WASHINGTON -- Micro cars can give motorists top-notch fuel efficiency at a competitive price, but the insurance industry says they don't fare too well in collisions with larger vehicles.
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In crash test results to be released today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart Fortwo, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant leg and head injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger, midsize vehicles.

"There are good reasons people buy mini cars. They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests," said Adrian Lund, the institute's president.

Automakers who manufacture the small cars said the tests simulated a high-speed crash that rarely happens on the road. They also said the tests rehashed past insurance industry arguments against tougher fuel efficiency requirements.

The institute has raised questions about whether stricter gas mileage rules, which are being developed by the government, might lead to smaller, lighter vehicles that could be less safe.

2 comments:

MAS1916 said...

Lets home as many Liberals as possible buy these things. Darwin will be laughing as the Demcorat population begins to dwindle from frequent car wrecks.

Steel Phoenix said...

Yeah, your giant steel cube will keep you safe as you kill the whole family in the small car you hit, and it will do a good job of compensating for your lack of manhood while it does it. As an American, I'd feel like a chump forking over that much cash to the terrorists at the gas pump.