Small Cars Can Be Safe, Too

September 27, 2005

WSJ.com - How U.S. Shifted Gears to Find Small Cars Can Be Safe, Too

For decades, whenever the federal government leaned on auto makers to improve fuel efficiency, the industry had a ready response: Research showed that lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles weren’t as safe as their heavier, gas-guzzling cousins. Even shedding as little as 100 pounds could lead to a serious increase in traffic fatalities.

The result has been a virtual standstill in fuel-economy improvements for cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles over the past 20 years.

Now a wave of new studies and technologies — strong, light materials, better airbags and smarter designs — are beginning to break the logjam. The upshot: A big shift in government thinking that is paving the way for regulators to revamp fuel-economy rules for SUVs and pickup trucks for the first time in three decades.

Another article of false faith bites the dust. One of the reasons I own a SUV is for protection against my aging reflexes and to improve the odds of surviving a crash. I would much rather drive a smaller, more environment-friendly vehicle, since most of my driving is around town and not on the highways. According to the WSJ article, there may be some hope, if I live long enough.

All of which reminds me of a lesson learned from last week’s drive from Lake Ozark to the the Ozark forest south of Springfield, Missouri. About 75 miles of that drive was on Interstate 44, fighting packs of eighteen-wheelers at 75 mph. It was not a good experience, and I felt relieved when I got off the Interstate and onto the back roads, as hilly and twisted as they were.

On the trip back I avoided the Interstate and stayed on older highways. The trip may have taken a bit longer, but it was much easier driving, at least for this old fogey.

Dave, thinking there is a lesson here somewhere.

Posted by Dave | Filed Under Today