Posted on 05/20/2009 4:33:37 AM PDT by Cindy
The Obama administration’s proposed mileage standards that will be announced today may kill more Americans at a faster rate than the Iraq War, his signature issue in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Obama’s standards will require automakers to meet a 35 miles-per-gallon standard by 2016, four years earlier than the same standard imposed by the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007.
The only way for carmakers to meet these standard is to make smaller, lighter -- and deadlier cars.
The National Academy of Sciences has linked mileage standards with about 2,000 deaths per year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every 100-pound reduction in the weight of small cars increases annual traffic fatalities by as much as 715.
In contrast in the more than six years since the Iraq war began, there have been 4,296 deaths among American military personnel.
And what will be gained by the new mileage standards?
The Natural Resources Defense Council said that the 35 MPG standard would save about one million gallons of gas per day. So how does that savings balance against the 2,000 fatalities per year that the National Academy of Sciences says are caused by those same lighter cars?
(Excerpt) Read more at frontpagemag.com ...
The mortality rate for SUV drivers is 48 per million. The mortality rate for drivers of small cars is 85 per million. Obama and the Democrats who support this will be responsible for killing far more Americans during his administration than George Bush did fighting two wars.
Also, the nanny state wants all children to be in booster seats until they are 8 years old. How are you going to fit three child seats in these sardine-can-sized Obamobiles? I suppose families will have to travel in two cars, if they can afford two over-priced hybrids, or stay home.
Weight does not necessarily equate to strength. Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel — it is also more expensive. Carbon fiber is lighter and stronger than aluminium — it is also more difficult to work. The current internal combustion petrol engines are not the most efficient way to convert fuel into motion — they are heavy and wasteful.
A better, lighter, stronger, safer, faster car is out there somewhere, and it will be cheap enough to render our existing automobile stock obsolete in a matter of a couple years after it is introduced.
But it isn’t going to be invented by Gummint fiat: just because Obama stamps his foot. And it isn’t going to happen from a Gummint-run GM or Chrysler who remain captives of the auto trade unions.
It will happen as a result of innovation. That happens best in the Free Market: something Obama wouldn’t understand if it jumped up and bit him on his arse.
This should do wonders for the used car business.
The next step is banning cars over 5 years old.
Its no joke although it may sound like one.
Obama just took over the job of Congress by passing his own laws, what are we paying those clowns on the Hill for. Let’s just rid ourselves of Congress and let der Fuhrer make up his own laws.
According to a guy on the Sean Hannity show yesterday (I don't recall his name) who is supposed to be an expert on this stuff, the figures listed in the article for the National Academy of Sciences and the NHTSA are low-balled. He stated that the benchmark death rate due to CAFE standards established by the National Academy of Science is 2800/year and that the new standard announced by Zero yesterday will increase that number by at least 800 to 3600 CAFE-related deaths/year and could be as high as 4300 deaths/year.
You raise an excellent question, kitty, and the first thing that flashed through my mind after reading your post was Hitler's Volkswagon. With Zero having exceeded his authority and taken over the US auto manufacturing market, one has to wonder if the "Obamobile" (love that name!!) will be the equivalent of Hitler's VW??
.......what will farmers and contractors just to name a few be able to work......
There will be small turbocharged diesel engines that will get much better milage than the present gas engines.
I have such a vehicle, a Sprinter van.. It has a Mercedes turbo diesel engine that gets 23 mpg at 70 mph cruise and 22 around town. It is three years old and not the current technology.
My big van gets the milage of a Honda CRV of the same age.
Even the experts interviewed on NPR yesterday brought up the fact that these new standards *will* raise car prices if we don’t compromise safety. I had to chuckle at the “advanced” technology offered up for our eco-salvation: Turbochargers! So we’re going back to what, the late 80’s? Since only a small amount of R&D funds are going to be spent on this off-the-shelf “technology”, it would appear the auto manufacturers stand to make some money off this. I would have expected a lot more pushback from the auto manufacturers had Obama’s standards required truly new technology or a radical departure from current designs.
.....I would have expected a lot more pushback from the auto manufacturers had Obama’s standards required truly new technology or a radical departure from current designs.....
The question was what will contractors do. The answer was given and it is obvious that will not be a problem The average permits vehicles at the lower millage end.
I think the manufacturers did not push back because thay know the standards can and will be delayed. also, they have and continue to make improvements. Ford and Chevy make the trucks and vans and they are far behind the Germans and Japanese in making fuel efficient trucks.
My van is bigger and at least 25% more fuel efficient than the Ford/Chevy counterparts.
It is interesting that rather than incorporate Mercedes technology into trucks, Dodge used American diesel engines that don’t begin to measure up to the German products. They had a chance and blew it.
Correct, but it does determine how abruptly the car will come to a stop in a collision. More weight means the car can use up some of its kinetic energy in shoving the other car. Coming to a stop in 15 feet instead of 5 feet can easily be the difference between life and death. Lightweight cars can subject the body to lethal G forces.
Congress Close on ‘Cash for Clunkers’ ($4,500 “Credit” for old gas-guzzler trade-in)
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/congress-close-on-cash-for-clunkers/?hpw
...35 miles-per-gallon standard by 2016, four years earlier than the same standard imposed by the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007. The only way for carmakers to meet these standard is to make smaller, lighter -- and deadlier cars. The National Academy of Sciences has linked mileage standards with about 2,000 deaths per year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every 100-pound reduction in the weight of small cars increases annual traffic fatalities by as much as 715.This is partly BS, but there are at least four problems with this fuel economy approach.
Yep, that’s the one.
The Obamobile will be heading to a Chrysler/GM dealer near you.
It’ll get 75 miles down the road (when the sun shines) and the only carbon emissions will be those produced by the occupants!!
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