Auto Q & A
Auto Q & A
By: By Dr. Wheels
Description: SUV regulations and preventing roll-overs
Topics:
Posted by editor Fri Apr 7, 2006 17:38:08 PDT
Viewed 607 times
0 responses 1 comment Dear Q & A: I was pleased to see that the government is finally setting some economy standards for our gas guzzling SUVs and trucks that will relieve us from being so dependent on Middle Eastern oil. I think it’s wonderful, don’t you?
— L.H.
Dear LH: “Wonderful” may be a little over-enthusiastic, considering how modest the Administration’s newly proposed standards really are. Best scenario, the new rules, which will be phased in gently over five years, will improve some vehicles’ mileage by a piddling 8.1 percent, while many bigger ones, the worst gas hogs, will remain unregulated. It may amount to a preemptive move on behalf of car makers and oil companies to avoid any really significant economy standards from being mandated by Congress. Loopholes are common, like auto makers’ new power to add a few pounds to a vehicle’s weight to qualify it for a lower MPG status. Since the new rules classify vehicles by weight, those near the top of their class need only be bumped up into the next ranking to qualify for more forgiving miles-per-gallon requirements. And so-called “work-vehicles,“ like the Ford F-models and Chevrolet Silverado as well as clinically obese models like the senior Hummer, appear to be exempted entirely from having to meet mile-per-gallon rules.
Compared with what could have been accomplished, based on technology already available, the new standards are helpful but nothing to pop the champagne corks about.
Downside: The fed rules are expressly written to invalidate California’s far stricter standards, passed in 2004. A cynic might wonder about the motives here.
Dear Q & A: The kind of accident I’m most fearful of is a rollover, based on some of the wrecks I’ve seen in person and on television. Which cars, minivans and trucks have the worst and the best records when it comes to rollovers?
— John L.
Dear John: You’re wise to be concerned about rollover accidents. Though they constitute only three percent of auto accidents, they’re responsible for thirty-three percent of deaths. In general, taller and narrower vehicles are the most prone to rollovers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since 2004, NHTSA has been adding real-world testing to back up what had been its theoretical findings and some of the results are surprising. The tests combine vehicles’ propensity to roll, after “tripping” on some small obstacle like a curb or hole, with their readiness to tip up onto two wheels (a deadly weakness). This trip factor is crucial, for it’s a causal element in 95 percent of rollover accidents. Many people believe that the heavier the vehicle, the less likely it is to overturn. Not so. Among the worst performers in their testing were big boys like the Ford F-150 and GMC Yukon (Chevrolet Tahoe), with the Ford Explorer Sport Trac scoring worst of all. They had rollover likelihoods of 28 to 34 percent, thus inclined to tip easily in rapid-evasive-maneuvers. In contrast were relative lightweights like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Subaru Outback, Honda Pilot, Ford Freestyle and Chrysler Pacifica, none of which lost contact with the pavement on either side.
Absolute best in the rankings were the Chrysler Pacifica, with four stars, a 13-percent chance of rollover and no-tip, and (among minivans and trucks) the Nissan Quest, which also earned four stars, a stellar 12 percent rollover chance, and the no-tip rating.
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Wed Apr 19, 2006 16:12:39 PDT
Yeah it is great to require cars to satisfy a higher mpg rating, but what will that do to the sticker price of the autos. I can't afford to but a new car now. If they go up a couple thousand more dollars that is just going to price more people out of the new car market. Before the government puts more regulations out the need to think about how these new regulations will impact all Americans, not just the ones rich enough to buy the gas guzzlers. I'd love to buy one of the hybrid cars. 40 to 50 mpgs sounds like heaven to me with gas prices up to $3.00+ a gallon. I just can't afford the up front cost of a hybrid car.
