Would You Take A Hit In Vehicle Safety For Better Mileage?

Editor

As Bob Lutz pointed out at dinner the other night, the new CAFE standards requiring seemingly modest increases in fleet fuel economy really put automakers in a Catch-22. Government safety regulations, which require all cars to be increasingly heavy, structurally complex, and stuffed with airbags, cut into the very fuel-mileage gains that CAFE requires. But you kind of have to wonder, is this safety over-engineering really "what the consumer wants"? Sure, people are real ninnies about safety these days, wanting to sue over every stumble on the sidewalk and to legislate every detail of kids’ playgrounds. But does the average new-car shopper really feel they need a car with airbags in every surface that’ll pass with top ratings on every possible impact scenario—including those that very rarely occur in real life? Sure, all this stuff is already mandated by the government, and is unlikely to be rolled back. But with a ton of people shelling out good money for older Festivas and Geo Metros these days, I have to wonder: if you were given the choice, would you sacrifice five-star safety ratings for an affordable new car that got 50 mpg or better?

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Posted at 8:00 am in Gas, Jen Dunnaway, Safety

Comments

Anonymous
Jun 20, 2008 at 7:43 am

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Stewart
Jun 20, 2008 at 1:22 am

Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society.
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Many Americans will sue anyone, anywhere, anytime, if they think they can get a settlement.
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Plus, it seems that many people never own up to their own mistakes,
and must always place blame on someone else…
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Myself, I don’t need all the safety gadgets. I drive a ‘99 Miata,
and even though it has two air bags, I really don’t expect to come
out of a bad wreck unscathed.
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I’d rather have a light weight vehicle, with minimal options, that has better performance and mileage.
.
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Thank your peers and the scum sucking bottom dwellers (aka attorneys) for all mandated safety crap that we not only have to live with, but get to pay extra for.
.
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Ahh, America…
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Just what have we done to ourselves?????

Heidi
Jun 19, 2008 at 8:44 pm

Most people just think of safety equipment giving them a license to drive even worse… I personally am not a fan of airbags, some day I’ll get around to disconnecting mine, especially since they’ll just probably rip off my head at the track when I am wearing a helmet…

I drove a ‘93 Sentra as my daily driver up until a few years ago. Car had no airbags. I felt really safe in that car, it was like a tank. I once got in a 30mph accident, and the grill cracked and I got a tiny dent on the hood. Do that in a modern car and the damn thing will total out and you’ll have injuries from the airbags most likely. I was just fine from the accident, too. Car also got great gas mileage.

geoff partain
Jun 19, 2008 at 5:02 pm

HELL YES! why do we need 20 airbags? if you get in a crash and die its your fault for not being a better driver, not the car company for making a “death trap”. make a light weight performer and just drive smart.

Dhillaz
Jun 19, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Japanese and European car companies sell thousands of cars in the US every month, many of these are small, and have to abide by the same safety laws as home-grown gas guzzlers.

My tiny Citroen has airbags in every seat and all over the dashboard, and has a 4 star European NCAP safety rating (which is way tougher than any American regulatory body), and its 1.4 litre engine barely sips fuel.

So far fuel has been reasonably priced: that’s why US manufacturers have been so keen to slap as much stuff in their cars so far, but it’s changing already; the Ford Fiesta is going to America in 2010.

Ben Kennedy
Jun 19, 2008 at 4:15 pm

I’d take the mileage over safety. I drive hundreds of miles a year, but I don’t usually get in accidents…

GTwildfire
Jun 19, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Look at the SMART. For new cars, you shouldn’t have to take much of a hit, literally or figuratively, if you want to get something efficient.

Evan
Jun 19, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Hell Yes! In real life Scenarios all of the safety in the world can’t help you if you end up hitting something at 80 mph. Bring on the mileage and back off a bit on the safety. I mean do we really need 10 Airbags in a car? How many little “beer can on wheels” do you see in a day? I know I see hundreds, obviously people aren’t that concerned about safety!

Highspeedhijinks
Jun 19, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Yes… I bought a motorcycle

Derrick
Jun 19, 2008 at 12:17 pm

forget safety, I’ll take the mileage