The Myth That a Cleaner Car Is Less Safe Than a Dirty One By Daniel F. Becker and James Gerstenzang

The Consumer Federation of America reports that consistent new-car sales of nearly 17 million a year are outpacing the annual retirement of roughly 13 million older vehicles.

The Trump plan would lower that average to 29 m.p.g. on the road and spew an additional 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the key global warming pollutant, by 2040, according to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

It assumes that higher sticker prices for new cars will keep Americans in older, less safe vehicles.

Yet fuel economy has improved 88.5 percent over the past four decades while motor vehicle fatalities per miles have dropped 65 percent.

Encouraged by automakers to roll back President Barack Obama’s stringent fuel-efficiency rules, the administration unveiled a proposal on Thursday doing just that.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

His group is affiliated with our Safe Climate Campaign.

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

Savings at the pump greatly outweigh the cost of gas-saving technology.

The administration’s plan cooks the books: It claims clean-car technology would cost far more than the Obama team projected.

When auto executives asked President Trump to start rolling the mileage rules downhill, they didn’t anticipate that he would remove the brakes.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

Consumers haven’t balked at buying cleaner vehicles with advanced technology, despite slightly higher prices.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

Fifty-five percent of fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes, in which, for example, a vehicle strikes a bridge abutment or other stationary object.

Even as the standard has grown increasingly tough, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has bragged of the industry’s “unprecedented seven-year growth trend.”

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

So, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data, chances of surviving such a crash are better in a Chevrolet Volt, one of the most efficient vehicles, than in any number of much heavier gas-guzzling trucks.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

Trump’s Cynical Attack on Clean Cars .

Savings at the pump greatly outweigh the cost of gas-saving technology.

Even as the standard has grown increasingly tough, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has bragged of the industry’s “unprecedented seven-year growth trend.”

Encouraged by automakers to roll back President Barack Obama’s stringent fuel-efficiency rules, the administration unveiled a proposal on Thursday doing just that.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

The administration is ignoring three central facts:

The administration’s plan cooks the books: It claims clean-car technology would cost far more than the Obama team projected.

Automakers, too, have a long history of fighting safety measures, objecting to requirements that they install airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and electronic stability to prevent rollovers.

(Since the Obama targets took effect in 2012, consumers have saved more than $60 billion.)

And, since fuel-efficiency rules took effect in the mid-1970s, the government’s own data demonstrate that vehicles have grown increasingly clean and safe.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

Even as the standard has grown increasingly tough, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has bragged of the industry’s “unprecedented seven-year growth trend.”

It is the biggest single step any nation has taken to fight climate change.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

If the Trump administration scraps it, both drivers and the climate will suffer.

The Consumer Federation of America reports that consistent new-car sales of nearly 17 million a year are outpacing the annual retirement of roughly 13 million older vehicles.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

Automakers, too, have a long history of fighting safety measures, objecting to requirements that they install airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and electronic stability to prevent rollovers.

Automakers, too, have a long history of fighting safety measures, objecting to requirements that they install airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and electronic stability to prevent rollovers.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

Yet fuel economy has improved 88.5 percent over the past four decades while motor vehicle fatalities per miles have dropped 65 percent.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

“The standard is pushing automakers to use advanced materials and other technology to cut pollution and make us all safer on the road,” Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, told us.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

The administration is ignoring three central facts:

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

The original standard would deliver cars and light trucks that are safer on the road and safer for the planet.

The Trump plan would lower that average to 29 m.p.g. on the road and spew an additional 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the key global warming pollutant, by 2040, according to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The Consumer Federation of America reports that consistent new-car sales of nearly 17 million a year are outpacing the annual retirement of roughly 13 million older vehicles.

(Since the Obama targets took effect in 2012, consumers have saved more than $60 billion.)

The Trump plan would lower that average to 29 m.p.g. on the road and spew an additional 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the key global warming pollutant, by 2040, according to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

This is auto mechanics, not rocket science.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

Yet fuel economy has improved 88.5 percent over the past four decades while motor vehicle fatalities per miles have dropped 65 percent.

Facing potential public relations headaches, even automakers distanced themselves from it as the administration prepared the new rules.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

So, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data, chances of surviving such a crash are better in a Chevrolet Volt, one of the most efficient vehicles, than in any number of much heavier gas-guzzling trucks.

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

Yet fuel economy has improved 88.5 percent over the past four decades while motor vehicle fatalities per miles have dropped 65 percent.

When auto executives asked President Trump to start rolling the mileage rules downhill, they didn’t anticipate that he would remove the brakes.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, with the Environmental Protection Agency, plays a central role in determining the rules’ stringency.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

Encouraged by automakers to roll back President Barack Obama’s stringent fuel-efficiency rules, the administration unveiled a proposal on Thursday doing just that.

Compared with lighter vehicles, heavier ones “do not brake or handle as well and are more likely to roll over,” John German, a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told us.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 3, 2018

The Trump plan would lower that average to 29 m.p.g. on the road and spew an additional 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the key global warming pollutant, by 2040, according to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

And, since fuel-efficiency rules took effect in the mid-1970s, the government’s own data demonstrate that vehicles have grown increasingly clean and safe.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

But the highway agency has a long history of protecting automakers instead of the public.

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

Ford proved that efficiency and safety go hand in hand when it converted the steel bodies of its F-150 pickups to aluminum.

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

The Consumer Federation of America reports that consistent new-car sales of nearly 17 million a year are outpacing the annual retirement of roughly 13 million older vehicles.

It lopped 700 pounds from America’s best-selling model and helped lift mileage by four m.p.g.

The administration’s plan cooks the books: It claims clean-car technology would cost far more than the Obama team projected.

Consumers haven’t balked at buying cleaner vehicles with advanced technology, despite slightly higher prices.

Compared with lighter vehicles, heavier ones “do not brake or handle as well and are more likely to roll over,” John German, a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told us.

of the New York edition

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

To justify rolling back auto gas mileage and emissions rules, the Trump administration has fabricated a false conflict between safety and improved fuel economy.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

Encouraged by automakers to roll back President Barack Obama’s stringent fuel-efficiency rules, the administration unveiled a proposal on Thursday doing just that.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.

The Trump plan would lower that average to 29 m.p.g. on the road and spew an additional 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the key global warming pollutant, by 2040, according to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Fifty-five percent of fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes, in which, for example, a vehicle strikes a bridge abutment or other stationary object.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

It assumes that higher sticker prices for new cars will keep Americans in older, less safe vehicles.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

(Since the Obama targets took effect in 2012, consumers have saved more than $60 billion.)

All are now standard features.

Mr. Becker and Mr. Gerstenzang work for the Safe Climate Campaign, a project of the Center for Auto Safety.

But the highway agency has a long history of protecting automakers instead of the public.

Fifty-five percent of fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes, in which, for example, a vehicle strikes a bridge abutment or other stationary object.

Automakers, too, have a long history of fighting safety measures, objecting to requirements that they install airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and electronic stability to prevent rollovers.

A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 3, 2018

When auto executives asked President Trump to start rolling the mileage rules downhill, they didn’t anticipate that he would remove the brakes.

Ford Expedition S.U.V.s coming off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back Obama-rules on fuel efficiency.CreditBill

Compared with lighter vehicles, heavier ones “do not brake or handle as well and are more likely to roll over,” John German, a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told us.

Fifty-five percent of fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes, in which, for example, a vehicle strikes a bridge abutment or other stationary object.

Compared with lighter vehicles, heavier ones “do not brake or handle as well and are more likely to roll over,” John German, a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told us.

Fifty-five percent of fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes, in which, for example, a vehicle strikes a bridge abutment or other stationary object.

Facing potential public relations headaches, even automakers distanced themselves from it as the administration prepared the new rules.

Consumers haven’t balked at buying cleaner vehicles with advanced technology, despite slightly higher prices.

Facing potential public relations headaches, even automakers distanced themselves from it as the administration prepared the new rules.

Even as the standard has grown increasingly tough, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has bragged of the industry’s “unprecedented seven-year growth trend.”

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, with the Environmental Protection Agency, plays a central role in determining the rules’ stringency.

Automakers, too, have a long history of fighting safety measures, objecting to requirements that they install airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and electronic stability to prevent rollovers.

Yet fuel economy has improved 88.5 percent over the past four decades while motor vehicle fatalities per miles have dropped 65 percent.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

Its preferred option: bringing progress to a halt by requiring no further mileage improvements in new cars and light trucks beyond 2020.

Ford proved that efficiency and safety go hand in hand when it converted the steel bodies of its F-150 pickups to aluminum.

The administration’s attack also plays on the myth that greater weight equals greater safety and ignores engineering improvements — lane-departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and the increasing use of high-strength, low-weight steel and aluminum — that are saving lives today.

If the Trump administration scraps it, both drivers and the climate will suffer.

Facing potential public relations headaches, even automakers distanced themselves from it as the administration prepared the new rules.

As written, the original standard would cut tailpipe pollution in half and deliver a new-car fleet in 2025 averaging an estimated 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving, equivalent to about 50 m.p.g. in test conditions.

nytimes.com Opinion | The Myth That a Cleaner Car Is Less Safe Than a Dirty One 6-8 minutes

The Consumer Federation of America reports that consistent new-car sales of nearly 17 million a year are outpacing the annual retirement of roughly 13 million older vehicles.

And it predicts they will drive far more miles than in the past — 1.3 trillion more than an exhaustive Obama administration analysis forecast, thus exposing them to greater risk.

The administration is ignoring three central facts:

It is the biggest single step any nation has taken to fight climate change.

And, since fuel-efficiency rules took effect in the mid-1970s, the government’s own data demonstrate that vehicles have grown increasingly clean and safe.

Because cars and light trucks would need less gas, an average owner would save nearly $6,000 over the life of a 2025 vehicle under the Obama plan, even after paying for the gas-saving technology.

The stronger, lighter materials, which save gas by reducing weight, do a better job protecting a vehicle’s occupants because they absorb up to twice as much energy as conventional steel, and aluminum can be engineered to fold on impact, reducing crash forces.