That was the theme of a lengthy piece in USA Today last July. More than 40,000 people died in crashes they could have survived in heavier vehicles, the newspaper claimed. The theory, cited by automakers trying to repeal CAFE altogether, ignores the fact that SUVs present significant rollover risk in accidents, making them just as dangerous overall as passenger cars. Greene points out that cars were getting smaller and lighter before CAFE went into effect, and that a vehicle's distribution of mass is often as much a factor in crash survivability as is its size. The bottom line is that if I buy a large SUV or pickup, I'm in effect imposing a safety risk on everyone else which might be greater than the safety benefit to me.
Environmentalists vow to continue an impassioned fight for tougher CAFE standards.
But the industry is just as ardent in opposition.