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Article: Higher fuel-efficiency standards make cars less safe in accidents.(Originated from Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- March 7, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The following editorial appeared in the Orange County Register on March 6:
The oil crisis of the 1970s is two decades behind us, but one destructive legacy remains: the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards enacted by Congress in 1975.
These mandates, called CAFE, were intended to force makers to increase the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks by calling for an ``average'' standard for each company for new cars sold. That standard in 1997 is 27.5 miles per gallon.
The mandates, as well as rising demand for more fuel-efficient cars, have had one terrible, if unintended, consequence over the years: increased traffic deaths. The lighter ...