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In 1975, Congress enacted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, in an attempt to reduce gasoline consumption in the wake of the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo. These regulations set a minimum for the average mile per gallon that certain types of automobiles receive. Current CAFE standards require an average of 27.2 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars and 21.6 mpg for light trucks. Despite its noble intentions and environmental concern, the CAFÉ standards have been more than ineffective and have done more to harm society than to help.
The initial thought behind the introduction of CAFE standards was that it would improve the mpg of cars and small trucks, which would in turn reduce the gasoline consumption and help save the environment. It has been proven in numerous studies that CAFE standards have little impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental benefits of increasing CAFE standards are often exaggerated.
The CAFE standards’ attempt to improve the way that cars consume gasoline has adversely impacted several other areas of the automobile production and use. One of the most obvious negative effects of the CAFE standards on the production of cars and light trucks, is the lowering of safety requirements. Because cars and trucks have to be lighter to comply with the mpg requirement, they are less crashworthy. These smaller cars, created because of the CAFE standards have caused an average of 2,000 more highway deaths per year, and over 50,000 deaths since its adoption in 1975. This is especially pertinent in my community. With more and more teen drivers hitting the road, driving safe cars is imperative. The CAFE standards have made safe cars and trucks not only hard to find, but also more expensive. The CAFE standards have made automobile production have a trade-off between safety and efficiency.
CAFE standard increases harm domestic automakers and employment in the domestic auto industry. Automakers have said that...