SilverLink - Fall 2008 - (Page 18)

deactivation, turbo charging and tires with lower rolling resistance. All technology, including improved aerodynamics and variable lift and timing, had no impact on the size or weight of the car and involved no major cost increase. It is important to remember that the SUV was once notorious for rollovers, roof collapse and poor braking. In response to public outcry, the industry modiﬁed SUVs, making them some of the safest vehicles on the road. The improvements were made possible not by increasing the mass of the SUV, but by utilizing better technology and engineering. When CAFE standards were ﬁrst introduced in the 1970s, cars initially became lighter. However, over time, automobile manufacturers instituted changes that resulted in the average American car weighing nearly 30 percent more today than it did in the 1980s. Engineers are quick to point out that it is not always the heavy car that wins in a collision. The driver of a 1999-2002 Chevy Blazer is 26 times more likely to die in that vehicle than the driver of the similar model year Toyota 4Runner, even though both are midsize SUVs and the 4Runner weighs 200 lbs. less. 2 A Chevy Suburban is 40 percent more likely to kill another driver in a collision but is as safe for its own driver and passengers as a 1999 Honda Accord. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards have pretty much stayed ﬂat for more than a decade. Efforts to require cars and trucks to be more fuel efﬁcient have repeatedly been stymied in Congress. Source: NHTSA Future Challenges The growing number of gasoline and diesel-electric hybrid cars and trucks has created an additional challenge for ﬁrst responders—the ﬁreﬁghters and emergency employees who are ﬁrst on the scene of a crash. Exposure to the high voltage stored in these vehicles increases the danger to those involved in a hybrid crash. The auto industry must provide continual updates to alert ﬁrst responders when technology changes and/or new dangers are identiﬁed. The number of new hybrids and vehicles equipped with fuelsaving technologies is expected to increase signiﬁcantly in the future. It’s important that we understand the challenges we face as energy issues evolve. Better engineering and communication are necessary to keep roads safe while using the world’s resources more efﬁciently. The average fuel economy of new U.S. vehicles — a ﬁgure that counts both cars and trucks — jumped dramatically in the ﬁrst 10 years after federal standards were introduced. Improvements became sluggish from the mid to late ‘80s — and fuel economy actually slid from the late ‘80s to the mid-’90s. Since then, overall fuel efﬁciency hasn’t budged much. The main reason: Americans have switched to driving bigger cars and trucks, which guzzle more gas than passenger vehicles. 1 Maria Godoy, “CAFE Standards: Gas-Sipping Etiquette for Cars,” June 18, 2007, accessed on July 24, 2008 at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/ story.php?storyId=5448289 2 Rocky Mountain Institute, www.rmi.org * Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are federal laws that mandate the miles per gallon (mpg) average requirements to auto makers. Current requirements are 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.2 mpg for light trucks. CONTACT PETE HANLEY AT 402.96 4.5729 OR PHANLEY@ SSGI.COM 18 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=5448289 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=5448289 http://www.rmi.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SilverLink - Fall 2008

SilverLink - Fall 2008 Table of Contents Risk Management: Toto A Marriage Made to Last Cashier’s Check Fraud? Selection Validation Digital Tool Box When the Curtain Falls Lightning Strikes Increased Fuel Economy Employee Benefits: To Infinity & Beyond Securing Retiree Healthcare Private Client Services: Batter Up! Shaking Things Up STOLI Under Attack Client Spotlight: Bellevue University Internal Happenings: SilverStone Group Wellness Activities Group

SilverLink - Fall 2008

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