In this article the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points out the difficulties in maintaining safety in vehicles while building them for better fuel efficiency. Smaller, lighter vehicles are at a disadvantage in collisions with larger vehicles because theres less structure to reduce crash forces on the occupants. A National Academy of Sciences study estimated that if cars and light trucks on the road in 1993 returned to their weight in 1976 some 2,000 lives might have been saved. Institute president Adrian Lund suggests that carmakers should not meet higher fuel economy requirements simply by downsizing them, but should use engine technologies to meet fuel-saving targets. He also suggests Congress should cap vehicle horsepower and return to lower speed limits to reduce highway deaths
Abstract