Copyright 2000 P.G. Publishing Co.
Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
May 25, 2000, Thursday, SOONER EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL, Pg. A-30
LENGTH: 485 words
HEADLINE:
SUV CONFESSION;
A FORD ADMITS THE VEHICLES ARE GAS-GUZZLING BEHEMOTHS
BODY:
It's always news when a top executive
admits the ugly truth about his product. William C. Ford Jr., chairman of the
Ford Motor Co., has conceded that his company's hugely profitable sport utility
vehicles cause more pollution and are more dangerous if involved in accidents
than normal-sized cars.
Mr. Ford, the great-grandson of the founder of
the company, is troubled by the safety record of SUVs, which are three times as
likely to kill the driver of the other car when involved in a crash, while the
SUV driver is no safer because of the vehicle's tendency to roll over and its
poor ability to absorb an impact. He also has pangs of conscience about the way
SUVs consume huge quantities of gasoline and emit pollutants, including carbon
dioxide.
However, the big question remains: What next? Mr. Ford already
has said his company won't stop making the large vehicles that are so popular
with drivers, contending that other companies would merely fill the void. And he
said Ford will continue research and development to make SUVs, like its Explorer
and Expedition and its megagiant Excursion, safer and more fuel efficient. The
company has already put a bar under some of its high-altitude vehicles so they
don't simply roll on top of smaller cars.
Ford and other automakers need
a little help to push the process along. Safety standards, from seat belts to
airbags to crumple zones, have had a huge impact in reducing the rate of motor
vehicle-related deaths. SUVs deserve to come under similar safety regulation.
As for gas-guzzling, the federal fuel efficiency standards for a
manufacturer's entire fleet must be amended to take into account the new
environmental dynamic created by SUVs.
The standards,
known as CAFE (for corporate average fuel economy), were first
instituted in the 1970s. Trucks were put into a separate category because they
were used by farmers working the fields.
As minivans and sport utility
vehicles gained widespread popularity, they supplanted the family station wagon,
but they were treated as trucks for the purposes of CAFE. Either SUVs should be
held to the same CAFE standards as cars, or the standard for trucks should be
ratcheted up.
Congress has frozen the CAFE standards at 27.5 miles per
gallon for cars and 20.7 miles per gallon for trucks. The standard has changed
little since the mid-1980s, and during that time the average fuel economy for
the nation's vehicle fleet has slipped from 26.2 mpg to 24.4 mpg last year. The
House may try this week to lift the freeze, a measure that is not expected to
pass. But President Clinton is expected to veto any freeze extension, with a
good chance of having the veto sustained.
With a little well-placed
regulatory help, Mr. Ford need no longer agonize about his company's performance
as a responsible citizen, and he would have the pleasure of watching his
competitors meet the same standards.
LOAD-DATE: May 25,
2000 
