Why cars keep getting heavier and roads more dangerous

From Treehugger, Dec. 3, 2013
by Lloyd Alter

Photo Source:  Treehugger

Excerpts from the article:
 
Sales of big pickup trucks are up 15% since last year. Sales of the big Dodge, as much of a relic of the last century as Ron Burgundy, are up 58.5%. According to the Detroit Free Press, they are not for construction trades anymore. " Trucks are now luxury vehicles, with every automaker pushing their largest, most heavily equipped crew cab trucks.
.....
A small vehicle that gets a 5-star rating for frontal crashes only means the car is much safer than other cars of the same size. When that small car gets smashed by a larger, heavier car, let’s just say the 5-star rating isn’t going to cut it. (You can watch a video of a Ford F150 smashing into a Honda Civic.)
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Weight is a central determinant in the number of collision fatalities and where they occur. “A 1,000-pound increase in striking vehicle weight raises the probability of a fatality in the struck vehicle by 47%."

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

- submitted by Gareth