We are all familiar with MPH: Miles per gallon. The government seems to be consumed with that as they seek to save the earth. One of the ways in which you can increase fuel economy is to reduce the weight of the vehicle. I am sure you have seen those little toys called Smart Cars. They are cute. They are also death traps.
I am suggesting that perhaps in addition to rating cars by MPH we also begin to rate them as MPD, or Miles per Death. Every year we could submit a report of how many miles each car can expect to be driven before someone dies in it.
I experienced this first hand recently when I was rear-ended on the freeway. As far a I can tell my old clunker with a solid bumper sustained nothing but a few scratches. The little Japanese model that hit me is in the shop for a new front end. My imagination tells me that if the fuel efficient model had been going fast enough he would have needed an ambulance while I drove home.
There are trade offs in everything. Keep in mind that the extreme environmentalists view human beings as pollution so knocking a few off in the traffic lanes is a win/win for them.
There is a reason the Hummer and Escalade are so popular. The owners live to tell their story and buy again.
homo unius libri
Very true.
ReplyDeleteJust think of how safe dump trucks would be.
DeleteGrace and peace.