Thursday, July 12, 2007
I hope that's political grandstanding.
Bloomberg.com notes that a deranged EU politician is calling for a ban on all cars faster than 101 mph. Which works out to 162 km/h. This idea seems so stupid on so many levels, I have to hope that this was something along the lines of the Kentucky resolution to have a submarine sink riverboat casinos. Sure, I'm in favor of raising CAFE limits a bit (and ditching that E85 corporate welfare loophole), but this is ridiculous. So I'll ridicule it. Here are some of my arguements against this bill.
Chris Davies, the bill's backer, claims "cars designed to go at stupid speeds have to be built to withstand the effects of a crash at those speeds. They are heavier than necessary..." Well, in the US, all cars have the same crash speed requirements. Hey, if you're going faster than legal, that's your choice. Chrysler is under no obligation to make sure their Viper can keep its driver safe if it crashes at 180 mph.
It's quite possible to drive like a dangerous maniac in a slower car. 75 mph is not safe in a 25 mph zone. Street racers will simply find other ways to race (or simply stick with pre-ban cars and keep the old technology on the road longer).
And in closing, the numbers are weird, pointless, and arbitrary. Why 162 or 101? These numbers seem a reflection of the strange and arbitrary nature of the law. Can't he make it a nice round number?
Chris Davies, the bill's backer, claims "cars designed to go at stupid speeds have to be built to withstand the effects of a crash at those speeds. They are heavier than necessary..." Well, in the US, all cars have the same crash speed requirements. Hey, if you're going faster than legal, that's your choice. Chrysler is under no obligation to make sure their Viper can keep its driver safe if it crashes at 180 mph.
It's quite possible to drive like a dangerous maniac in a slower car. 75 mph is not safe in a 25 mph zone. Street racers will simply find other ways to race (or simply stick with pre-ban cars and keep the old technology on the road longer).
And in closing, the numbers are weird, pointless, and arbitrary. Why 162 or 101? These numbers seem a reflection of the strange and arbitrary nature of the law. Can't he make it a nice round number?
Labels: Automotive Awefulness, The Automotive Industry
