High Stakes for High Mileage

May 20, 2009
Can Americans change their way of thinking?
I was happy to see the news from President Obama this week about raining fuel economy standards and lowering greenhouse gas emissions levels on cars and light trucks sold in America. You may not agree with the particulars of the new standards, but at this point I think most Americans would agree that drastic measures need to be taken to revitalize our auto industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The real question is whether the American public will ever value fuel economy as much as we do power and speed. Last week I was reading new car preview feature in a consumer automobile magazine, and every time a hybrid, flex-fuel or electric car was reviewed, the journalist slipped in a sly comment to the effect that "of course now that gas prices are coming down this car doesn't seem like such a good idea." One of the magazine's clueless writers even said, "Now that gasoline is practically free again...." Practically free? Really? Seems to me gas prices are going up again, just in time for summer traveling. That type of ignorance will be hard to root out, but the time has come for dramatic change, and the President's new standards may be the first giant step in the right direction. Here's hoping...

About the Author

Mark O'Connell | Fleet Maintenance contributor

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