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Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Not sure if you're just making a funny, or actually blaming government for imposing safety standards as the reason for the vehicle bloat epidemic. Safety equipment/engineering is responsible for only a small fraction of the huge increases we've seen.
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I was being funny - bureacrats running amok are a pet peeve of mine. When it comes to bureaucracies, I'm a firm believer in full application of the Peter Principle. But now that you mention it...
I don't know about the fraction from federal and state safey and emissions standards being all that small, but I do agree that most of the weight gain has been due to increasing vehicle sizes, plus convenience and luxury features. For example, I'm willing to wager that the electric windows in my Fit weigh more than manual winders would.
On the other hand, sticking with the Fit for the moment: it has trash (read: lightweight) carpeting, minimal sound insulation, paper thin sheet metal, and is in general a pretty minimalist vehicle. And yet it weighs 2500 lbs. That is light by today's standards, but not by 44 year old vehicle weights. I attribute the extra weight in a basic vehicle such as a Fit to safety equipment. In other words, a Fit built in 1975 would weigh closer to 2100-2200 lbs., and the most of the difference is due to the weight added higher passenger safety and emissions standards.
Hehe.
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However, it's likely that bureaucrats are responsible for the impending reversal of said bloat. (U.S. C.A.F.E. rules)
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Yes, and to be fair I've credited CAFE standards myself in other posts. But those same bureaucrats will also be responsible for the additional costs and loss of aerodynamics imposed by their latest fad, pedestrian safety. Bureaucrats giveth, and they taketh away.