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Car Shopping
Shopping for a new car can be confusing, especially if you want to do the right thing for the environment. It doesn’t help that fuel economy ranges considerably across different types of vehicles. For example, the city mileage for 2004 Ford Focus station wagon is 9.4 L/100 km (25 mpg) while a hulking 2004 Land Rover Discovery SUV averages an incredible 19.6L/100 km (12 mpg). Even though both vehicles seat five, that’s a tremendous difference in fuel economy. SUVs are classified by the Canadian government as “light-duty trucks”, which means they don’t have to match the same standards for fuel consumption as cars. And that’s the problem - many people use SUVs as replacements for the family car. Because of this loophole, SUVs are essentially allowed to pollute. Another factor you might want to consider is SUV safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the high center of gravity of SUVs can cause them to roll over in crashes more frequently than passenger cars. In the U.S., the fatality rate from SUV rollovers is 98 fatalities per million registered vehicles, compared to 44 fatalities per million for lighter vehicles. SUVs also block sightlines of other cars and pedestrians, creating dangerous situations.
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All vehicles are not created equal
