By Griffin Kantz, Bachelor of Science, Policy Planning and Development, Sustainable Planning, 2017

On December 2, 2015, METRANS held its fifth and final research seminar event of the calendar year at the University of Southern California titled, "Cars that Kill? The Effect of Fuel Economy Standards on Vehicle Weight Dispersion and Safety."

The event, jointly sponsored by the American Planning Association (APA) USC student chapter, featured USC Price Professor of Public Policy Antonio M. Bento, who presented his most recent findings on the long-term macroeconomic returns of federal environmental regulation. His presentation summarized his and his students’ research efforts aggregating 17 million nationwide automobile collision records to analyze how federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards may have influenced the safety performance of cars sold in the United States.

Dr. Bento’s research revealed that CAFE standards, in addition to improving the fuel economy of cars on U.S. roadways, may have prompted manufacturers to sell lighter cars that are more resistant to single-car collision scenarios. Bento calls this unanticipated outcome a “double dividend.” However, he has found that there is a measurable discrepancy between how certain car models perform on the road and which models consumers believe to be safest. Bento’s aggregated car collision data showed that lighter automobiles may in fact have a safety advantage over heavier vehicles owing to higher two-vehicle crash fatality probabilities among heavy cars, contrary to the assumptions of many consumers.

Students in the audience asked Dr. Bento questions concerning the implications of his findings for drivers and car buyers. He explained that CAFE standards have effected a net positive change in overall road safety in the United States, and that “competition is going to play a larger role” increasing that net safety benefit in future years. Bento also shared with the audience his aspirations to intensify the geographic scope of his research and further explore the varying relationships between vehicle footprint, vehicle weight dispersion, and safety performance in different U.S. metropolitan markets.

View a video recording of the presentation here: https://youtu.be/YeL9XyY4byo

Griffin Kantz

Griffin is a third year undergraduate studying Sustainable Planning in the USC Price School of Public Policy. He can be reached at [email protected].