A lot of the regulations concerning cars are driving prices up, putting car buying out of reach for poorer people. Some of these soon-to-be requirements are now available in response to consumer demand, but as mandates you must pay for them whether you want it or not. For instance:
Cap-and-Trade for Cars Means Higher Prices and Less Choice for Car Buyers
By Nicolas Loris and Derrick Morgan
heritage.org
Abstract: New fuel-efficiency standards issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency will increase the average cost of a new car by $3,000 by 2025. Furthermore, consumers are unlikely to realize the projected fuel savings used to justify these standards, and the new standards will further constrain consumer choice. The market is better able to meet the needs of American consumers—including fuel efficiency—than the paternalistic government in Washington, which already uses the tax code and other government subsidies to pick winners and losers in the auto marketplace, distorting it to the detriment of consumers and the economy.
The US Is Making Rearview Cameras Mandatory On All New Cars
Eric Beech, Reuters
Apr. 1, 2014, 10:27 AM 1,708 6
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Monday it will require new cars and light trucks sold in the United States to have rearview cameras by May 2018, a regulation intended to prevent drivers from backing into pedestrians.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the new requirement will apply to all vehicles under 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg), including buses and trucks.
"Rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur," said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman said in a statement.
NHTSA said that 58 to 69 lives will be saved each year once all cars and light trucks on the road have this technology.
There are, on average, 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover accidents, the agency said. Children under 5 years old and adults 70 and older account for more than half of all backover fatalities each year.
Many automakers already are installing rearview cameras in response to consumer demand.
....The agency estimated that it would cost between $132 and $142 to equip each vehicle with a rearview camera that meets the requirements.
Read more: businessinsider.com
New law mandates black boxes in all cars by 2015
ByBailey JohnsonCBS NewsApril 20, 2012, 3:28 PM
(CBS News) A recently passed bill will require all cars to come equipped with "black boxes" that record vehicle data. These Event Data Recorders (EDR), similar to their airplane counterparts, will record data such as speed, brake force and electrical systems monitoring. The days of a car crash being one driver's word against another look to be history.
Senate Bill 1813 (known as Map-21) mandates that automakers install EDRs in all new vehicles starting in 2015. The bill was recently passed and is expected to be approved by the House.
The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration has been studying and mulling over EDRs in vehicles for several years, but has stopped short of requiring manufacturers to implement them, CNET reports. However, many auto manufacturers already use these devices to help engineers and mechanics perform diagnostics tests and identify malfunctioning parts.
Black boxes like these were instrumental in clearing Toyota of responsibility for the "unintended acceleration" accidents of 2009. They are also used in assistance systems such as GM's OnStar to alert emergency response services in the event of a crash.
MAP-21 will standardize which events the black boxes can record and require their installation in all vehicles sold in 2015 and beyond. |
