LETTERS: AUTO INDUSTRY DOESN'T NEED NEW MANDATES

To the editor:

Due to this year's gas and energy crisis, our federal government is attempting to push upon American car manufacturers a federal mandate that would call for new gas-mileage regulations on trucks and SUVs. The new mileage regulations call for trucks and SUVs to increase their miles per gallon from 20 to 27.

This idea is a "just do something" approach to solve needs in our energy policy. In the 1970s, the U.S. government used this approach when it imposed strict limits on fuel use in cars and trucks as part of a failed energy policy. As a result, we now have smaller cars pouring onto our roads. A study I read the other day stated that 46,000 people have died in crashes they would have survived in bigger, heavier cars.

According to the National Academy of Science, those regulations raised prices by $500 to $2,500 for cars and $500 to $2,750 for trucks and SUVs.

The fact is, these new regulations will cause car manufacturers to go back to the drawing board, building trucks and SUVs with smaller bodies and engines to comply with the mileage regulations. The problem arises when someone needs a truck or SUV for its power. Farmers, construction workers and others need a vehicle that can pull its own weight, not something with good gas mileage.

Washington should not make cars and trucks less safe at the expense of American lives and money.

DAVID SMITH

Associated Industries of Missouri

Jefferson City, Mo.