Autoblog

The Institute for European Environmental Policy in the UK is looking into banning cars from school zones, not to protect students from being hit by a car, but instead to get kids to walk more. Like here in the US, British children are packing on the pounds, and a more sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor. Parents are averaging an additional 27 miles per year carting their kids to school than they did back in 1982, and Brits of all ages average 20 less miles per year walking than in the 70s.

Perhaps the biggest single reason the British are walking less is that only 19% of all UK households are without a car, compared to 41% in the 70s. Automakers pay big bucks to replace heavier materials with aluminum or carbon fiber to lose less than two stones, but researchers at the IEEP say that walking an extra hour per week will save 28lbs of fat over the course of a decade. One would think the Brits wouldn't have an issue with obesity, what with the price of gasoline on the island, folks have to work their asses off just to afford fuel.

[Source: Channel 4]

Gas prices have settled a bit in the past few months, but with the cost of a gallon still lingering well in the two-dollar range, many Americans are looking for ways to save a few bucks at the pump. But what if you are happy with your current car and don't want to be a new one that's more fuel efficient? One new study suggests you dump your spare tire.

No, not that spare tire. The one around your waist. This new study suggests that Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline every year because of the extra weight we're are toting around. At $2.20 a gallon, that amounts to $2.2 billion wasted on gas each year. "If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption." This from study co-author and University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson.

Jacobson points out that the lost mileage for any single driver is pretty small. Even by losing 100 pounds, the average driver would only save about $40 a year over a typical 12,000 miles. But it adds up when you consider how many motorists are on the road. Other research, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies support these findings. In a related study, the CDC found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines.

The study will appear in the October-December issue of The Engineering Economist, one of those academic/industry journals published by the American Society of Engineering Education and the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former CDC director points out that although valid, the study conclusion is only partially helpful: "The wrong fuel is being focused on. If you're heavier, the most important fuel you use more of is food."

[Source: Yahoo! News]

This article in USA Today acknowledges what many domestic automakers have known for years: Americans are getting larger and, thus, their vehicles need to get bigger.

Over sixty percent of adults are considered overweight or obese. One way foreign automakers are reacting is by increasing seat widths. The new 2006 Honda Civic’s front seats, for example, are three-quarters of an inch wider than the 2005 model.

The import vehicles are getting larger, too. Many readers have noted the new and larger 2006 Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe (though the latter could have been increased to better differentiate the SUV from the similarly sized Tucson).

Will the wave of compacts coming from Asia next year not be so "compact" after all?