Commenter Of The Day: Federal Regulations Edition

The U.S. Department of Transportation was created in 1966 as part of the congressional knee-jerk reaction following public outcry in the wake of the publication of Ralph Nader's book Unsafe at Any Speed. It's since evolved into the National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration, or NHTSA, which is tasked with setting design standards and testing vehicles proposed for sale in America. And while vehicles and the roadways they ride on have grown significantly safer during the last 44 years, there have been unintended consequences — namely vehicle bloat, and lots of it.

Not only has safety regulation made motor vehicles more complex and expensive, it's made them bigger and heavier. Sadly, there is no end in sight. Beltlines that come up to your neck; stubby, pedestrian-friendly noses, and more bags full of hot air than a political convention are just a few of the hallmarks. That kind of talk is acid to an enthusiast, burning straight to the core of everything we love about cars, and it makes us long for days gone by. John Carter posted the above picture and the following comment in today's post about the glory of wagons:

This hauled 7 people and got 29 mpg in 1968. How did we grow to needing a Tahoe to haul 5 people at 15 mpg 40 years later? (photo courtesy of wife-to-be)

We all want tiny, Swedish station wagons, John. We all do.