We once knew a Pro Mod driver who was rather heavyset. He was dead set on shaving pounds from his racecar, but privately, a number of us thought, "Uh, dude, why don't you just try losing some weight yourself?" But apparently, the American obesity epidemic is also feeding terrorists! Egad! According to a new study, we're burning a billion bucks more in fuel than we were in 1960. We're assuming that this includes an adjustment for the amount of cars on the road today, which is considerably higher. If not, this science is bunk.
To take it further, however, at least in our own personal jihad against ridiculously heavy vehicles, why don't we lighten up the cars? Why does every motoring journalist soil his pants with glee over the Lotus Elise, despite the fact that it's horribly cramped and features less in the way of amenities than a craptastic Aveo, despite costing over four times more? Because the damn thing is light, that's why. Light cars! Light cars! Light cars! And then, well, you can eat as much as you want without worrying about terrorists flying planes into things. Win-win, we'd say.
Expanding waistlines add to pain at the pump [MSNBC]
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