Falling numbers on the sticker of a new car is usually a good thing for buyers. But soon, two numbers might go down and actually hurt consumers.
The Environmental Protection Agency will propose new standards for their methods of determining average gas mileage by the end of the year.
Currently, the miles per gallon for an automobile is determined by standards from as far back as the 1970s.
According to the EPA Web site, the average speed used to determine a car's highway mpg is 48 mph over a 10-mile trip.
The city test includes 23 stops at an average speed of 20 mph. Testers take 31 minutes for this trip, yet spend only 18 percent of the time idling, which simulates stoplights and other traffic stops.
Driving these speeds today would undoubtedly result in some unkind words and a few ugly gestures.
The tests also do not factor in air conditioning, bad roads, hot or cold temperatures, or extremely long amounts of time spent idling in traffic. And with gas prices so high and cars with good fuel mileage being sought after, this definitely affects the market.
"We're seeing a small drop in the paperwork for SUVs now," said Jason Levy, president of Professional Insurance Services in Tampa, Fla. "But no matter the gas prices, our prices will pretty much stay the same."
For students, seeing an ad for a car that gets 35 mpg might sound appealing, but the reality is different.
"You really need to know what you're buying beforehand," said Keosha Garner, a University of Memphis junior nursing major. "And young people like college students should know because we really don't have a lot of money to spend on a car."
Consumer Reports, an online market analysis site, did independent testing of gas mileage and found many differences between their results and listed mpg.
They found that 90 percent of automobiles tested fell short of mpg tests by as much as 35 to 50 percent.
"Mileage is really important to a buyer," said Edwin Olivera, a junior graphic design major. "It's just common sense that getting good miles per gallon is a good thing when driving."
Garner said she believes more can be done on many fronts to help the fuel problem.
"I think both the government and the carmakers should do something about (the problem)," she said.
According to the Boston Globe, updating these standards will take some time, and estimates are that the first class of automobiles will be affected beginning 2007.
For an updated copy of the EPA's annual Fuel Economy Guide, go to www.fueleconomy.gov.
