Why Improving You MPG is Good for the Environment

It is no secret that our environment is constantly being subjected to damaging toxins and pollutions which are largely human generated. Every day, we use natural resources without even considering the effect they are having on the environment. Not only are excessive gas emissions harmful for the ozone layer, but they keep us unnecessarily dependant on foreign oil.

Vehicles which get low miles per gallon consequently release the highest amounts of gas into the environment. As a result, these emissions damage the earth’s ozone layer. This emission of carbon dioxide affects the greenhouse effect, which in turn, leads us closer to global warming. While this presently may not seem like an immediate problem, it will catch up with us. We are burning resources at an amazingly quick rate that we will soon run out of resources to burn.

As a country, it is our responsibility to keep the environment healthy and clean for our future generations. A large majority of American owned, gigantic, gas guzzling vehicles only get around 15 miles per gallon whereas the average car gets around 30-35 miles per gallon. That is over three times the gas utilized to go the same distance! Over time, the driver of a 15 MPG gas guzzler will burn as much fuel as three to four average sized vehicles.

Additionally, drivers of these unnecessarily large vehicles use significantly more oil. This makes us extremely dependant on oil from foreign countries, which in turn, is terrible for our already suffering economy.
In order to catalyze a change, we must set into motion a requirement that all cars should typically get at least 40 miles per gallon. Not only will this improve fuel economy and reduce total cost of ownership, but it will also keep America’s roadways safer by keeping all cars at a similar size. Consider a collision between an oversized, gas guzzling vehicle and a small, compact car. In all likelihood, the individual driving the smaller, more sensible car is at a higher risk for injury. However, if the collision occurs between two compact cars, both drivers will have a better chance to walk away safely from the accident.