Federal Exhaust Emission Certification Standards for Newly Manufactured Gasoline- and Diesel-Powered Light-Duty Vehicles

KEY: CO = carbon monoxide; CVS = constant volume sampler; HC = hydrocarbons; NMHC = non-methane hydrocarbons; NMOG = nonmethane organic gases; NOx = nitrogen oxides.

^a The test procedure for measuring exhaust emissions has changed several times over the course of vehicle emissions regulations.  The 7-mode procedure was used through model year 1971 and was replaced by the CVS-72 procedure beginning in model year 1972.  The CVS-75 procedure became the test procedure as of model year 1975.  While it may appear that the total HC and CO standards were relaxed in...

Annual Wasted Fuel Per Person

KEY: NA = not applicable; R = revised.

Very large urban areas - over 3 million population.

Large urban areas - over 1 million and less than 3 million population.

Medium urban areas - over 500,000 and less than 1 million population.

Small urban areas - less than 500,000 population.

^a Percent changes were calculated using the numbers in this table and were not obtained from the source. Ranks are based on the calculated percent changes with the highest number corresponding to a rank of 1.

Distribution of Transportation Fatalities by Mode

KEY:  N = data do not exist; NA = not applicable; R = revised.

^a Light trucks are defined as trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or less, including pickups, vans, truck-based station wagons, and utility vehicles. Large trucks are defined as trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, including single-unit trucks and truck tractors.

^b Includes occupants of other vehicle types, other nonmotorists, and unknown. For 1960-70, the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety...

Bus Fuel Consumption and Travel (metric)

Combination Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel (metric)

Single-Unit 2-Axle 6-Tire or More Truck Fuel Consumption and Travel (metric)

^a Beginning in 1998, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) used the Census Bureau's 1997 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) for its baseline estimate of single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more trucks. Prior to 1998, the FHWA used the Census Bureau's 1992 Transportation Inventory and Use Survey (TIUS) for its baseline estimates.  Therefore, post-1997 data may not be comparable to 1997 and earlier years.

Light Duty Vehicle, Long Wheel Base Fuel Consumption and Travel (metric)

Light Duty Vehicle, Short Wheel Base and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel (Metric)

KEY:  R = revised, U = data are not available.

a  1960 and 1965 data include motorcycles.

Estimated Number of Lives Saved by Occupant Protection, Motorcycle Helmets, and Drinking Age Law

KEY: R = revised.

^a Represents all adults and children age 5 and older. Data are for passenger vehicles, which include cars, light trucks, vans, pickups, and utility vehicles. Excludes medium and heavy trucks.

^b In 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised its method for estimating lives saved by safety belts. The previous method included survey data from states with and without belt use laws. The current method relies on police-reported restraint use information for each individual occupant fatality. Also, the estimate...

Safety Belt and Motorcycle Helmet Use

KEY: U = data are not available.

^a Seat belt use is as of the Fall each year except in 1999 (December), 2001 (June), 2002 (June), 2003 (June), 2004 (June), 2005 (June).  Motorcycle helmet use is as of the Fall each year except in 1996 (January), 2002 (June), 2004 (June), and 2005 (June).

^b Beginning in 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) no longer computes an overall light truck belt use estimate.  Instead, belt use is computed separately for motorists in: (1) vans and sport utility vehicles, and...