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Regulations on seat belts did cause accident rates to rise...

In the same way that a Hummer is more cost effective and environmentally friendly than a Prius - another example of wishful Randian thinking.

I was looking that up recently, since my SO has a car and was considering AAA. I remembered seeing how AAA lobbied against Bike Paths (in particulaR), along with lobbying against other environmental measures, and for further highway development, against public transit, against high density urban development in favor of sprawl/suburbs, and so on... so I went looking and found this: http://www.betterworldclub.com/. No idea how good they actually are, but it might be worth checking them out.

40+ million people in the USA are members of the AAA, the Automobile Association of America.

This organization routinely uses it's massive accumulated fortune to lobby against public transportation and pollution controls.

http://www.sierraclub.org/scoop/better_world.asp
http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/harpers200 2may.htm

at least about the AAA. Once again, I learn something every day. Though the BWC needs a better server.

at least about the AAA. Once again, I learn something every day. Though the BWC needs a better server.

But beyond that, I just wanted to encourage folks to consider long-term solutions that don't necessarily involve buying the right car. If you have to buy a car now, go for it, but maybe as a part of that process you could take some time to write a letter to your government representative encouraging investment in mass transit, bicycle infrastructure (bike lanes, etc), and more broad support for environmentally friendly transportation methods (on land, air, and sea).

The energy and resources devoted to producing cars, even eco-friendly ones, and the infrastructure that supports them is still very significant in an unsustainable sort of way, and we won't be any better off in 20 years if we're all just solo drivers of SUVs that happen to be running on biodiesel.

Also, if you're going to join a motorist club, don't join AAA, use an org like Better World. Better World provides all the same features, but unlike AAA, they don't actively oppose funding for mass transit, clean air regulations, bike paths, etc.

But beyond that, I just wanted to encourage folks to consider long-term solutions that don't necessarily involve buying the right car. If you have to buy a car now, go for it, but maybe as a part of that process you could take some time to write a letter to your government representative encouraging investment in mass transit, bicycle infrastructure (bike lanes, etc), and more broad support for environmentally friendly transportation methods (on land, air, and sea).

The energy and resources devoted to producing cars, even eco-friendly ones, and the infrastructure that supports them is still very significant in an unsustainable sort of way, and we won't be any better off in 20 years if we're all just solo drivers of SUVs that happen to be running on biodiesel.

Also, if you're going to join a motorist club, don't join AAA, use an org like Better World. Better World provides all the same features, but unlike AAA, they don't actively oppose funding for mass transit, clean air regulations, bike paths, etc.