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Auto loans

Who Drives to Work? Commuting by Automobile in the United States: 2013

"The automobile has played a fundamental role in shaping where we live and how we get around. It has influenced the form and density of our communities and expanded the geographic range of daily travel. Nationally, the private automobile is the predominant form of transportation for work and other travel purposes.1 In 2013, about 86 percent of all workers commuted to work by private vehicle, either driving alone or carpooling (Figure 1). In recent years, the percentage of workers who commute by private vehicle remained relatively stable after decades of consistent increase. For several individual years since the mid-2000s, the average number of vehicle miles traveled in the United States has either increased at a slower pace than in previous decades or declined.2, 3, 4 Although such shifts in travel behavior are slight, they have captured attention because they represent a disruption in an unequivocal, decades-long pattern of increased automobile travel..."
Driving to work

FTC, Multiple Law Enforcement Partners Announce Crackdown on Deception, Fraud in Auto Sales, Financing and Leasing

"The Federal Trade Commission and 32 law enforcement partners today announced the results of Operation Ruse Control, a nationwide and cross-border crackdown to protect consumers when purchasing or leasing a car, encompassing 252 enforcement actions. The six new FTC cases include more than $2.6 million in monetary judgments.

There were 187 enforcement actions in the United States since the agency’s last sweep, and 65 actions in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Enforcement efforts by the FTC, United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama and other partners at the federal, state and local level in the U.S. and Canada include both civil and criminal charges of deceptive advertising, automotive loan application fraud, odometer fraud, deceptive add-on fees, and deceptive marketing of car title loans..."
Deception, Fraud in Auto Sales, Financing and Leasing

Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries

"More than 2.5 million Americans went to the emergency department (ED)—and nearly 200,000 were then hospitalized—for crash injuries in 2012. On average, each crash-related ED visit costs about $3,300 and each hospitalization costs about $57,000 over a person's lifetime. The best way to keep people safe and reduce medical costs is to prevent crashes from happening in the first place. But if a crash does occur, many injuries can still be avoided through the use of proven interventions. More can be done at every level to prevent crashes and reduce injuries, but state-level changes are especially effective..."
Motor vehicle crashes

Census Bureau Provides Informed Picture of the State of the U.S. Auto Manufacturing Industry

"Since its birth more than 100 years ago, the U.S. automobile manufacturing industry has experienced significant growth to not only become one of the largest U.S. manufacturing industries but also one of the biggest industries in the U.S. economy. The changes this industry has faced have included periods of decline as well as growth, such as the most recent recession and subsequent recovery. Throughout these years, the U.S. Census Bureau has provided consistent, comparable, and reliable statistics that are critical to understanding this industry.
The Annual Survey of Manufactures provides insight into the changes in this industry in the years between economic censuses..."
Automobile Industry

America's aging autos

"From 2008 to 2012, the average age of U.S. households’ vehicles increased as owners held on to their cars, trucks, and vans longer. The trend in aging autos coincides with declines in average household income in 2008; however,  subsequent recovery in households’ incomes and a return to previous levels of

expenditures on vehicles in 2012 do not appear to have reversed the pattern of aging.."

Aging Automobiles

Cars, Trucks, and Climate: EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources

"On February 18, 2014, President Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a second round of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The standards, which will affect trucks beginning with the 2019 model year, are to be proposed by March 2015 and finalized a year later..."
Greenhouse gases and automobiles

Used Car Scams

Tips from the U.S. Department of Justice on avoiding used car scams.

Spotlight on Statistics: Automobiles

"The U.S. automobile industry can be viewed as both a barometer and beneficiary of American growth and economic achievement. Supporting that view is the fact that the automobile industry affects industries that manufacture steel, glass, plastics, and rubber, as well as those that refine and sell gasoline, build roads, and maintain, repair, and sell motor vehicles.

Motor vehicles also affect our daily lives. In 2010, on an average day, 67.6 percent of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over drove; those who drove spent on average 1 hour and 18 minutes driving.."

Spotlight on Statistics: Automobiles

"The U.S. automobile industry can be viewed as both a barometer and beneficiary of American growth and economic achievement. Supporting that view is the fact that the automobile industry affects industries that manufacture steel, glass, plastics, and rubber, as well as those that refine and sell gasoline, build roads, and maintain, repair, and sell motor vehicles.

Motor vehicles also affect our daily lives. In 2010, on an average day, 67.6 percent of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over drove; those who drove spent on average 1 hour and 18 minutes driving..."

Diesel Vehicles

"Diesel vehicles may be making a comeback. Diesel engines are more powerful and fuel-efficient than similar-sized gasoline engines (about 30-35% more fuel efficient). Plus, today's diesel vehicles are much improved over diesels of the past..."

Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Ignition Interlocks
"Ignition interlocks are devices that can be installed in motor vehicles to prevent operation of the vehicle by a driver who has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above a specified level (usually 0.02% – 0.04%). Interlocks are most often installed in vehicles of people who have been convicted of alcohol-impaired driving to give them an opportunity to drive legally.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommends the use of ignition interlocks for people convicted of alcohol-impaired driving on the basis of strong evidence of their effectiveness in reducing re-arrest rates while the interlocks are installed. Public health benefits of the intervention are currently limited by the small proportion of offenders who install interlocks in their vehicles. More widespread and sustained use of interlocks among this population could have a substantial impact on alcohol-related crashes..."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Major Investigations to Resolve Issue of Sudden Acceleration
"U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced two major investigations designed to answer questions surrounding the issue of unintended vehicle acceleration.

The prestigious National Academy of Sciences – an independent body using top scientific experts - will examine the broad subject of unintended acceleration and electronic vehicle controls across the entire automotive industry. Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the Department of Transportation’s auto safety agency, has enlisted NASA engineers with expertise in areas such as computer controlled electronic systems, electromagnetic interference and software integrity to help tackle the issue of unintended vehicle acceleration in Toyotas.

“We are determined to get to the bottom of unintended acceleration,” said Secretary LaHood. “For the safety of the American driving public, we must do everything possible to understand what is happening. And that is why we are tapping the best minds around.”

Secretary LaHood has also asked the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) to review whether NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) has the necessary resources and systems to identify and address safety defects as it moves forward..."

Car Allowance Rebate System
"President Obama signed into law a program NHTSA is calling the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). This is a government program that helps you purchase a new, more fuel efficient vehicle when you trade in a less fuel efficient vehicle. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

While the CARS Act makes transactions on and after July 1 potentially eligible for credits under the CARS program, interested dealers and consumers may want to wait until all of the detailed issues that must be addressed in the implementing regulations are resolved and the final rule is issued. Issuance will occur around July 23..."

National Motor Vehicle Title Information System Resource Center
"The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is an electronic system that provides consumers with valuable information about a vehicle's condition and history. Prior to purchasing a vehicle, NMVTIS allows consumers to find information on the vehicle's title, most recent odometer reading, brand history, and, in some cases, historical theft data...."

IS THE U.S. ON THE PATH TO THE LOWEST MOTOR VEHICLE FATALITIES IN DECADES?
"Trends in U.S. motor vehicle fatalities, gasoline sales, and distance driven were examined for 12 months from May 2007 through April 2008. The results show substantial year-toyear reductions in motor vehicle fatalities during this time period that cannot be fully explained by the reductions in gasoline sales and distance driven. This is especially the case for the latest two months examined (March and April 2008). Here, the reductions in motor vehicle fatalities averaged 20%, while the reductions in gasoline sales and distance driven were in low single-digits. Consequently, it appears that a major shift in driver behavior might be occurring. This shift may involve disproportionate reductions in distance driven for more risky driving conditions and for drivers with less income (who tend to have higher crash rates), as well as possible reductions in speeds as a means of
increasing fuel economy. Should the March and April 2008 trends continue, the 2008
annual fatalities would drop to under 40,000 for the first time since 1961."