Heavier vehicles are safer for their own occupants but more hazardous for the occupants of other vehicles. In this paper we estimate the increased probability of fatalities from being hit by a heavier vehicle in a collision. We show that, controlling for own-vehicle weight, being hit by a...

Using the most comprehensive publicly available data, we examine long-run changes in scrappage patterns in passenger cars and light trucks in the United States between 1969 and 1999. We find that the expected lifetime for passenger cars has increased from 12.5 to 14 years between 1969 and 1999....

The firm response to regulation is seldom as controversial as in the context of fuel economy standards, a dominant policy to reduce emissions from vehicles worldwide. It has long been argued that such standards lead to vehicle weight changes that increase accident fatalities. Using unconditional...