Obama's Hapless Energy Policy and Media Protectors

This week, Obama said that we can reduce the amount of oil consumed daily if we take the time to make sure that our vehicles tires are properly inflated. The video:


In fact, he claimed that we could reduce the amount consumed by an amount roughly equal to that which could be obtained from drilling. The AP proceeding to fact check the claims, and claimed that Obama was spot on. Too bad Don Surber notes that the AP fact checkers failed math class.

I'd further note that Obama didn't pay attention to federal law and regulations.

It establishes a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that requires the installation of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) that warn the driver when a tire is significantly under-inflated. The standard applies to passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, except those vehicles with dual wheels on an axle.

This document establishes two compliance options for the short-term, for the period between November 1, 2003, and October 31, 2006. Under the first compliance option, a vehicle''s TPMS must warn the driver when the pressure in any single tire or in each tire in any combination of tires, up to a total of four tires, has fallen to 25 percent or more below the vehicle manufacturer''s recommended cold inflation pressure for the tires, or a minimum level of pressure specified in the standard, whichever pressure is higher. Under the second compliance option, a vehicle''s TPMS must warn the driver when the pressure in any single tire has fallen to 30 percent or more below the vehicle manufacturer''s recommended cold inflation pressure for the tires, or a minimum level of pressure specified in the standard, whichever pressure is higher. Compliance with the options would be phased in during that period by increasing percentages of production.

In other words, cars made in the past few years will tell you when you need to get tire pressures checked if they are underinflated by an amount that would reduce your gas mileage appreciably. All cars made by the 2008 model year must have dashboard indicators warning of tire pressure problems. Heck, my 2005 Corolla has one. A tire sensing system could have been in place in 2003 had various groups not gone to court to demand a direct tire pressure sensing system rather than an indirect system working off antilock braking sensors.