Regulating the Car

Vehicle safety has been an area of concern to both consumers and governments. Safety for occupants increases with vehicle mass, whereas safety for the occupants of the crash opponent car decreases with vehicle mass. It is more effective for road safety to prevent crashes than to reduce the severity of injuries of car occupants in crashes. The main scientific conferences for international information exchange on vehicle safety policy and research are Enhanced Safety of Vehicles, STAPP car crash conference, International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury and Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Environmental legislation of the car originated in California around 1960, and until the mid 1990s, California remained the leader in this field. Regulation of the car was prompted by air pollution resulting from its emissions of toxins, as these were found to be injurious to human health. With climate change, however, the situation is different.