Average American MPG peaked in 1987

HUGG: "According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the average gas mileage for new vehicles sold in the United States has 23.1 miles per gallon (mpg) in 1980 to 24.7 in 2004. This represents a paltry increase of slightly less than 7% over the 25 year period."

So no surprise that there is an entire Web site dedicated to the "Dailty Fuel Economy Tip"!

Given all the tech advances, our mileage should have shot up in intervening years. Instead we've been buying more and more gas guzzlers — SUVs and trucks.

Remember that if average gas mileage were to reach 43 mpg in America, we would have NO DEPENDENCE on foreign oil. Our Prius averages about that in winter, higher in summer, so it's not beyond the means of current scope.

-- Paul Andrews, GreenforGood.com

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