00378509

Component

https://onlinepubs.trb.or...trcircular/264/264-002.pdf

Vehicles in the 2000-pound range have become common, and even smaller vehicles are emerging weighing 1500, 1000, and even below 1000 pounds. It appears that there's a very real possibility that these vehicles will increase signficantly in number, and if this does occur, we're going to need to cope with a wide range of considerations that have not been addressed. First, how feasible is such a vehicle? What would it cost to manufacture, maintain and operate such vehicles? Is there sufficient use for them? If they could not serve as the primary family car, could they meet the need for a second vehicle? Is there any market for such a car? How would our roads and highways accommodate them? What are the implications for pavement maintenance? On the one hand, such a car would not create a great deal of wear and tear, but on the other hand, it may be much more vulnerable to pavement imperfections. A pothole could have much more devasting effects, and hence such a car may require higher pavement maintenance standards. Parking facilities would need to be modified further, just as many have already been modified to accommodate compact cars. Perhaps the most important issue is that low speed lightweight vehicles pose serious safety problems. Such cars might not be able to meet federal safety standards. (Author)

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p. 3-4

1983-9

Transportation Research Circular

Digital/other

Compact automobiles; Feasibility analysis; High occupancy vehicle lanes; Light vehicles; Pavement maintenance; Standards; Traffic engineering; Traffic lanes; Vehicle safety

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety

TRIS, TRB

Dec 30 1983 12:00AM

• DESIGN NOTES FOR A SAFER HALF MEGAGRAM AUTOMOBILE (DISCUSSION)
• ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS (DISCUSSION)
• LAWS, STANDARDS AND LIABILITY (DISCUSSION)
• MINI AND MICROAUTOMOBILE FORUM: OVERVIEW AND POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: FOREWARD
• MINI AND MICROAUTOMOBILE FORUM: OVERVIEW AND POTENTIAL PROBLEMS; PART 2: MINI-MICRO PROBLEMS--INTRODUCTION
• OPERATOR AND SAFETY PROBLEMS (DISCUSSION)
• POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE MICROVEHICLE ON ROADWAY FACILITIES (DISCUSSION)
• POTENTIAL USAGE (DISCUSSION)
• THE MARKET POTENTIAL FOR MICRO-MINI CARS IN THE UNITED STATES (DISCUSSION)