Pounds That Kill_ The External Costs of Vehicle Weight

《Pounds That Kill_ The External Costs of Vehicle Weight》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。

1、ReviewofEconomicStudies(2014)81,535571doi:10.1093/restud/rdt035©TheAuthor2013.PublishedbyOxfordUniversityPressonbehalfofTheReviewofEconomicStudiesLimited.Advanceaccesspublication4October2013PoundsThatKill:TheExternalCostsofVehicleWeightDownloadedfromMICHAELL.ANDERSONUniversityofCalifornia,Ber

2、keleyandNBERandMAXIMILIANAUFFHAMMERhttp://restud.oxfordjournals.org/UniversityofCalifornia,BerkeleyandNBERFirstversionreceivedJanuary2012;finalversionacceptedMay2013(Eds.)Heaviervehiclesaresaferfortheirownoccupantsbutmorehazardousforothervehicles.Simpletheorythussuggeststhatanunregulatedvehicl

3、efleetisinefficientlyheavy.Usingthreeseparateidentificationstrategiesweshowthat,controllingforown-vehicleweight,beinghitbyavehiclethatis1000poundsheaviergeneratesa4050%increaseinfatalityrisk.Theseresultsimplyatotalaccident-relatedexternalitythatexceedstheestimatedsocialcostofUScarbonemissionsand

4、isequivalenttoagasatAcademiaSinicaLifeScienceLibraryonApril25,2014taxof$0.97pergallon($136billionannually).Weconsidertwopoliciesforinternalizingthisexternalcost,aweight-varyingmileagetaxandagastax,andfindthattheyaresimilarformostvehicles.ThefindingssuggestthatEuropeangastaxesmaybemuchclosertoop

5、timallevelsthantheUSgastax.Keywords:Trafficaccidents,Highwaysafety,Gasolinetax,EnergyPolicy,Armsrace.JELCodes:H23,I18,Q48,Q58,R411.INTRODUCTIONTheaverageweightoflightvehiclessoldintheUnitedStateshasfluctuatedsubstantiallyoverthepast35years.From1975to1980,averageweightdroppedalmost1000pounds(fro

6、m4060poundsto3228pounds),likelyinresponsetorisinggasolinepricesandthepassageoftheCorporateAverageFuelEfficiency(CAFE)standard.Asgasolinepricesfellinthelate-1980s,however,averagevehicleweightbegantorise,andby2005ithadattained1975levels(USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,2009).Arichbodyofresearchex

7、aminestheeffectsofCAFEandgasolinepricesonconsumersvehiclechoices(Portneyetal.,2003;AustinandDinan,2005;Bentoetal.,2009;Lietal.,2009;KlierandLinn,2012;Busseetal.,2013).Oneareaofintenseresearchinterestishowthechoicesconsumersmakeinresponsetogas