Members Forum

Cover Praise
Just wanted to say I love the cover of the Sept/Oct 2007 Highroads. Very nice!
J.hearn - Tucson

Seeing Green
In your September/October issue, president Jim McDowell rather proudly relates how AAA is working for a cleaner environment by organizing a battery roundup, by being a member of Tucson Clean Cities Coalition and by participating in National Car Care Month. How very underwhelming. Granted, these minor efforts will help, but only in ways that are — in the greater picture — so small as to be almost negligible. One thing that AAA could do that has the potential for real change is to stop describing as “respectable” family vehicles that get only 20, 18, or even 17 miles per gallon. That’s not respectable, just irresponsible.  

D. Lindsley - Tucson

Editor’s reply: EPA fuel-economy ratings are definitely one factor to consider when determining a vehicle’s environmental impact. Possibly more important are things like personal driving habits, vehicle maintenance, tire pressure, etc.  What has a more detrimental impact: an impeccably maintained Range Rover that’s driven 7500 miles per year or a Honda Civic that travels 20,000 miles a year without an oil change? That’s not to imply that 12 miles per gallon is a respectable figure, just to point out that there are many factors that impact how “green” a vehicle is. For more information on AAA’s green business initiatives, click here.