Smog, pollution? Don't blame cars, says AAA study

September 29, 1999
Web posted at: 9:32 p.m. EDT (0132 GMT)

By Correspondent Eric Horng

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Drivers can breathe a sigh of relief. Automobiles are not the big polluters that many people believe them to be -- so says the Automobile Association of America.

The AAA on Wednesday released a report suggesting emissions from cars and trucks are not the primary cause of smog. The bulk of air pollution comes not from vehicles but from factories, power plants and refineries, the report states.

The AAA's figures show automobile emissions have decreased to the point where only 25 percent of smog-causing pollutants now come from cars and light trucks.

"These numbers are a strong reminder that when you're trying to make urban air cleaner, you can't just continue to bang on motorists and punish motorists," the AAA's Lon Anderson said. "This report says it's not their fault."

The Environmental Protection Agency does not dispute the numbers in the report and concedes that automobiles are much cleaner today than they were 30 years ago. But, it adds, much of that progress has been offset by the increasing number of drivers on the road.

The agency also advocates tighter pollution controls on coal-burning power plants and some factories, both high emitters of nitrogen oxide, a component of smog.

Despite the EPA's agreement that cars are cleaner than they once were, smog still is a problem mainly confined to high-traffic zones, like a city's downtown area.

In Atlanta and other major urban centers, smog often obscures the skyline in summer.

"During the (1996 Summer) Olympics, when we measured significantly less traffic on the road at peak rush-hour times, the smog and ozone levels went down significantly and admittances to hospitals went down as well," said Ron Methier of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.