Letter: Carmakers and fuel efficiency

Recent letters about gas prices ["Buy your gas at independent pumps," March 12] make me think that we are fighting the wrong battle.

We, and sure as heck the government, cannot and will not impose anything on the oil companies. There should be a crusade to have the auto companies give us better gas mileage by 2014, instead of 2016. No vehicle should average less than 35 mpg.

Holding the auto makers to higher standards may sound like a tough task, but the oil companies are not 100 percent to blame; rather, we should look at inefficient cars. If car companies focused on fuel efficiency rather than on options that drive car prices and profits, we would be much better off.

Ed McCormack, Merrick