Also, some of the engineers that work on Emissions made this comment regarding motorcycle and moped credit for the challenge.  How should I respond to this?

***Are we sending the wrong signal here?

I understand the GHG benefit of riding a moped or motorcycle is significant, but I believe the emission levels of other pollutants (like hydrocarbons, including air toxics, and PM) from these bikes is actually higher per mile than most cars.

In terms of a combined environmental and health impacts point of view, I’d say moped and china motorcycles are definitely a mixed bag.

July 11, 2009 - Some 39,000 people were killed in road collisions in 2008 in the EU27, 15,400 less than in 2001 but still far from the 27,000 deaths limit which set by the EU as a target for 2010.

The average annual reduction since 2001 has been only 4.4% instead of the 7.4% needed.  This could delay the EU in reaching the target until 2017.  During its annual PIN conference held in Brussels on June 22, ETSC analyzed EU and national performance in road safety.

After a particularly bad 2007, 2008 saw a promising decrease in road deaths by 8.5%, which was the best year-to-year reduction since 2001.  Estonia (-33%), Lithuania (-33%), Slovenia (-27%) and Latvia (-25%) achieved the best reductions in 2008 but still have some of the highest road death rates in the EU.

In 2008, for the first time ever, the EU10 achieved the same year-on-year percentage reduction in road deaths as the EU15.  The reduction in road deaths in 2008 can be partly attributed to reduced traffic volume following the recent economic recession and relatively high petrol prices earlier in the year.