Revamp For Car Sticker Mileage Figures

(CBS)  With gas prices through the roof, people are paying attention to the mileage that vehicles are likely to get.

Environmental Protection Agency estimates appear in bold print on the stickers in the windows of vehicles in showrooms.

But,

reports

consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen, those numbers are frequently inaccurate and, sometimes, very inaccurate.

"Can we do better in representing those numbers? Definitely," EPA's Director of Transportation Margo Oge tells Koeppen.

She says the agency is updating its gas mileage test for the first time in 20 years to make it more realistic.

In the meantime, Koeppen says, consumers shouldn't believe its numbers are exact.

The EPA is trying to better simulate real-world driving, things such as driving with your air conditioning on, cold weather, stop-and-go, rapid acceleration, very fast speeds and more.

Current tests are done in a lab.

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