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USEFUL FACTS AND LINKS
Driving, the once great American pastime, no
longer holds charms it once did when roads
and wheels were a novelty. We're all learning the costs
of
the constant movement of large machinery to
carry one or two people distances on trips that
may not have even been necessary with good
planning.
Fewer people are now being taken for a ride through misconceptions about the true cost of driving. The AAA has a tool to calculate the cost of gasoline
here, but we all know the full cost of automobile ownership and use is much higher than fuel costs. More significantly, the external environmental and societal costs of driving in the
hill country and the United States include:
- Death (auto accidents are still the leading cause of death for Americans 2 to 24)
- Police, fire, ambulance services
- Road construction (see
traffic map here for Wimberley construction)
- Air, water, land pollution
- Global warming
- Petroleum supply line policing, security
- Petroleum production subsidies
- Loss of transportation options
- Congestion
And the time spent by automobile owners in maintaining and insuring cars, with huge loss in personal and business productivity due to hours spent sitting in traffic.
A few ways we can drive smarter...
- Carpool to Market Day. It's more fun,
anyway!
- Develop a positive attitude toward reducing car use and relying on alternative forms of transportation. For example, think of time you spend walking and cycling as fun and relaxing exercise, rather than wasted time. Find ways to use time spent on public transit productively, by resting or reading.
- Challenge yourself to find ways to reduce your car use, and reward yourself with the financial savings.
- Combine errands and run them in one trip
- Carpool the kids...save hours and money
each week in school transportation
- Walk or ride a bike. The great thing about self-propelled transportation is that it’s so healthy. You work your heart and muscles, and cut down on traffic congestion – all at the same time.
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