Facts and figures about cars from Co-op America Quarterly's Fall 2004 issue on Sustainable Transportation

Annual car costs made up 19% of household expenditures, second only to shelter costs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' most recent (2001) data. The cost of car ownership for most US families exceeds the amount spend on food and health care combined.

AAA calculated in 2004 that the cost of owning a car, after accounting for depreciation of the car's value, is more than $8,000 a year, or 56.2 cents per mile.

According to the Earth Policy Institute, air pollution claims the lives of 70,000 Americans every year, nearly double the number killed in car crashes.

A study by ecologist Jeff Dukes showed that 98 tons of carbon-based matter must be converted by pressure and heat throughout the millennia, only to be consumed by the average automobile in less than one hour.

How to go "car-lite"

Alternative kinds of cars:
Switch to a hybrid (see table below)
Use biodiesel
    Several models of Volkswagen, Mercedes and jeep can use biodiesel - fuel made
    exclusively from renewable vegetable sources - with no engine modification whatsoever.
Use an electric car

With any car:
Keep tires properly inflated and aligned
    Each 2 pound tires are under-inflated increases gas consumption by 1%.
Avoid high speeds
    Improve your gas mileage by 15% by driving 55 instead of 65.
Change your air filter
    A dirty air filter can lower your gas mileage by as much as 10%.
Avoid long idles
    Restarting your engine burns less gas than idling.
Use your air conditioner wisely
    Your gas consumption increases by 20% whenever your AC is running. Roll down
    the windows in the city. On the highway, keeping your windows up will save gas
    by reducing drag.

Reduce car use:
Bicycle
Walk
Combine car trips
Carpool
Over time look into living closer to work, school, shopping, public transportation