Report Highlights Economic Benefits of Reducing Car Dependence

A new study finds that reducing private car ownership and miles driven in the United States could save a collective $6.2 trillion more than just focusing on shifting to electric vehicles.

As Kea Wilson explains in Streetsblog USA, the report from the Union of Concerned Scientists “states that giving Americans the freedom to choose among multiple modes of travel is "key to the climate transition" — and that making ‘visionary but feasible’ changes, like shifting land use patterns and investing in walking, biking, and transit, could get our country to the critical net zero milestone.”

According to the report, reducing vehicle miles traveled by roughly 27 percent by 2050 could eliminate the need for $201 billion in new infrastructure and save the nation $128 billion in public health costs. “And then there's the staggering costs of car crash deaths themselves, 250,000 of which could be avoided if VMT was cut, along with 3.7 million crash injuries that often cost far more than a fatality.”

Americans would also save almost $6 trillion on car payments, fuel, insurance, and other costs associated with vehicle ownership.

Kevin Shen, the lead author of the report, highlights the need for options, saying, “if you look into the more recent research [about] what actually benefits people in the U.S., it is not automobility. Providing a multitude of options — that's what actually benefits people.”