Sustainable development blog : ecology and humanitarian aid

Translated by Pamela Paterson from 10 razones para no usar el coche.

Here we present ten good reasons why you should stop using a car:

1. In the world every day, 3200 people die in car accidents, while 30,000 others are seriously injured. This represents 1.2 million deaths each year, the equivalent of the victims of the World Trade Centre every day! (The Guardian, 18^th January 2003)
2. The car industry invests 2600 million dollars per year on publicity to sell to us the idea of freedom and speed. The media that benefit from these advertising revenues are sure not to mention the servitude and destruction that our automobile culture creates. (Richard Bergeron, The Automotive Black Book)
3. 85% of the victims on the road aren’t cars, but their drivers! Also, in developing countries, hundreds of thousands of people have never owned a car. This privilege of some creates danger for others: walkers, cyclists and passengers on public transport have to double their vigilance. (The Guardian, 18^th of January 2003)
4. Children who live next to main roads frequented by more than 20000 vehicles each year are 6 times more likely to develop cancer than those who live by quieter roads. (less than 500 vehicles per day) (Monitor Publishing, April 2000)
5. Cars lead to the dependence of our societies on fossil fuels. The car is responsible for a third of the world’s consumption of petrol. On the other hand, each year 6 million tons of petrol is lost in the sea during their transport. (daac.gsfc.nasa.gov)
6. The car takes up public space. In the US, cars monopolise 40% of urban space. (Transportation Alternatives; New Transportation Vision)
7. A quarter of the ecological dangers caused by the car come from their production. (Stattauto and the Green Consumer Guide). On the other hand, an average car produces the equivalent of its own weight in carbon dioxide each year (nearly 300 million tons on a human scale)
8. The car creates isolation and apathy. For example, the average American spends a quarter of his time (when not sleeping), that’s to say 1200 hours of the year, sitting in their car or working to pay for it. (Transportation Alternatives)
9. Two railway lines can carry as many passengers per hour as a 16 lane motorway. In one case, it only has to be 15 metres wide, in the other, 120 metres.
10. Beyond the environmental costs, the car is a symbol of a system of values which places dependence, waste and inequality before mobility. (James McGurn, ecologista urbano). Luckily, many alternatives exist! Modifying our traditional way of perceiving cities in which the car is not indispensable (like the future eco-neighbourhood in Figueres). Also, various alternative ways of travelling exist and permit us to reduce or leave behind the car (walking, cycling or public transport, car sharing, etc...) For more information: liftshare.com:  Website where you can find people to car share with. Carbusters.org: international movement to combat our car culture.