In our current economic slow down, there is some good news. People are driving less which means fewer accidents. In this article from the Los Angeles Times, they quote Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
One of the few benefits of a bad economy is that you don’t kill as many people in motor vehicle crashes.
According to USA Today, Traffic fatalities on the nation’s roads are down nearly 10% over last year. This is a huge difference and it means that over 3,000 lives were saved. In addition, car accidents cost us all financially and a reduction in our driving saves us money.
The number of miles driven during spring and summer declined sharply as a result of high fuel prices. The Department of Transportation announced that drivers in the USA logged nearly 100 billion fewer miles than in the prior 12-month period. It is hard to calculate the impact of that many miles, but just think of all the variables:
- Gasoline saved
- Decrease of imported oil
- Reduction in CO2 emissions
- Less maintenance on our vehicles
- Diminished wear and tear on our roadways and bridges
- Drop in tolls paid
In a tough economy, we need to save money wherever we can. The fact that we also can save lives and gain all of these other benefits just proves the positive effect that Pay4Rides could have every day. Are you driving less? Why?
