The True Cost of Automobiles

The true cost of driving automobiles is staggering.

Forget the fuzzy social costs, air quality, lung cancer and all that.  Just look at the hard numbers costs, both to each of us as individuals, and to government.  I was at a train meeting when Wisconsin Assemblywoman Penny Bernhard Schaber asked what the cost of highways is.  Someone in the audience mentioned the book Asphalt Nation.  So I read it.

Then I did my own math, based on the most recent statistics.  Here's what I get.

My conservative, low-balling estimate:  $1 Trillion a year cost that each of us pays directly for gas, insurance, maintenance, cars, etc.   PLUS  $500 billion a year government spends on highways, state police and other "concrete" verifiable costs.

If you want breakdowns, or do your own math, or see a higher estimate, see CommuteSolutions.org  They put the numbers closer to $3 Trillion a year.

People think trains are expensive. Now I'm beginning to understand trains are cheaper than cars.

Comments

[Erik H]

Hi Bill,

I just read a great article in the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Newsletter on Personal Rapid Transport. With the costs of driving you mention above, PRT may be a good fit for many communities. The article is at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6333.html

[Erwin Calverley]

Commuting is actually a lot cheaper than having your own vehicle. What makes it cheaper is that you need not pay for any maintenance. Having your own car can be costly sometimes. Either way, they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. =)