USPIRG Education Fund<\/p>\n
America\u2019s transportation system is wrecking our health.<\/p>\n
Traffic-related air pollution kills an estimated 58,000 Americans every year, and increases the risk of serious health conditions, including lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, asthma, and even dementia.\u00a0More than 38,000 people die in vehicle crashes in the U.S. every year and millions more are seriously injured.\u00a0Even our mental health and the health of our relationships are at risk \u2013 the time we spend driving, much less the time we spend stuck in stressful\u00a0traffic, is time away from family, friends,\u00a0exercise and leisure pursuits.<\/p>\n
These health problems are a direct result of the way we\u2019ve built our communities and our transportation system to be dependent on travel in fossil fuel-powered cars. Every year, Americans drive more than 3.2 trillion miles \u2013 nearly 10,000 miles per person and more miles per capita than people almost anywhere else in the world.\u00a0\u00a0Since 1990, the number of vehicle miles traveled by light-duty vehicles like cars and light-duty trucks has risen by more than 46 percent.<\/p>\n
There is a better way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By rebuilding our transportation system to give more people the option to spend less time in a car, by expanding access to active means of travel such as walking and biking, and by adopting zero-emission electric cars and buses, we can make our transportation safer, healthier,\u00a0cleaner and more efficient.<\/strong><\/p>\n Transportation is a leading cause of air pollution that shortens lives and makes\u00a0people sick.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2019, the transportation sector produced 55 percent of the nation\u2019s emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) \u2013 a component of ozone smog \u2013 16 percent of all emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 2.7 percent of all emissions of primary particulate mat- ter, often known as soot.<\/p>\n This pollution causes or exacerbates a range of serious health conditions, including:<\/p>\n The 45 million Americans who live in close proximity to busy roads or other traffic-related infrastructure are at increased risk from the health impacts of traffic- related pollution.<\/strong><\/p>\n American society\u2019s dependence on cars puts us at risk every time we take to the roads,whether or not we\u2019re in a car ourselves.<\/p>\n Driving even takes a toll on the health of\u00a0drivers themselves. Excessive driving can\u00a0lead to a range of health impacts, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n America\u2019s transportation system is the nation\u2019s number one source of greenhouse gas emissions and the largest single contributor to the climate crisis, which will\u00a0harm public health for decades to come.<\/p>\n In 2018, transportation accounted for 28 percent of the nation\u2019s total greenhouse gas emissions \u2013 more than any other sector of the economy.\u00a0If emissions continue at their current level, the impacts on public health will be severe.<\/p>\n Climate change will bring more disease<\/strong>,\u00a0as shifting temperatures lead\u00a0to geographic shifts of disease-carrying insects like ticks and mosquitos.\u00a0lence of pathogens like\u00a0E. coli\u00a0and salmonella, which thrive in hot and humid\u00a0conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n To address the health and environmental damage our transportation system causes, we need to completely transform the way\u00a0we travel. And there are steps we can\u00a0take right now, using proven policies and\u00a0existing technology, that can help eliminate traffic-related pollution and move\u00a0America\u2019s transportation system towards a greener, healthier future:<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting more people moving by foot,\u00a0bike and transit\u00a0can immediately reduce\u00a0both global warming emissions and the\u00a0toxic pollutants from our car-dependent\u00a0transportation system. Walking and biking\u00a0infrastructure has been shown to benefit\u00a0communities in a variety of ways, including\u00a0increased safety, improved health and happiness, and more freedom for older adults\u00a0and people with mobility issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n The U.S. should at least double the number of people who travel by foot, bike or\u00a0transit by 2030.\u00a0<\/strong>To achieve this goal, policy-makers should:<\/p>\n Phasing out fossil fuel vehicles\u00a0can enable\u00a0the U.S. vehicle fleet to operate with zero\u00a0greenhouse gas emissions from driving\u00a0or charging, if such a shift is accompanied by a transition to a grid powered by clean, renewable energy. Electric vehicles also ben-\u00a0efit public health, as they do not emit harm- ful tailpipe emissions that cause cancer, asthma and other health problems.<\/p>\n All new light-duty cars and trucks sold\u00a0after 2035 should be electric vehicles.\u00a0<\/strong>To achieve this goal, policymakers should:<\/p>\n Electrifying and improving transit\u00a0<\/strong>can create clean transit fleets for cities and schools, particularly if those fleets are powered by\u00a0clean energy. Electric buses emit no tailpipe\u00a0pollution and would significantly improve the\u00a0health of children who take school buses and the urban populations often served by buses.<\/p>\n U.S. transit agencies and school districts\u00a0should replace all transit and school buses\u00a0with clean electric buses by 2030.\u00a0<\/strong>To achieve this goal, policymakers should:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","":null}}],"site_specific_content":""},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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