Auto accidents kill around 40,000 people in the U.S. every year and seriously injure 500,000 more. Driving erodes our community life. And the exhaust, noise and risk makes city streets generally unpleasant places to be. Finally, driving is beginning to strangle our economy. The point is not that all driving is terrible.
Cars are very useful and valuable.
The problem is that when driving is the only viable option for most people, the system breaks down. Projecting current trends into the future makes the problem even more ominous. There will be nearly a million more people in the Puget Sound region by 2010. At an average of 4.25 trips per person per day, that's almost four million new trips per day in the region. Many argue the solution is better transit and more bicycling, walking and carpooling.