U.S. overdependence on motor vehicles stems in large measure from the failure to make car and truck owners pay the full costs of driving. Highway users, for example, pay only a fraction of the actual costs of highway construction, repair, and a host of other motor-vehicle-related services. The authors of this eye-opening paper tackle the difficult problem of estimating true transportation costs and reveal that the sums involved are enormous - ranging up to hundreds of billions of dollars per year - and could easily add several dollars to the cost of a gallon of motor fuel if borne directly by drivers and fuel users. Making the case for badly needed transportation reforms - more efficient conventionally powered vehicles, more attractive public transit, and the introduction of climate-friendly vehicles for the next century - the authors argue that these initiatives are unlikely ever to get off the drawing board unless and until U.S. drivers pay more of the true costs of transportation. (Author/publisher)
Abstract