Killer Cars III

United States oil import figures—13.15 million bbl/day (2004)—coupled with current oil prices—$92.79 at time of writing—mean the U.S. burns roughly $15,000 per second on oil, or about $1.25 billion annually. Despite this massive waste, the auto industry still fights against improved fuel economy standards.

Cars must be relegated from The American Way to a Necessary But Woefully Overused Evil. While the decision to drive a car may be individually rational, the combined effect of millions of drivers moving millions of miles daily is deadly.

Global Warming. “The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 exceeds by far the natural range over the last 650,000 years … as determined from ice cores. … The primary source of the increased atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide since the pre-industrial period results from fossil fuel use.” — Source
Ocean Acidification. “We [the Royal Society] recommend that action needs to be taken now to reduce global emissions of CO2 from human activities to the atmosphere to avoid the risk of irreversible damage from ocean acidification.” — Source
Health Risks.
- “Microscopic Pollution May Trigger Heart Attacks/Strokes by Spurring Blood Clots” — Source
- Diesel pollution increases allergy risk in susceptible people — Source
- “Diesel Exhaust May Cause Asthma, Not Just Aggravate It” — Source
Injury & Death. Cars kill in the neighborhood of 1,200,000 individuals annually, and maim another 50,000,000. — Source

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Killer Cars III