CTAI Blog

According to Sarah Goodyear of The Atlantic Cities magazine, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths in America. Putting a teen behind the wheel of a car also opens them up to a host of other secondary consequences--consequences that manifest primarily in the types of behavior that teen drivers display when they're plugged into "car culture."

These consequences include "physical inactivity, obesity, alcohol use, drug use, poorer grades and sexually transmitted diseases." In short, teens typically display exactly the sort of reckless, impulsive behavior that one might expect to see from them when they have the power to easily drive out from under the eyes of any adult.

Yet many teens don't have any option but to get behind the wheel of a car. Just like adults, teens often have jobs or other responsibilities to tackle--and parents don't always have time to play taxi.

So teens need, as the article described, the option to avoid driving altogether. This option saves lives while helping teens continue to receive access to transportation options that they need as they work towards their goals or enjoy their social lives.

These options encompass more than extended bus lines. There is a "total transportation management strategy" that needs to be worked out if we're going to reduce teenage driving deaths.

"This strategy encourages people to use more efficient and beneficial travel modes...through a holistic, integrated set of policies ranging from parking prices to transit improvements to traffic calming. This combined approach, according to its advocates, can shape the way people make travel choices over time. Having a bike-share system, for instance, combined with traffic-calmed streets, will make people more likely to bike rather than drive, thus reducing congestion and emissions. And the person gets some exercise, too...Kids need to be able to make fully informed choices and not be forced into driving simply because the society doesn't offer alternatives or make them useful and accessible."

Given today's teens would rather own a smartphone than a car, it's safe to say that these measures would be more than effective at saving teen lives and reducing parental worries. 

This USA Today post is about a year old, but the information it shares about the link between long commutes and poor health is still quite relevant and worth knowing about. The story references a study by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

"This is the first study to show that people who commute long distances to work were less fit, weighed more, were less physically active and had higher blood pressure...all of these are strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers."

There are plenty of reasons for the links between a long commute and ill health.

One reason is time. Time spent behind the windshield robs you of time to exercise. Ironically, you need more time to exercise if you're driving a lot because driving is such a stationary activity.

You also have less time to cook healthy foods. People who drive longer are often much more prone to reach for fast food, which can quickly take a toll on one's health and well-being.

People with long commutes usually have to get up earlier, which means inviting the poor health problems that come with inadequate sleep. 

Then there's the stress. You're losing time with your family. You're not getting anything productive done. And traffic is stressful too. 

Traffic jams, rude drivers and harsh weather conditions are enough to raise anybody's blood pressure. Stress results in hormonal changes and weaker immune systems, too.

Public transportation helps by reducing the amount of traffic on the road, which reduces the time and stress involved in making the daily commute. It also offers many commuters the option of taking a stress-free trip to work.

Instead of slamming on the breaks to avoid someone who just cut you off you could sit back in a clean, climate-controlled bus or van, enjoying a book, a game on your smart phone, or the chance to catch a short nap. You could even sip your morning coffee instead of gulping it down between lane changes.

Public transportation can't reduce distances, so if you still live 45 miles away from your job you're still going to suffer from some of the issues of reduced time and increased stress. But public transportation options can still help that time pass far more pleasantly, which is better for your health overall.

What factors do home owners look for when deciding what and where to purchase? As the adage goes, "Location, Location, Location." However, the question is then, location in relation to what? The answer may well be Transit.

Despite the recent good news that US ridership of public transportation was nearly record-breaking this year, the fact remains that this just isn't true everywhere. While overall usage of mass transit is improving, there are certainly markets within the United States where public transportation isn't even receiving basic care and maintenance, nonetheless being cultivated as an essential part of our communities.

Interestingly, and rather poignantly, many of the areas wherein mass transit failed to thrive were areas where legislation that would have instituted funding measures failed to pass. No one likes paying more taxes, but keeping our communities' infrastructure maintained and supported is crucial to developing neighborhoods that thrive. Sadly, in the cases of cities like Atlanta, Georgia, and Tacoma, Washington, it seems that a passing vote in favor of increases of a mere penny or a fraction of a percentage increase in sales tax would have made the difference. One can only wonder if perhaps similar votes will go differently in communities wherein transit ridership is lagging the next time around, but it seems an obvious guess that without the willingness to put into supporting and renewing our public transit, the system will continue to deteriorate and eventually will fail. For more, read the full article at The Atlantic Cities.