Centuries from now, our descendants may look back in wonder and amusement at the automobile. (Assuming humanity hasn't destroyed itself, of course.) Cultural anthropologists will give tours of history museums, announcing with dramatic flair, "Back then, people had to leave their homes for work, and...Read More»
If you read the news each day, you might be under the impression that few people drive to work alone. Headlines frequently shout about the popularity of carpools and HOV lanes and new bike paths and how more people than ever are taking mass transit -- especially in Planet Earth's growing cities...Read More»
Decades ago, cruise ship company Cunard began advertising with a now-famous tag line: "Getting there is half the fun". It was catchy, but also grimly ironic, since Cunard was part of the same corporate cluster that ran the Titanic and the Lusitania. Few would claim that getting "there" is fun...Read More»
Americans aren't especially healthy. The machines that have helped our economy grow and allowed us to do things our grandparents never imagined -- those same machines have diminished our need for physical exertion and, as a result, our well-being. Of all those newfangled devices and gadgets -- the...Read More»
Privacy ain't what it used to be. Just a decade or so ago, most of us paled at the thought of sharing our phone numbers and addresses with corporations, knowing that an onslaught of junk mail and telemarketing calls would follow any slip-up. Today, we distribute our contact info as freely as we'd...Read More»
Driving can be an escape from some of the stresses of life, and a task that some find relaxing or invigorating in itself. Yet far too often—when traffic snags on the morning commute, or when you see that door ding in the parking lot—driving ranks one of the most stressful activities in...Read More»
A new survey of America's commuters reveals some interesting facts. Chief among them: many folks text and drive, while far more -- especially women -- have a tendency to fly off the handle. The study was conducted by Harris Interactive between May 14 and June 4 of this year. Over 3,800 commuters...Read More»
No one enjoys commuting: it's a waste of time, fuel, and money. How much money? According to one new infographic, you spend $795 a year for every mile you live from your place of work -- enough to pay the interest on $15,900 of a mortgage. Let's start with the worst-case scenario: if you travel...Read More»
According to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. drivers are spending less time on the road than they have in eight years. The data comes from August 2011, during which cars and trucks traveled 263 billion miles on U.S. roadways. That's a drop of 1.7% compared to August 2010, and perhaps more...Read More»
This just in: the longer your daily commute, the less likely you are to be happy, healthy and even married for any length of time. A new study by researchers at Umea University in Sweden proved that commuters who drive more than 45 minutes each way are 40 percent likelier to divorce than those with...Read More»
The word is already out that Americans would probably be healthier (and probably a lot happier) if we had shorter daily commutes. Now it seems that the cost pressure of rising gas prices could be forcing us to do just that—rethink where we're living. If a new survey of real-estate...Read More»
Is driving—and America's automobile-centric lifestyle—largely to blame for our obesity problem? It's not surprising that driving and obesity are linked. And now Sheldon Jacobson, a professor, researcher, and data analysis expert at the University of Illinois claims to have found an...Read More»
For the past several years, traffic researchers had noticed an unusual trend: declining congestion in metropolitan areas. Not surprisingly, the slide began in 2008 -- around the time that much of the world was hit with a double-wallop of recession and soaring gas prices. But now that national...Read More»
Our battered economy might have changed how often Americans upgrade the vehicles in their garages, but it hasn't stopped us from getting in our cars and driving. Oddly, with commuter driving likely significantly down because of higher unemployment, Americans drove about three trillion total miles...Read More»
If you live in a major U.S. city, you've probably taken your share of cabs. When it's raining, or when the nearest subway stop is a tad too far, cabs are a great resource. But even better than the cab is the car service -- elegant and clean and not much more expensive than a run-of-the-mill taxi...Read More»
Over the past couple of years, we've seen a number of apps aimed at commuters and ride-sharers -- apps like Zimride, Car2gether, and the simple, straightforward Taxi. Now, another has joined the fray: the Weeels app for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm. What separates Weeels from its...Read More»
As long as we're still driving fossil-fuel vehicles, the way we pay for our roads is pretty straightforward: We fill up at the pump, and for the most part, a big chunk of the gasoline tax we pay goes toward building and maintaining roads. What isn't nearly as transparent is how we fund rail...Read More»
People become obsessed with cars for very different reasons. Some are interested in speed and performance. Others focus on green tech and fuel efficiency. Zimride is a carpooling service that speaks to both groups, and its intuitive, social media interface sets it apart from the pack. In a...Read More»
We've recently reported that there are a lot of deals to be had on new vehicles this season—especially on SUVs and trucks. But the flip side is that the costs of vehicle ownership are up significantly this year, and those very same aspects that are making some SUVs looking like such a steal at...Read More»
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