Benefits of Carpooling as Sustainable Transportation

If you and your neighbors work in the same building or in the same general area, it makes sense to take advantage of the benefits of carpooling.

As automakers work toward widespread adoption of electric vehicles, there’s an old but proven way to improve your impact on the environment by utilizing a sustainable method of transportation. For decades, neighbors who worked together would ride in the same vehicle during their commute. This became known as carpooling, and it’s a great way to be a bit more eco-friendly.

Here are some of the benefits of carpooling as a form of sustainable transportation.

You’ll cut your carbon footprint

Driving your car burns fossil fuels and emits greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. If you and your neighbor both drive to work and you work in the same area, you can immediately cut this impact in half by riding together. This means one vehicle makes the trip to work instead of two, which effectively reduces the emissions put into the atmosphere. By riding together, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 2,000 pounds each year, which is even better if you add more people to your daily ride.

Lowered air pollution

The short-term impact of more vehicles on the road is lowered air quality. This is why some large cities experience smog, which hovers over the city and traps heat and greenhouse gasses, which can be harmful to the people living there. One of the most significant benefits of carpooling is taking some cars off the road to help keep the air cleaner. This can help reduce the risk of respiratory distress in some people, which should be the major concern when working to improve air quality.

Less noise pollution

The fewer vehicles there are on the road, the less noise is added to the air. People who live near a highway can be exposed to large amounts of noise. This nose can reach 80 decibels of sound per day, which is above the recommended level to protect against hearing loss. If there is less traffic on the roads, that means the noise levels are lowered, which benefits people in the areas that are closest to the highways.

Reduces your costs

When you take turns handling the drive, everyone in the carpool group can save money and reduce their costs of driving. This is easily one of the greatest benefits of carpooling. Of course, you also get the benefit of not having to drive every day, which allows you to relax and enjoy the ride. Not only are your fuel costs reduced, but you’ll save wear and tear on your vehicle, which makes your car last a lot longer. Split the costs across all your carpool participants and let everyone benefit.

You can save time in your day

On the days that you’re not driving, you can get ahead on work projects, catch up on some necessary reading, or relax and enjoy the ride. You get some of your time back in your day. Its important to take turns driving to allow everyone in the group to enjoy the benefits of gaining this time. This could be your time to read a book, take a nap, or catch up on social media This is an excellent benefit to sharing the ride with others.

Your stress will be less

Driving can be one of the most stressful activities we engage in every day. One of the greatest benefits of carpooling is the lowered stress level you’ll experience. Even when traffic is light, you can get stressed while behind the wheel. The days you don’t have to drive and can let someone else handle it will help you feel less stressed. This means you can lower your blood pressure and reduce the potential for stress-related health problems that could become challenging as you get older.

Your commute is made much better

In larger cities, many highways have a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane that runs alongside the heaviest traffic areas. Typically, the HOV lane will be open on the way into the city in the morning and closed going in the opposite direction. This changes for the evening drive home. These HOV lanes typically move briskly but require two or more occupants in a vehicle for use. Your carpool group will arrive at work a little sooner than other drivers going to the same place but driving alone.

These are only a few of the benefits of carpooling that make it a sustainable method of transportation and a great way to replace the task of making the commute every day.