Automobiles are wonderful, but they are also hazardous to our health. Besides car accidents, autos create air pollution and stressful commutes. Also, suburbs designed around automobiles make it hard to get enough exercise. SkyTran is a big improvement on all these counts: very safe and low-pollution; self-driving so you can relax enroute, and conducive to walkable neighborhoods instead of spread-out suburban sprawl.

Air Pollution

A November 2008 study found that "Dirty Air Costs California Economy $28 Billion Annually" http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/2008/091-air-pollution-study.html -- and that's just one state. Some facts from this study:

• "The cost of air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley is more than $1,600 per person per year."
• "3,812 premature deaths among those age 30 and older"
• "Days of reduced activity in adults: 3,517,720"
• "In Los Angeles County, pollution-related deaths are more than double the number of motor vehicle-related deaths"

Globally, the World Health Organization estimated that outdoor air pollution caused 800,000 deaths and 6.4 million lost years of healthy life in 2000, estimates that were part of the Global Burden of Disease Comparative Risk Assessment project (http://www.who.int/whr/2002/en/).

Stress

Driving is also stressful, especially on congested roadways. Since many commuters drive an hour or two a day, this is continued, life-long stress. Stress not only causes harmful physiological symptoms during driving, but they can continue long after stressful driving situations.

The article: "Dealing with stress and pressure in the vehicle" outlines a complex and pervasive set of issues related to the psychological effects of driving. Some excerpts:

• There are about 200 million licensed drivers in North America today.
• Aggressive driving is a cultural norm, not a deviant behavior.
• Among stressful activities, 58% of drivers use swearing, [or] name calling as a way of expressing their driving frustration.
• Few traffic situations are without risk. Drivers are constantly involved with this risk.

SkyTran is not only faster than driving, but it allows you to perform other tasks that can help relieve stress in the rest of your life. Having an extra hour to work, catching up on reading or sleep, or learning a new skill can help relieve stress in your non-transit hours. Imagine what a relief it would be to turn your stress-filled commute into an extra hour a day of free time!

Exercise

In the suburbs, you can't get anywhere without driving; so we've given up trying. Suburban life surgically removes exercise from our daily lives. Driving from your driveway to your job's parking lot, high school students driving to school and the mall and their friends' houses, soccer moms' daily routines - driving, driving, driving! It's no wonder obesity is an epidemic.

SkyTran makes it easy to travel long distances without needing a car. Living in "transit-oriented villages" with stores and houses and schools in walking distance, but just a few minutes SkyTran ride from malls and jobs and downtown attractions, promises to be a much healthier lifestyle.

For stations that are further from your destinations, SkyTran is compatible with BikeShare, a program now popular in Paris and spreading quickly. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/world/europe/13paris.html?_r=1 A SkyTran car is also big enough to contain a folding bike or even a small electric scooter should you be so inclined. Since you needn't concentrate on the road while in a SkyTran car, that time can be spent exercising where you'll be multi-tasking --- traveling and exercising --- without the sense of distraction. Because SkyTran will cause less air pollution, exercising will be healthier.