University of Dresden Study Finds Each Car Costs Society €1,600

Udo Becker, lead author on a traffic study from the Technical University of Dresden says that each of the 234 million cars on the road in the EU costs society €1,600 a year or a total of €373 billion a year. These amounts are based on the effects of noise pollution, air pollution and accidents on the world. 

According to Becker in addition to fuel, insurance and other running costs, average EU residents pay €750 in taxes for the cars on the road. 

The Green party in the EU Parliament believes that this is a catastrophe and intends to change it in the future. Becker says that the taxes and fees on cars need to be increased to make up the difference and to make people know what their driving is doing to society. Prices need to reflect their true costs. 

"The strategy is to use price signals that everyone pays attention to and hopefully no one has to pay for these costs," says Becker in the study. 

The prices could not be flat throughout the EU. The study found that the cost of a car on society is the lowest in Malta, Lithuania, Estonia and Cyprus at about €850. In Germany, the study found costs are closer to €2,000 per car per year. 

Source: Auto, Motor und Sport