• 70 million motor vehicles were on the world’s roads in 1950
  • 630 million motor vehicles were on the world’s roads in 1994
  • 1 billion motor vehicles are expected to be on the world’s roads by 2025, if the current growth rate continues
  • 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted by the average car each year
  • 5 percent of a car’s fuel can be wasted by underinflated tires
  • 2 billion gallons of gasoline could be saved annually if 65 million car owners kept their tires properly inflated
  • 85 percent of auto fuel is consumed just to overcome inertia and start the wheels turning
  • 2.5 times more emissions are generated by SUVs and light trucks than by standard cars
  • 33,000 natural gas vehicles were in use in the U.S. in 1993
  • 75,000 natural gas vehicles were in use in the U.S. in 1998
  • 50 million new cars roll off the assembly line each year
  • 11 million cars are junked annually in the U.S.

Sources:
1-3 — World Resources Institute
4 — Environmental Working Group
5, 6 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
7 — Amicus Journal
8 — L.A. Times
9, 10 — U.S. Department of Transportation
11 — Amicus Journal
12 — Wall Street Journal