Rising food and fuel prices are putting financial pressure on American families all across the country. Many consumers need to consider alternative methods for saving, just to scrape by. Everyday consumers hear more and more about global warming and the need to reduce their carbon footprint. For consumers already struggling to make payments, buying a new super fuel-efficient vehicle is out of the question. But what if consumers could eliminate the need to rely on fuel altogether? Here are some advantages to using alternative forms of transportation:

Saving Money
Taking public transportation can eliminate car expenses including: gas, maintenance, insurance, parking, and car payments. For every dollar earned, the average household spends 18 cents on transportation. The average family could save more than $6,000 annually by taking public transit. According to the American Automobile Association, the total annual cost of driving a mid-sized sedan 15,000 miles (just above the U.S. average) is nearly $8,000.

Saving Time & Energy
According to the Texas Transportation Institute, the average American will spend 38 hours per year in traffic, that's almost a full work week! This translates to 26 extra gallons of gas and $710 per person. Each year, public transportation use in the U.S. saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline. This represents almost 4 million gallons of gasoline per day. Public Transportation also allows passengers to relax, or do something productive with the time that would normally be wasted during their commute.

Stay Fit & Avoid the Rush
For people who live close enough to their work place, there is always the option of riding a bike or walking. This eliminates the reliance on fuel, the hassle of the pesky morning and evening rush, and allows for a great way to stay fit. Commuters who opt out of the daily drive will be doing their full part to reduce carbon emissions, no matter what form of alternative transportation they use.

ABOUT ACCC: American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to empowering consumers to regain control of their lives through education, counseling and debt management. ACCC provides individuals with practical solutions for solving financial problems and recognizes that consumers' financial difficulties are often not the result of poor spending habits, but more frequently from extenuating circumstances beyond their control. As one of the nation's leading providers of financial education and credit counseling services, ACCC works with consumers to help them with the best plan of action to reduce their debt and regain financial stability. For more information or to access free financial education resources log on to http://www.consumercredit.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_Ross