Excerpt from conserving energy and preserving the environment
bureau of transportation statistics: us d. o.t.

1 as the united states strives to achieve greater energy efficiency and independence and to improve the environment, the role of transportation has become paramount. america consumes more energy and produces more pollution in mobility and travel than in any other activity. it follows that any serious effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make significant additional progress on the environment must address the way americans travel. this study examines the role of public transportation in conserving energy and reducing pollution. the data show that traveling by public transportation, per person and per mile, uses significantly less energy and produces substantially less pollution than comparable travel by private vehicles. we find that increasing the role of public transportation can provide the most effective strategy available for reducing energy consumption and improving the environment without imposing new taxes and government regulations on the economy or consumers.

7 the most recent data show that the current use of public transportation is a major source of energy savings. moving a person over a given distance by public transportation consumes, on average, about half the energy of moving a person the same distance by private automobile, sports-utility vehicle (suv), or light truck.

according to the author, which is a main cause of wasted energy in the field of transportation?
a) the assembly and sale of cars and trucks
b) the building and repairing of roads and causeways
c) the use of private automobiles over public transportation
d) the hundreds and thousands of accidents that inevitably occur each year