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When considering the cost of driving, most people think only about
how much they pay for gas. Drivers also pay to buy and maintain a car,
including tune-ups, oil and tires, as well as for insurance,
registration, and parking.
Indirect costs of driving, such as road construction and maintenance,
add to drivers’ financial burden through taxes and fees. In addition,
there are quality of life costs that drivers and non-drivers alike pay
to support automobile transportation. Though challenging to quantify,
these added impacts include air pollution, traffic congestion, and
health care.
Use this educational tool to calculate both your out-of-pocket Direct Driver's Expenses and the Indirect Costs of your driving habits. Once you consider the true cost of driving
alone, other transportation options such as carpooling, vanpooling,
riding the bus, walking, riding a bike or telecommuting may look more
attractive. Call 831.429.POOL or visit us online at commutesolutions.org for a list of potential carpool partners or for help planning your next
bike, bus or walking trip to from, or within Santa Cruz County, CA. For
more information about how these expenses are determined, please visit
the True Cost of Driving Article.
TO CALCULATE YOUR TRUE COST OF DRIVING...
- Enter information about your commute and driving habits.
- Use the driver costs provided (based on California driving conditions) or change amounts to reflect your own expenses.
- The calculator gives you your annual vehicle mileage and calculates your true cost of driving.
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| YOUR COMMUTE AND DRIVING HABITS |
| Your daily MILES TO AND FROM WORK (please round to the nearest mile) |
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| The number of DAYS A WEEK YOU USUALLY DRIVE ALONE TO WORK |
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| Add in your average daily NON-WORK MILES |
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| Your Annual Vehicle Mileage is: |
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| 1. |
Determine your Annual Vehicle Mileage
(number of miles you drive in one year) |
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| 2. |
Your Direct Driver's Expenses  |
COSTS |
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Fixed costs (insurance, registration, motor vehicle taxes) |
¢ per mile |
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Finance Charge |
¢ per mile |
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Depreciation |
¢ per mile |
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Fuel |
¢ per mile |
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Maintenance and Tires |
¢ per mile |
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Residential Parking |
¢ per mile |
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Parking and Tolls: user paid (if applicable) |
¢ per mile |
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Travel Time (with average delays) |
¢ per mile |
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Accidents (personal costs of injury and property damage) |
¢ per mile |
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Total Direct Drivers Expense per mile |
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| 3. |
Your Indirect Costs  |
COSTS |
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Accidents (government-paid cleanup, lost economic activity, etc.) |
¢ per mile |
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State and Local Construction, Improvements and Repair |
¢ per mile |
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State and Local Highway Maintenance and Operations |
¢ per mile |
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Parking (commercial and employer-paid, including government tax) |
¢ per mile |
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Waste Disposal (highway cleanup, tire and oil removal) |
¢ per mile |
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Air Pollution Damage (health costs, crops, trees, materials,
etc.) |
¢ per mile |
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External Resource Consumption Costs (economic trade and natural resource use) |
¢ per mile |
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Road Noise (property value decrease and abatement) |
¢ per mile |
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CO2 Reduction (motor vehicles only) |
¢ per mile |
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Water Pollution and Hydrologic Impacts |
¢ per mile |
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Transportation Diversity and Equity |
¢ per mile |
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Barrier Effects on Pedestrians and Bicycles |
¢ per mile |
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Land Use Impact Costs |
¢ per mile |
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Roadway Land Value |
¢ per mile |
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Congestion Cost |
¢ per mile |
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Total Indirect Costs per mile associated with driving |
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The Total Dollar Cost per mile (Direct Driver's Expenses plus Indirect Costs) |
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| 4. |
The Actual Cost of Your Driving per year (Annual Mileage times Cost/Mile) |
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- Gas prices are updated the first Tuesday of every month, from the Fuel Gauge Report for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California area. Most recent update: $2.60/gal, January 5, 2016.
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