If you don't live in a city or on a college campus, car-sharing may not be for you... just yet. Check this list of all car-sharing services to find your area and which car-sharing company you may be able to use. But if your area doesn't offer car-sharing yet, it doesn't mean you shouldn't know what it's all about. Rather than focusing on higher fuel-economy, car-sharers focus on driving sparingly. Zipcar, the biggest car-sharing company, claims that each and every of their 5,000 Zipcars take 15-20 personally-owned vehicles off the road.
People who frequently use car sharing tend to sell their own cars eventually and start using alternate modes of transportation, like biking and walking. Car-sharing is also ideal in place of a second family car. It's healthier, because you'll have to walk to the car parking spot to pick up your car, and walk or ride your bike more often to compensate for not having your own car to drive everyday. some people are even competing in a challenge: the Low Car Diet by Zipcar. It's also very convenient that car-sharing programs allow you to request a certain type of car - get a convertible on the nice days out, a truck for moving day, a hybrid when you're just driving around getting stuff done.
Car-sharing helps to reduce highway congestion, and has a ripple effect - less road damage, less construction, less need for more parking infrastructures. Finally, the savings are exponential. Not owning a car means not paying for insurance, parking, gas, payments, or maintenance. You can rent a car by the day or by the hour, and rental plans include insurance, maintenance, parking, gas and some mileage.
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