High fuel prices often provoke anger and frustration among consumers, but high gasoline prices actually produce several advantages. Though high fuel prices can take a toll on your personal finances, they can benefit the environment, public health, and the security and economy of the United States.
High fuel prices usually prompt people to drive less as they find alternatives such as walking or public transportation. Fewer cars on the road means a dramatic decrease in the amount of automotive pollution, which leads to improved public health, according to Time magazine.
Public transportation is more environmentally friendly because it improves air quality, producing less pollution than if all the transit riders were in cars. Furthermore, as fuel prices increase, people tend to conserve gas as much as possible. This in turn causes sales of fuel-inefficient vehicles to decrease while sales of fuel-efficient vehicles increase. For instance, in June 2008, when gasoline prices rose above $4 a gallon, sales of Ford SUVs decreased by 55 percent, Time reported.
High gas prices also prompt people to check their tire pressures more frequently, because vehicles run more efficiently with properly inflated tires.
When driving becomes more expensive, people tend to walk more often to reach nearby destinations. An increase in exercise would help address the country's growing obesity epidemic. According to Charles Courtemanche, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a permanent $1 increase in fuel prices would eventually lead to a 10 percent decrease in the obesity rate, Time reports.
High fuel prices also tend to discourage urban sprawl, as people choose to live closer to work to reduce commuting time. Less automotive traffic leads to a decrease in the number of traffic-related deaths, according to Time.
With a greater emergence of fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative forms of energy, the United States would be able to move away from its dependence on oil imported from sometimes hostile nations, thus strengthening national security. High fuel prices create incentives for the production of these alternative fuels and vehicles, according to the PBS Online News Hour.
Another possible advantage might be an increased availability of police officers, previously focused on traffic observations, to patrol other areas, which could improve community safety.
Furthermore, as a direct result of higher fuel prices, shipping costs increase, which serves to encourage jobs previously sent abroad to be returned to the United States, according to Time magazine.
