"We only understand what we are taught."

"Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything. 14% of people know that." Homer Simpson.
Who doesn't love a good fact of the day? I just came across some interesting statistics, facts, and random tidbits that I figured I would share with you. Don't quote me on any of this, because as Homer so eloquently points out, not everything you read is true.

1. Half an hour of bicycling daily can increase your life expectancy by up to four years.
2. Trips under 3 miles are often faster by bike and trips between 5-7 miles are take about the same amount of time as a car.
3. One-quarter of the carbon emissions produced in the US come from the tailpipes of our vehicles.
4. Two point three BILLION gallons of gas are idled away every year by Americans while stuck in traffic.
5. If one million people replaced a five-mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, CO2 emissions would drop by about 100,000 tons a year. (That is only 0.3% of the population)

So those are things that "experts" have come up with, all of which are impressive. There are hundreds more of these fun little facts and if you are lucky I will continue to sprinkle them into the mix on future posts (try to contain your excitement, please...)

Based on my own highly structured and official research, here is some data that might also be of interest.

1. When using a bike as transportation you are less likely to: take unnecessary trips, compulsively shop, and eat greasy food (ugly was the day that I horsed down fries before my ride home... needless to say, they did not make it back to the house).
2. Selling your car doesn't just give you the initial cash but also results in huge savings on gas, parking, and maintenance... based on my own finances over the last two months I have saved roughly $400 in gas alone and will save another $400 in parking this fall. (PLUS no more taxes, tags, insurance, or maintenance). Note: I am not factoring in all of the guilt meals, presents, and favors I am extending to my carpool friends.
3. Biking gives you sweet, sweet legs. (Hello, hottie biker calves...)
4. Who doesn't want to a legitimate reason to rock out in spandex?
5. Almost anything is possible with a bike... I mean, just check out this little guy below.