About BeatsWalking

Why We Built This

Gas prices are rising. Healthcare costs are rising. And yet most Americans drive for trips that are short enough to walk. The average car trip in the U.S. is under 6 miles, and nearly 28% of all car trips are under 1 mile, according to the National Household Travel Survey.

We think this happens because the true cost of driving is hidden. You don't see depreciation. You don't see the long-term health cost of sitting. You don't see the environmental damage. You see the gas price on the sign and think, "It's only a few minutes." But when you account for everything — fuel, maintenance, depreciation, parking, time, health effects, and environmental externalities — driving a short trip is startlingly expensive, and walking is startlingly cheap.

BeatsWalking makes those hidden costs visible, honestly and transparently.

Our Philosophy

Pro-walking, not anti-car. Cars are essential for many trips and many people. We're not suggesting you walk 20 miles to work or carry groceries for a family of five on foot. We're suggesting that for the short trips where walking is genuinely viable, the economics favor walking far more than most people realize. Our tool helps you see where that line falls for your specific trips and income.

Transparent about our bias. We believe walking is undervalued, and our model reflects that belief through specific, documented choices: the leisure time discount, health savings estimates, and inclusion of environmental costs all favor walking. We think these choices are defensible — each is backed by published research and public data — but we want you to know they exist. Our methodology page explains every assumption and its source.

Privacy first. We don't create accounts, track users, or store personal data. Your income bracket is used solely for the in-memory calculation and is never saved, logged, or sent to third parties. We clear it from the form after each calculation. Route data is cached briefly for performance but never associated with user identity. We believe a cost calculator should compute costs, not collect data.

Our Data Sources

Every number in our calculator comes from a public, verifiable source:

• Gas prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), refreshed daily
• Routing: OpenRouteService (ORS), an open-source routing engine
• Vehicle costs: AAA's annual "Your Driving Costs" study
• Health savings: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) physical inactivity cost estimates
• Environmental costs: EPA social cost of carbon and vehicle emissions data
• Income data: U.S. Census Bureau income distribution brackets

We update these sources regularly and document any changes in our methodology. If you find an error or have a better source, we welcome the feedback.

What We're Not

BeatsWalking is not financial advice, medical advice, or a substitute for professional guidance. Our estimates are approximations based on national averages and public data. Your actual costs will vary based on your vehicle, driving habits, local conditions, and personal health. We provide a useful comparison framework, not a precise accounting.

We are also not affiliated with any automotive, insurance, healthcare, or fitness company. We have no financial interest in whether you walk or drive. We just think the numbers tell an interesting story, and we wanted to share it.