The smog shrouding Chinese cities this winter seems of little concern to drivers, who continue clogging the roads and spewing out fumes as they idle in traffic jams.

But this carefree disregard of the pollution they cause, which is a significant contributor of the harmful particles in the smog, will have to change if we are to breath clean air again.

Environmental studies show that the poor air quality, acid rains and smog that blight Chinese cities, and which are harmful to health, are all related to automobile exhaust emissions.

Motor vehicles produced 52.27 million tons of pollutants in China last year.

True a series of measures have been taken to limit the pollution from automobile exhausts since 2005. For example, unleaded gasoline and low sulfur fuel are now more widely used than before. This has meant that even though the number of automobiles increased by 150 percent from 2005 to 2010, the emission of pollutants only increased by 7.4 percent.

However, the large number of cars on the road in China, means any increase is significant. According to China Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Report of 2011 issued by Ministry of Environmental Protection on Dec 19, the total inventory of automobiles in China has risen from 30.88 million to 77.22 million in the past five years, and the ownership momentum shows no sign of slowing.

At present none of the driving expenses in China are related to environmental protection. This will have to change.

An environmental tax, or carbon tax, on drivers will serve to remind them of the harm their cars do. Such a tax would help cover the medical expenses caused by environmental problems, which are rapidly escalating.

The authorities should also accelerate getting old automobiles off the roads, set limits on high oil-consuming automobiles, and develop energy-saving and environmentally friendly automobiles

Electric vehicles cannot be regarded as green until the environmental concerns occurring in generating power and processing the waste batteries are finally dispelled.

But the key to reducing automobile pollutants is to improve public transport options, so that they are an attractive and practical alternative for more people.

On a per capita basis the level of pollutants from public transport is significantly less than private transport. Even if only 1 percent of car drivers in China started using public transport, more than 80 million liters of gasoline would be saved each year, with a corresponding reduction in the amount of pollutants discharged.

Imagine the benefits if a greater percentage could be persuaded to take their foot off the pedal.