Arteries are vessels blood away from the heart whereas veins carry blood to the heart Arteries have thicker walls to cope with the higher pressure- muscle (contracts-to control blood flow) elastic (helps artery to expand)Veins have thinner walls with valves to prevent the backflow of deoxygenated blood Arteries have a narrow lumen, while veins have a wide lumen (use balloon analogy) Arteries transport oxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary artery, while veins transport deoxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary vein