I’ll admit it – I hate cars. Always have. My dislike for cars has most likely contributed to me living a more or less “car-free” lifestyle. By more or less, I mean that I do in fact own a car – but I rarely drive it. Thus, I would actually ltend to classify my lifestyle as more “car-light” than “car-free. Presently, it has been sitting in my garage since last November and you know what? I don’t miss it a bit. The reason I don’t drive was not initially due to any environmental concerns – I just have never liked driving. I find traffic aggravating, nerve-racking and given the choice, will go out of my way to avoid it. I’m quite content with my choice not to drive – or at least keep it at an absolute minimum – and below I’ll discuss some reasons why.
WHY GO CAR FREE?
Crashes
Awhile back, I read an article calling for the depaving of roads. In this article, the author called for “community before cars” and was adamant about getting cars of the road and putting a moratorium on all new road construction. At first glance, I thought his view a little extreme but then began to think about it. There’s no doubt that cars are dangerous. Through research, I discovered that each year, over 500,000 people are killed by car crashes worldwide – and two-thirds of those deaths involve pedestrians, of which one-third are children. It is estimated that automobiles have killed more than 30 million people since their emergence more than a century ago. What I find so shocking is that this number of car crash casualties is accepted as NORMAL in our modern days society. I imagine that if there were 500,000 airplane crashes a year or 500,000 deaths by food poisoning, there would be some major investigations going on. So why do we find these statistics acceptable for automobiles? How have we have gotten so accustomed to the broken bones, disfigurement, paralysis and death from car crashes that they no longer faze us? Why do we accept this as normal?
Animals
When thinking about these numbers, many forget the forgotten causalities – our non-human friends. Approximately one million animals per day are killed on U.S. roads. While some animals killed are elk, deer, possums, squirrels, skunks, dogs and cats, many are endangered species such as the mountain lion in Southern California, the Florida Panther and the American Crocodile. Loss of habitat from road construction and sprawl is also endangering many species. Road construction ranks as one of the top causes of habitat loss, threatening 38 percent of endangered species.
The Environment
There is also, of course, the environmental hazards caused by automobiles. Cars are the single biggest source of pollution worldwide and a major contributor to global warming. Additionally, an average of 1.5 million acres of farmland is destroyed by “sprawl” each year, encouraged by new road construction. And naturally, the building of new roads has resulted in more car purchases, more driving and more suburban home construction, thus encouraging more sprawl.
Cost
I find that there are other disadvantages to cars. The main one is the cost – car payments (and interest), repairs, gasoline, auto insurance, parking fees, traffic tickets, registration/licensing fees and tax dollars for road construction and road maintenance. These costs alone can amount to thousands of dollars a year. If we take in consideration medical costs (or funeral expenses) from car crashes as well as the pollution costs on our health, the dollar amount is much higher.
Exercise
Another disadvantage is lack of exercise. Cars encourage us to lead a sedentary lifestyle, causing obesity and has pushed us to become lazy. I know people who live 6 blocks from work and who would never consider walking. Others will drive 2 blocks to the store to buy milk. For many car owners, walking or biking small distances is no longer even a consideration.
Community
With everyone driving even small distances, street life is diminished, along with a sense of community. When everyone is isolated in their vehicles, there is little chance of interaction with others. The life of the sidewalk and front porch has all but disappeared. With heavy traffic in congested cities, many people are afraid of crossing the street. Just yesterday, I was walking down the street and saw three girls almost get run down. At the “Walk” light, they began crossing the street. All at once a motorist came flying through at high speed and the girls had to jump back to avoid being hit. Cars have even stolen from us the right to safely walk down the street.
Noise
Another disadvantage – noise, a personal point of contention of mine. I just don’t mean noise from car engines – there’s also the noise from brakes, horns, loud car stereos, tires on pavement and annoying car alarms. This sort of noise pollution is not only annoying but affects our health as well. A 1998 study indicated that city traffic noise increases heart disease and ulcers. It is also believed to increase stress level, muscle tension and blood pressure. There are some researchers who believe that there is even a correlation between relentless noise and criminal activity. Noise pollution affects the animal kingdom too. Studies have indicated that the behavior of many animals is altered by continuous exposure to traffic noise and their reproductive rate has declined as a result.
Other disadvantages
There are other disadvantages of cars as well such as fostering suburban sprawl, road rage and destroying the aesthetic value of cities (I personally think parking lots are hideous!). While going car-free may not an option for everyone at the moment, especially for those living in rural areas, for those of us in the city or those of us who live close to work and businesses, there are ways to become “car-free” or at the very least, “car-light”.
Tomorrow, I will examine some alternatives to the car.
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