Life Without Cars, Research Paper Example

Upon the inception of cars, the lives of most Americans have changed forever. Traveling from one spot to the next has become much easier, which is great for Americans considering they are widely regarded as people who enjoy traveling. Thecreationof cars and overall development and improvement of the automotive industry during the last century prompted the advancementof theidea of mobility. Americans enjoy traveling and moving from place to place. Cars make this task much easier.Thus, it is easy to see why the automotive industry has had such a profound impact on American lives. Living with cars would be a near impossibility considering it is a staple in America lives. It goes without saying that Cars have been a blessing and a necessity this day in age.

Nonetheless, not even a hundred years since cars have been introduced to the American people, many people have begun to detest the notion that cars have done more harm than good. These harms have caused people to call for other means of transportation and look to use vehicles less and less. The effects that cars have on the environment cannot go unnoticed. When it comes to emissions of green house gasses and overall pollution in the air, cars have continually been primary culprits. Because of the detrimental effects cars have had on climate change, the automobile industry risks putting itself in danger if not for serious changes that have legitimately irked its consumers. As the notion of banning cars has been voiced louder by society, these same individuals likely have not processed what life without cars would be like. Society definitely finds itself in an awkward situation, having to deal with the negative impacts cars have on the environment while being compelled to continue utilizing cars due to its positive economic impact (Southworth, 2005).

In order to fully grasp the phenomenon of an America without cars, it is important to actually predict and analyze and America that has banned cars. The impact such an implementation would have on society would include, but would not be limited to, a cultural, social and economic alteration in America. Cars have had a significant impact in advancing America’s socioeconomic agenda over the years and making it one of the most affluent nations in the world. In fact, America is such a powerful nation due in large part to its economy alone. The plethora of networks of roads that allows people to move from place to place and transport goods using vehicles has skyrocketed the American economy. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimates that nearly 4 million miles of roads are being used to carry goods and services daily (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2008). Essentially, economic growth has piggybacked on the availability of roads and transportation, given the fact that roads account for roughly 75% of the transportation system in America.

If cars were to no longer exist in America today, a huge void would be left in America due to the hindrance to transport goods and services across the country. Not to mention the fact that the auto industry is arguably one of the more fruitful industries there is in the country. Detroit’s auto manufacturers in addition to the major German and Japanese manufacturers provide millions of jobs for Americans and spark the economy as a whole. Until lately, the auto industry in America has been among the world’s best. The contributions it has in the development of the economy cannot be understated. Banning all cars in America would effectively case the U.S. economy to flop (Mathewson, 1989).

The effect that banning cars in America would have is not limited to the economy. The social and cultural impact it would have would be profound as well. Considering the fact that America is known to be full of social people that use cars to gather together for social functions, it is easy to see how profound the impact would be. This is due to the many hurdles one would be faced with in tending to such social gatherings without a car. Additionally, cars have long been used as a social barometer in terms of social class (Balish, 2006). Being that cars are used to express what socioeconomic class one belongs to, taking these cars away would affect this aspect of American social life as well.

To be quite frank, cars are a significant part of day-to-day American life. Cars have been deeply rooted in the culture of America to the point where a ban of all cars would leave a significant void in America’s culture. There are more cars in America than nearly any other country. It has gone to the point where buying a new car every 5-7 years is a staple of America’s culture. The aurora and “pop culture” that cars help stimulate would seemingly vanish, given the fact that cars are also used as a medium of identifying oneself or others in a particular group. One of the more recent pastimes of America would be lost with a ban of all cars.

The fact of the matter is, a ban on all cars in America may be easy to implement, but the actual adoption of such a proposal would be challenging to say the least. It is safe to say that nearly every single American alive today was born into the automobile culture and lifestyle. Thus, removing such an integral and constant aspect of the American lifestyle would be a problem. This problem would mainly be rooted in the amount of adjustments Americans would have to make in their lives. For instance, moving by foot or with a bike would be something for American people to get accustomed to. The fact is that riding bikes from destination to destination is not as popular in America as it is in other countries around the world like Japan, for example. And for those who have a long ways to travel, using airplanes would be something to start using as well. For those who find a flight out of their price range or have a fear of flying, accommodations will have to be made on their part to find a way to make it happen. If flying is absolutely out of the question, then using something like a train would essentially be the final option and resort.

Despite the fact that change is difficult, it has always been necessary in the history of mankind. Americans would be able to make such a drastic change, albeit very difficult. Despite the fact that change is difficult, it has been the one constant throughout history, and it is “a destiny that most people would not evade” (Balish, 2006). In fact, over one hundred years ago cars did not exist and society was free of this automobile craze that has infested America and the world. Everyone was able to go about their business without cars and thrived. This goes to show that cars have become more of a necessary luxury rather than an outright necessity.

I am among those who count losses rather than the blessings of cars. Seeing hothe world has changed in a span of one centurybecause of industrialization, I feel that it is time to make change and build a better world for all. May be for us in United State life is just the same since we can wake up and fuel our cars and go about our business. Considering what is happening in other parts of the world, there are all reasons why we should consider banning cars and adopting another mode of transport. If I have to live in an “automobile-free” society, I would first start adapting to the change by learning how to ride a bicycle. I would then acquire my own bicycle and use it wherever I am going exceptin longdistances where I would use train.  This means that I would have to change in different ways in order to live in such a society. It means giving up some of my luxuries for a better tomorrow.

I consider myself a person who sees the misfortunes as opposed to the positives of cars. Seeing how much the world has changed in just one hundred years in wake of industrialization, the next one hundred years can be even more productive and full of change for the better, even without cars. It is amazing to see how much cars have truly become a significant part of many American lives. However, this is not the case in all Americans. There still are those who rely on walking, bikes, and public transportation to handle their day-to-day business. I could find myself acclimating to such a lifestyle. Making the transition in life to get used to a car would be just as easy as the transition in life to get used to other modes of transportation. Thinking about the amount of money that can be saved on gas, insurance, and maintenance alone is enough of an incentive. The good it can do on the environment can help me and others make this transition all the more easier.

America would be better without cars because of how apathetic and dormant Americans have become because of cars. As of right now, one of the most serious issue that America is confronting deals with health. A growing number of Americans are overweight and unhealthy. Cars can partly be blamed for this because Americans choose to use cars to travel distances that can easily be covered on foot. Accordingly a nation without car would make Americans healthier as it would make them more active and stimulate their cardio vascularity. What’s more, American would not be as polluted and skies would be clearer with less greenhouse gasses being emitted. Many respiratory infections and chest pains that are caused by these gasses would decrease dramatically without cars (Balish, 2006). An additional perk would be not having to waste so much time sitting in traffic when other modes of transportation can constantly keep you moving.

Then again, America would be facing many challenges without cars. As alluded to earlier, the luxuries that cars have in terms of being able to move freely at any given time would limit the amount of social interactions as people would be more inclined to stay home that wait to use another form of transportation. Those family members and friends who are closer in proximity would be visited while ties would probably be cut with those who are simply too far away. Not to mention the impact this would have economically. The transportation of goods and services would be impacted and many people who work in the auto industry would be out of work. All in all, life without cars would be full of trade-offs and compromises. This type of life in America would not be impossible, but it would be very different.

Reference

Balish, C. (2006). How to live well without owning a car: Save money, breath easier and get more mileage out of life. Ten Speed Press

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2008). System mileage within United States. National Transportation Statistics

Mathewson, F. and Winter, R., 1989, “The Economic Effects of Automobile Dealer Regulation,” Annales d’Economie et de Statistique 15/16, 409-426

Southworth, M. Designing the Walkable City. Journal of Urban Planning and Development. 2005, 132, 245-256