Have Cars Delivered on the Promise of Freedom?
For years, car companies have been promising freedom. We’ve all seen the commercials. A brand new, shiny car driving through a remote countryside. No other cars in sight. A bottomless gas tank. A woman’s hair blowing in the breeze from the air rushing past her open convertible top. A mysteriously clean SUV climbing a rocky mountain road without even one splatter of mud. The only thing that lies ahead is the open road and endless possibilities…
This notion that a personal vehicle can provide an individual freedom isn’t a new idea. From Henry Ford’s 1908 Model T, to the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s, the first commercial Hummer available to civilians in the early 90s, and the new wave of electric vehicles in the past few years, all have been marketed with the idea that freedom can be found behind the wheel.
But have cars really delivered on this promise?
Between the cost of payments, insurance, gas, maintenance, fees, and tolls, car ownership is a major burden on the average American. According to AAA, the average annual cost of owning a personal vehicle is $12,182.[1] That’s over a thousand dollars a month! Considering that the average American’s salary is around $59,000 a year[2], it means that, on average, people are spending 21% of their earnings on something that sits in their driveway, garage, or parking space for the majority of the day.
Is this really freedom?
In 1913, following the advent of mass-produced cars, 4,200 people died in car crashes. Fast forward to 2022. With all of the safety features modern cars can provide, 46,027 people died from motor-vehicle crashes (note, this doesn’t include pedestrians struck by cars).[3]
Is this really freedom?
According to INRIX, the average American loses a total of 97 hours a year due to congestion.[4] That’s roughly two hours a week that Americans spend, sitting in their personal vehicles, stuck behind another individual sitting in their personal vehicle, stuck behind another person sitting in their personal vehicle…you get the point. Not only is this a time suck, but it also sucks for one’s wallet. According to this same report, congestion costs the average individual $1,348 a year.
Is this really freedom?
I could continue on, talking about road rage, CO2 emissions, the high cost of road maintenance due to heavy use, parking, noise, diminishing quality of life due to driver stress, and so on. So, all this begs the question…
Are we ready to ditch the car and pursue true freedom?
[1] https://newsroom.aaa.com/2023/08/annual-new-car-ownership-costs-boil-over-12k/
[2] https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/hr-payroll/average-salary-us/
[3] https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/
