Automobiles in the US - Essay Example

 The United States of America has been one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world since a long time; the country had given rise to some of the best cars the world drives even today. Automobiles have shaped the way most Americans view their life because cars have become such an ingrained part and parcel of everyone’s daily routine. Cars help people move faster from one place to another and assist in a better travel experience. The 20th century in America gave rise to the concept of auto mobility and it may as well be understood that the significant rise and developments in the auto industry has benefited the lifestyles of most Americans since a long time. Nonetheless, there are many downsides to owning a car and making use of it every single day because Americans now feel that cars are more a curse than a blessing in their lives. This is because of the reason that cars tend to cause traffic jams, making people late for their appointments rather than help them reach on time. As most families in America have cars now, it is becoming impossible to maintain them on the roads. Furthermore, as discussed later during the course of this paper, so many cars on the road have doubled and tripled the levels of pollution and excess of greenhouse gases in the environment, leading to a harmful environment for people to live in as well. All these aspects tend to cause more frustration than taking care of the well being of people. Thus, would America be better as a car-less society? The social and cultural advancements in American society today depend largely on the reliance on cars and automobiles. The economic aspect of this country relates to the high profits that it has been making in the automobile industry and boils down to the economic strength that America as a superpower has been deriving from the money it has been making in this sector. America has excellent infrastructure in terms of roads, bridges and highways and thus people can easily travel from one place to another by road because of the virtue of excellent roads. Transport defines various sectors of the economy including the primary and the secondary sectors where the goods and services need to be transported from one place to another; for example, crops after being harvested are transferred from the producer’s societies to the consumer market. Furthermore, most people prefer their mode of travel being by road especially if they are travelling within the country. In recent times as well, the tourism of the country has been boasting of encouraging guests to take road trips all around the country. All of this implies that if cars were to be banned in America, it would lead to a literal standstill of all these activities; farmers and other producers would not be able to transfer their goods to the market and reach out to consumers and people would not be able to travel from one place to another. (Balish, 2006) Moreover, it must also be understood that the automobile industry employs a large amount of people; firstly there are people that engage in the production and manufacture of car parts and automobiles in the showrooms and secondly, there are a large number of people engaged in road transport services – right from the people that are employed by various companies to transport their goods and services from the producers to the consumers and others that are part of either private companies or employed by the government to drive vehicles and take people from one place to another. This entire aspect of the economy would foresee a collapse if all cars in the country were to be banned, not to mention a large amount of people being rendered unemployed. American society is said to be one of the most social societies around the world; banning cars in America would tend to undermine this concept of being social with each other on the weekends and meeting up with people every now and then. It is true that there are other modes of transport available like buses or the subway, however these are not safe at all times for women and even men in certain parts of the country, especially for late night parties and the like. Cars are also a major symbol of status for people all around the world, especially in high societies in America and with all cars banned in the country, the sentiments of those that are able to afford a high lifestyle will be hurt greatly. The pros of taking cars away from America society would be tremendous if looked at positively – people would have to walk or use public modes of transport. Since America as a country is one of the highest in terms of obesity, walking would only benefit a large number of people. Moreover, walking helps to exercise and is excellent for health. The aspect of pollution would be completely taken away from society as well and people would be able to live a very healthy lifestyle. By banning cars, the roads would be fairly less jammed and public buses would be running with ease. There would a decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases given out in the air, creating a better environment for the people to live in and it would mean that the country as a whole has been helping towards not contributing to the ill effects of climate change. Cars are like legs for most Americans in today’s society and doing away with them on the roads would be like asking a polar bear to adapt to the desert – nearly impossible. Americans are too dependent on cars to adapt to a lifestyle without their use because they help people in easier travel. Moreover, the older generation of people require some effort in travelling and cars thus make things more convenient for them. Earlier in the country, before automobiles plagued society, people travelled without cars with ease but now, since they are used to the existence of these machines, life comes to a standstill when they are not able to use their cars. (Balish, 2006) Personally, I would be able to make such an adjustment being a younger person and using my bicycle to travel long distances, however, looking at American society at large, I am of the opinion that banning cars in America would bring the country to tears and bar people from going about their daily lifestyles. References Balish, C. (2006). How to live well without owning a car: Save money, breathe easier, and get more mileage out of life. Berkeley, Calif: Ten Speed Press. Read More