How did the automobile effect American lifes?

Answer 1

Tim1096 writes "The impact they have on society was that they delivere things faster, they shelter us from nature when we need to go to places, and they let us get to places we want quickly."


These things are true, but it disregards a whole side of the issue. Cars are convenient, but the have a large cost to society as a whole.


Economic:
The majority of cities and counties spend more money on road infrastructure than they receive from gasoline taxes, vehicle registration fees, or other direct taxes on drivers. This means that money for road construction, improvements and maintenance must come from elsewhere in the budget like libraries, schools, parks, and other community programs. This is especially true for low-density suburban development where there are fewer taxpayers per road-mile.


As you may know, the biggest oil fields are in countries that are not entirely stable. We, the United States, has spent untold billions in keeping governments in power that are friendly to our oil interests (Even Alan Greenspan admits the Iraq War was for oil). And don't even start about Alaska and deep-ocean. That oil would take at least 10 years to start flowing, and would still account for a tiny fraction of total consumption (I think ANWR can provide a little less than 3% of our daily consumption)


Social:
Okay, I'll admit this one is more subjective. It is my personal view and I cannot back it up with research, but I believe that cars remove from society a very important forum for interaction, the sidewalk. In cities where more people walk than drive, the sidewalks become a place where you might actually stop to help someone or say hi to a friend. Imagine if we behaved on the sidewalk how we behave in our cars. Most people would be walking around with headphones on, not looking at other people, and would curse and flip-off anyone that stepped in front of them (okay so maybe New York sidewalks are already like this, but its not the same everywhere).


Environmental:
This is a big one here. Cars have made incredible gains in efficiency over the year, but as engines became more efficient, cars became bigger, heavier and people drive them further. The result is that we burn more gasoline per person than we ever have. New cars are incredibly clean, but they still emit CO2, a major contributor to global warming (If you are still unsure about global warming, please, for the sake of all future humanity, do some research. There is not one credible scientist who disagrees and we will be collectively "screwed" if we do nothing.)


Land Use:
Relying on cars has lead to a more spread out form of development, most people call it sprawl. The car has allowed this spread-out low-density development, development which can never be served effectively by public transportation.


There are more issues, but I think I may have gone on too long. I wrote a thesis on this issue and I work as an environmental planner. The truth is everyone using their personal automobile for everything is an impossible way for 6 billion people to live. The car is not evil, I love my car. But we have to develope our cities in a way that supports more transit options than a personal 2-ton piece of metal powered by gasoline.


Thanks for reading.


Ryan

Answer 2

Changed it completely. Before the car people had to live within walking or trolly distance from the city center. It was where stores, government, and offices were located but with the car allowed people and businesses to move away from the city center. This resulted in urbanization and the creation of housing tracts ( especially after WW2) and in the 1970’s the creation of malls. The 1950’s saw the creation of a national freeway system which allowed people to travel across country. Motels were built for traveling and Basken/Robbins were stops along the new freeway. The new freeway also led to long haul trucks and the development of containers for shipping. The world we live in today with traffic jams, freeway systems, and multiplex shopping is the result of the car.

Answer 3

The automobile has had a great affect on American culture. It has provided jobs as well as a mode of transportation.

Answer 4

It allowed the population to expand/spread out, people didn't need to live in the major cities to work. Being able to drive allowed smaller cities and suburban area to grow.

Answer 5

it has many impacts