Americans love their cars as much as they love cheeseburgers. While a cheeseburger might not be an essential part of your lifestyle, a car can be. Everybody needs a car for their daily commute and as a means of personal transport whenever they need to go out. But recently, studies have shown that young Americans are not really as excited to buy their first car as their parents might have been. There are several reasons for that, and let’s say that inflation has played a major role in it. It seems counterintuitive to say that you can be happy without a car, but we are here to show you otherwise.
As an American in your teens, you might not be as excited to visit a car buying portal as quite often to check out the price, features, and pictures of your dream car before your 16th birthday as a generation before you would have been. Studies show that paying off student loans, moving to cities where cars aren’t necessarily required for commuting, increase in gas prices, and rising inflation are influencing the young to consider twice before pulling the trigger on a new car purchase. And yes, no matter how convenient owning a car is, you can’t argue that it puts a huge hole in your wallet. So, we are here to talk about the top reasons why you also should adopt a car-free lifestyle –
Saves your money
Well, you already saw this coming as the first reason. Of course, the primary and most important reason for not owning a car is to save your hard-earned money. Owning a car is a huge responsibility that requires long-term financial planning; it can cost you thousands of dollars annually to maintain your car, in fuel costs and also insurance costs. With inflation quite high, you already have bills to pay and deadlines to meet. Owning a car puts a major strain on your household budget. Using public transport instead can save you thousands of dollars each year and that could be put in an investment account so that you can retire early. So, purchasing a car is a big financial decision that you must thoroughly consider, especially in 2022.
Helps local businesses
Owning a car is essential if you have to commute to work, but it is also seen as a means of recreation and entertainment. Going on road trips, on vacations, and out on a whim does seem quite refreshing, but there are other ways to enjoy your leisure time too. Also, since you no longer own a car, you might as well spend that money on something useful. You could buy something from your local shop and help the local business grow. You could go out to a restaurant, go to local stores and buy the stuff you otherwise wouldn’t consider on your tight budget.
Saves your time
Not owning a car also saves you a ton of time. Regular maintenance and repair is not a responsibility you could skip on. But other than that, it also saves you time, as you are not the one who has to drive. For instance, let’s say you drive to your office. Now, if you didn’t own a car, you would have used public transport, such as a bus. You could pull out your laptop and finish that assignment, or you could revise the business pitch you were so nervous about.
Good for infrastructure
There is a study that states that around 1/3rd of the total American real estate in cities is used up as parking spots. That is a lot. Adopting a car-free lifestyle means fewer cars on the road, which would subsequently mean a need for less parking space. This space could otherwise be put to good use. The space opened up could be used for something more efficient, more flexible, and more sustainable. Less cars on the road could also mean less traffic and that would eliminate the need for more highways, wider roads and road maintenance; all of which save a ton of budget that could be put to good use elsewhere.
Good for your health
Another major benefit of not owning a car is that it eliminates laziness among people. Technology has made us lazy and inactive. With a car, you don’t really have to walk; as you can just pull up to wherever you need to go. However, if you have no car, you would be forced to walk or use a bicycle to work. Even if you use public transport, you would still need to walk to get to your desired destination. A car-free lifestyle focuses more on activity and eliminates laziness in your life. This helps you in the long run. So, walk as much as you can when possible.
Beneficial for the public transport sector
Well, if you don’t own a car, the only way to get to your destination is to use public transport. This benefits the public transportation sector, the state-run treasury, and transportation businesses. Using taxis, buses, metros and other means of public transport could also create more employment opportunities related to it.
Helpful for the planet
Last but not the least, adopting a car-free lifestyle has become almost mandatory, especially in this day and age. Well, as long as the whole planet does not transition into electric cars, that is. Gasoline cars emit harmful gases into the atmosphere and excess CO2 is responsible for trapping heat radiated by the Earth. Consequently, the temperature of the surface is increased and it leads to global warming. This is why governments and automakers all around the world are desperately trying to make the switch to electric cars. But even electric cars cannot achieve true zero emissions, as the production of EVs and spare parts does indeed tax the environment. Perhaps the best solution is to adopt a car-free lifestyle and increase the use of public transport.
