Why Do Bad Factors Outweigh The Good One?

The everyday automobile would seem like a silly thing to give up with all its amazing factors. But do the bad factors outweigh the good ones? Cars are becoming a large problem in our nation, with the effects they are creating on the atmosphere and world’s environment and people’s health, the dangers of driving, and the outrageously high costs they have, even when there is an easy alternative for the trouble of automobiles. When most people think of the negative side of cars, they might think of the gases being released and the damage it is doing to the world’s environment and ozone layer. As said in Running off Road by Grover Kingsley, “The auto is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions… a whopping 23% of emissions came from transportation.”
When a car is running, it is releasing a gas called Carbon Monoxide into the air. This gas is affecting the greenhouse gas effect in the atmosphere, and is a large factor with global warming. Cars themselves aren’t the only factors in this though. As said in America’s Key to Freedom by Carol Domblewski, “Once cars began to mass-produce, factories were built… Roads had to be built. Not just a few of them, but a whole nations worth… gas stations where required…” The whole invention of cars created a large amount of buildings a work that needed to be done. Although this looks good from an economical standpoint, from an environmental standpoint it’s anything but. All the factories and roads that had to be built just caused more harmful gasses to be released into the air, and the factories that are still up today are still releasing gasses to the day. This is also a major problem on any organism, not just humans, health. When it comes to inhaling these gasses, it can cause serious damage to a person’s lungs and create breathing problems. In some major cities where factories and cars are abundant, citizens have to wear medical masks to keep from inhaling the gasses. Then there is the stress of cars. Waiting in traffic for a long amount of time can cause stress, which is very a very unhealthy thing for a human to go through. Taken from the article by Grover Kingsley, “…Driving from work on a daily basis… traffic jams… is stressful.” At certain points in the day, traffic can be held back for hours. And the driver can’t do anything but sit and wait till the traffic has cleared up, which can take a lot of patience, which some people may or may not have.
Cars are becoming safer as the years pass.
But that is still not enough to keep the large amount of crashes and deaths from happening. The main safety risk of cars is getting into a crash. A crash can be as elaborate as hitting the car in front of the driver at full speed and causing all the cars being to crash into the first driver, or just simply hitting a biker on the side of the street. Taken from Facts Along the Road, “There were 10.8 million automobile accidents… Almost 36,000 people were killed in auto accidents in 2009.” With 10.8 million accidents, and about 36,000 deaths per year, driving is anything but safe. Especially to young teenagers who just got their license, or elderly adults who are losing their sense of sight. People can also be extremely irresponsible when it comes to driving. Drunk driving is a huge issue with young adults, or people in general. When a person becomes drunk, they lose all right thoughts, so they might just drive home because they aren’t thinking straight. This can lead to devastating accidents. Although technology may be helping cars become safer, it is also fighting against them. With the advancements in mobile technology, people are tempted to use their phones during their drive. As said in the article by Grover Kingsley, “Commuting time is ‘lost time’ if you’re driving…” If a person has a very busy life, and has a lot of work to do, the last thing they would want to do is waste their time driving around, completing
nothing. They might take out their phones to answer an e-mail or finish a paper. This could lead to a habit of paying too much attention to their phone screen, and not the road. Perhaps even a car crash could occur. Teenagers and young adults, who just got their driver’s license and are used to using their phones regularly, are especially prone to a crash happening. And being still so young, they might not know better than to take a quick peak at social media or a text while in the middle of the road, which could very possibly lead to either a minor accident, with lots of money wasted to fix the damage caused to the car, or a fatal accident that could end in the driver, or drivers, death(s).
Financial problems are also a large part of the equation.
Cars costs are somewhat unrealistic to people. Taken from Grover Kingsley’s article, “The cost of owning a car averages $8,876 per year.” With the prices of gas going up, and maintenance that is needed for cars, not everyone can afford it. Then there is the situation of two people in a household working away from home, and they only have one car, who is to say who will get the car that day. As taken from the Facts along the Road, “45% of Americans lack ready access to transit… Cars are the only option for many.” Cars have become such a large part of many peoples everyday life, that everyone has forgotten about the people who might not be as fortunate enough to acquire a car. This could lead to many people becoming jobless, because of the fact they are unable to reach their work space. “Only 10% carpool.” This goes to show that for a person who is unable to have a car, also might be unable to ask a peer to carpool. With less than a quarter of America’s population carpooling, this is also just releasing unnecessary gasses into the air as well. All of these problems could be avoided so easily, if people would just start taking action. And it is possible and very easy. In Grover Kingsley’s article, “…bike share programs attract thousands of commuters looking for a new way to combine exercise with their commute.” Bikes and walking are a great and easy solution for the problem of cars. Plus, they add a great
source of exercise that some people may not get every day. Cities, such as New York, Chicago, and San-Francisco, are already starting to decrease their car intake. Although it might take longer, it would be worth it in the end when America becomes a fit nation with less harmful gasses in their air.
In conclusion, with the effects cars put on the worlds environment and peoples health, the danger they bring, and unrealistic costs, are cars really worth all the hassle? Even with the speed and efficiency of them, they cause too much damage to everyone and aren’t worth it when there is an easy and useful solution. Even if most people refuse to give up cars, it only takes one percent of the world’s population to make a difference that would change things for the better.