americans and their cars

Every day, hordes of Americans drive themselves to work, or to anywhere they want to go. Most of them are alone in the cars that they drive. They consume gas, space, air and parking; they produce noise, pollution and the headache of traffic. Nevertheless, they are here to stay. There is a small group of loyal people who take the bus wherever they wish to go. Some use subways, and some take a combination of …

…because they would not be able to drive the bus, or able to work on its engine. Because Americans relish convenience, privacy, status, and the sheer exhilaration of driving, they will never forgo their vehicles in favor of mass transit. Even if gas costs five dollars per gallon, there will always be people for whom it is not too high a price to pay for the “necessity” of owning and driving one’s own car.