Life without a car is a crazy idea for some – but it’s becoming increasingly popular. For well over a hundred years, cars have dominated the world. From work to personal lives, cars have been a reliable friend and companion for most people, transporting them wherever they need to go. Even now, the chances are you are less than a stone’s throw away from a car – be it a neighbor’s car or an Uber driver. Without cars, human existence simply wouldn’t be the same.
However, modern culture is evolving fast. As with most things in life, the old always gets replaced by the new – and cars will be no exception (sorry, car lovers). Here are five reasons why you don’t need a car (and why cars will eventually fade away into the past).
1. There are eco-friendly alternatives
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past ten years, you’ll know that eco-friendliness is a burning topic right now. The earth cannot sustain our current lifestyle, meaning ‘green’ changes need to be made by all the earth’s population, from mega-rich celebrities who drive everywhere in expensive Ferraris to working-class people who drive company cars.
So, what are the eco-friendly alternatives to cars? One of the best choices is scooters and electric bikes – like the Sunra electric bike. They’re a smooth, efficient way to travel around and benefit the environment– as electric bikes don’t produce any harmful emissions the ways cars do.
Alternatively, you can take public transport. Now, public transport isn’t for everyone (we’ve all had a nightmare experience there). However, public transport is better for the environment, and it saves you money. Plus, you’re not doing any of the driving – so you can relax during your journeys by listening to music, browsing social media, or even doing some work.
Of course, it’s impossible not to mention the classic eco-friendly alternative to cars– walking. You can’t walk everywhere (especially if your work office is 6 hours away from your house), but you can walk when it’s possible too (or within reason). For example, if you’re going to the corner store that’s a 5-minute walk from your houseand you decide to take the car – this is all kinds of bad. Instead, you should walk. Not only are you helping to fight climate change(the scariest prospect facing man today), you’re improving your health – and might even be preventing the aging process.
2. Cars take up a lot of space
Although cars have evolved and advanced over time, one factor hasn’t changed much – their size. That’s right – cars are still big (too big, to be exact), and when something is big, it takes up a lot of space. For example, if you have a large family where you and your older children have driving licenses, that could mean the difficult task of trying to park 3 or 4 cars around the house (as the driveway might not be able to accommodate every car).
If you decide to ditch cars, you’re freeing up a whole lot of space that can be used for better purposes – like gardening or a place where the kids canhave a games area (such as a mini basketball court).
Also, you might have your dream house, but the design has been overshadowed by your big, clunky car outside – and no one wants that!
3. You’ll save tons of money
As great as cars are sometimes, not many people discuss how expensive they are to maintain. Any slight bit of damage can result in a big financial hit – even when you’re insured. Think of the money you could save without owning a car. The weekly fuel costs coupled with insurance and other factors could be spent elsewhere – like your house or college funds. Yes, you’ll lose the convenience of owning a car – but you’ll be saving valuable money during the tough COVID-19 era.
4. Say “goodbye!” to traffic
Traffic: hated by everyone, loved by no one. Until you’ve been stuck in a 4-mile queue of traffic, you’ve not experienced the most soul-destroying aspect of life. And what’s the source of traffic? That’s right – cars.
If you ditch your car, you’ll never have to experience traffic again – as you’ll either be peacefully walking everywhere, driving your eco-friendly electric bike that enables you to easily drive in and out of traffic, or taking public transport (which means driving is somebody else’s responsibility!).
Thankfully, you’ll also be able to avoid the dreaded traffic stops.
5. You’ll become super fit and healthy
Although people around the world have access to all the cars and technology they could ever need, it’s come with a sacrifice – health. Cars have drastically reduced the amount of time spent walking and working out because a lot of individuals have the mindset of “I don’t need to be fit; my car can drive me everywhere.” Unfortunately, this is a deeply damaging attitude to have – as health is always more important than convenience and laziness.
Once you try life without a car, you will quickly notice how much healthier you have become – your legs will be stronger, you’ll be less lazy, and you’ll be more motivated to travel around places without the assistance of 4-wheels. Give it a try – you certainly won’t regret it!
