Devin Meadow was a 15 year old sophomore at Metea Valley High School where he participated in football, track, and basketball. He was a bright prospect according to newspapers all around the county; they even predicted that he would help take the Mustangs to their first play-off run. However, instead of being the bright star everyone had hoped, he ended up dead in the backseat of a Chevy Malibu. Meadow was riding along with his friends on an October night when the driver of the car lost control, jumped a curb, and slammed into a garage. He was pronounced dead on the scene amongst his closest friends and family. Stories like these are all too common in America since there are minor and major accidents every day due to mechanical machines that …show more content…
The authors of Carjacked discussed in their book that “if the world were less dependent on the car, and a gasoline-based system, the world would experience much lower rates of asthma, heart disease, and cancer.” They continue to argue that Americans view these unfortunate occurrences as a part of reality in order for the world to possess their beloved cars. Calling out elected officials, the Lutz’s sisters express their disgust of oil companies and manufactures, and demand a change in attitude towards the environment. Now these claims have their merit, but the solutions that the author’s purposes seem to curse the use and idea of cars. Nevertheless, the world still requires man to protect the environment for future generations, but that does not require destroying everything car related. Instead, society needs to demand zero-emission and non-pollution cars that will help deal with the smog and pollution that are affecting cities all around the world. Additionally, emission standards, minimum gas mileage, and number of miles people drive should all be considered in the equation when making a more environmentally friendly car. Even today automobile manufacturers are producing hybrid, half gasoline and electric, cars that get “128 MPG in the city and 109 MPG on the highway.” Now hybrid and electric cars are going to be the answer to all …show more content…
Nevertheless, this book is loaded with perspectives that car enthusiasts usually avoid, and unfortunately the Lutz’s sisters validate this argument by blaming the recent downfall of human nature with it unnatural obsession over cars. However, as discussed before, cars will forever be a part of man’s world culture, but learning to adapt and use automobiles to our advantage will help create a successful future
Andrew Simms, a policy director and head of the Climate Change Program for the New Economics Foundation in England, presents his argument about the impact SUV’s have on our roadways, and the air we breathe. “Would You Buy a Car That Looked like This? “. The title alone gives great insight on what the article is going to be about, (vehicles). “They clog the streets and litter the pages of weekend colour *supplements. Sport utility vehicles or SUV’s have become badges of middle class aspiration” (Simms 542). Simms opening statement not only gives his opinion on how SUV’s are the new trend, but he also paints a picture of what we see every day driving down our roadways. Simms also compares the tobacco industry’s gap between image and reality to that of SUV’s; stating that the cause and consequences of climate change resemble smoking and cancer. Simms comparison between SUV’s and cigarettes shows how dangerous he believes SUV’s are.
Increasing environmental awareness, coupled with a responsible American government and improved technology, have all contributed to the comeback of low-and zero-emissions vehicles in the US. It remains to be seen whether the automakers and oil companies will once again work to halt this progress, or embrace it as the technology of a more responsible future.
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
Since the birth of automobiles in 1866, the majority of mankind has relied heavily on this mode of transportation, especially in the United States. According to the California DMV there are 24,290,288 licensed drivers in California (DMV, 2013), which is approximately 63.3% of the population. Ever since the invention of automobiles, gas emission into the atmosphere has become one of the biggest issues for mankind. In Garret Hardin’s essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines a common as a resource that is accessible for everyone in society. Clean air became a modern commons in this sense. The quality of air is especially bad in California where there are 31,388,901 registered vehicles for a population of 37,826,160. In 2012, the quality of air hit a record low in California’s Central Valley. If we continue to dismiss the issue of air pollution, we will gravely endanger our health as current air pollution related health effects already include lung diseases and cancer. The solutions to the smog pollution problem are to develop cleaner emission engines, as part of a technical solution, as well as raise awareness among the residents of the Central Valley.
Over time, there have been several technological advancements that have shaped the world in which we live and are familiar with today, and one advancement, in particular, that has influenced American society significantly is the automobile. Since the automobile’s beginning, it has continuously been improved and modified pushing the rest of technology to keep up with its rapid pace of innovation. Americans have frequently taken advantage of the automobile’s many benefits, but what they often fail to realize is that the automobile has given American society more than just the luxury of driving. In fact, the automobile has influenced this nation and the people within it both historically and culturally
According to George Bernard Shaw, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” (Shaw, p. 330). In order to truly make a change, one must change the minds of the people. America’s automobile industry has done a stellar job at this. In recent years fuel economy has surpassed make, body style, and “beeps and whistles” to become the number one factor people considered when purchasing a new car or truck (Choi). This shows that not only are vehicle manufacturers working to reduce vehicular pollution by improving how our cars are built, but even those that aren't directly involved with the manufacturing process are aiding the cause by choosing to purchase vehicles they know will produce fewer pollutants and consume less gas per miles driven. This discredits Jackson’s claims that Americans don’t care about the
Automobiles play a major role in today's society. Almost every American owns at least one motorized transportation vehicle. Some say they make our lives better by reaching places faster than before. Others say they are a harmful to the environment. Have they made our society better or worse? They may be fast, but do we as humans want our environment to suffer because of time. Face it, cars pollute. And they release destructive chemicals into the air. Air pollution can threaten the health of many subjects in the environment including human beings.
The future American commuter will undoubtedly have to transition from the use of fossil fuels to new alternatives due to the diminishing availability of the nation’s oil resources. How will America respond to this upcoming issue? It is difficult to predict which alternative fuel source America will ultimately choose, but with the premier of Nissan’s electric powered Leaf and other companies; such as Tesla Motors and Chevy, with their electric cars ready for market, the electric car may be winning the race to become the new standard for the gasoline alternative. Electric cars resolve long standing environmental issues, but it will need to maneuver around many roadblocks to become a marketable consideration for the general public. The cost of electric cars, currently on the market, makes them an impractical purchase for the average consumer. If cost is not the growing concern in today’s economy which prevents the consumer from considering this option; they may deny the technological advance due to battery storage capabilities and the inadequate infrastructure in place to refuel and provide for them.
Today, people try to find resources that do not impact on the ozone, or cost a large amount of money. Moreover, most people are not happy with unclean air, which causes an unhealthy environment to live in, and one of the reasons that make unclean air is a fossil fuel. There are millions of cars run daily, so they make the area impure; therefore, the electric cars are the solution for this problem. Electric cars powered by electric motors, and using renewable energy instead of gasoline, are more helpful. One author argues that electric cars are more useful than traditional cars to protect the environment, especially when they depend on the source that used.
Purchasing a car is one of the hugest or biggest accomplishments that a person can achieve on their own. However, what happens when that purchase turns out to also be the worst decision that was ever made? The purchase was a success and a goal was achieved, but the moment the key is turned and the engine is started the contribution to environmental harm begins. As the car is driven, the gasoline fumes that are released from the car contribute to the other many factors and pollutants that damage the environment. Not only is the purchase now a contributor to the depletion of clean air, but it could also play a part in the depletion of someone’s health. For example, asthma or bronchitis could develop in an adult or child as a direct result of breathing in noxious automotive fumes. Depending on where one lives, there could be strict regulations on air pollution. One must be accountable for any and all contributions made to the demise of what was once a healthy Earth. One must be accountable for his or her own carbon footprint. Some individuals have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints and cause less harm to the environment by purchasing electric cars.
Automobiles play an essential role in American society. As if being the major means of transportation was not impressive enough, automotives can be seen on T.V., in movies, in magazines, and can sometimes be indicative of a person’s wealth and social status. On average, Americans drive nearly 40 miles and drive for just over 50 minutes driving per person per day (http://www.bts.gov). That means a person spends roughly one-sixteenth of a day driving. It would make sense, then, to make such an essential part of society as efficient, cost effective, and clean as possible. However, that is not the case. As the years have passed cars have actually begun to move away from efficiency. Hawken writes, “[The automobile] design process has made cars ever heavier, more complex, and usually costlier. These are all unmistakable signs that automaking has beco...
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
The seriousness of global warming effects both the environment and the people living in it. The question is how do Americans effect the environment and what can we do to fix it? Americans everyday use automobiles as a form of transportation, and although it may seem harmless, the use of these cars are proving to be detrimental in the end. Author Margaret Kriz (2006) states that, “the vast majority of scientists who study Earth's climate agree that the planet is warming, and they blame the greenhouse gases that accumulate in the a...
Cars are the ultimate symbol of independence and individualism. They offer more than freedom. No other man made creation but car fulfills a man’s ego. Technology has been the evidence of how cars have evolved for about more than a century now. From a first car packing a single cylinder 958cc, 0.75hp engine to today’s most powerful 8000cc W16, 1300bhp Veyron. We live in such an engineering savvy era where even an increase of few grams in a vehicle’s weight means going back to the drawing board to get unerring dynamic performance. And for these exuberant reasons, mechanical engineering was a mere choice rather than a chance for me.
In this modern era, the level of pollution worldwide has been increasing consistently which in turn has brought harm to humans via many different ways. Consequently, the government must find a solution to solve this problem as speedily as possible. However, banning the ownership of private vehicles is not the only and definitely not the best way to decrease pollution. Although carbon emissions from vehicles do contribute towards a significant amount of pollution, banning the ownership of private vehicles in modern day society is unnecessary because pollution can also be caused by many other factors such as bad lifestyle choices on humanity’s part, lack of stricter or enforcement of environmental laws by governments as well as the fact that vehicles are an essential part of modern city life.