Sisters Catherine Lutz, a university anthropologist, and Anne Lutz Fernandez, an English teacher, rarely gave their cars a thought until a family member was killed in a car crash.
A series of events that followed got them thinking on how much of an impact cars have on our lives. This eventually led to the writing of their book: “Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives”.
The authors spent four years on research and travelling across the US interviewing from the man in the street, to retired and current motor industry executives, car dealers, mechanics, car wash workers, toll booth workers, and anyone who had an opinion on the subject.
"We really tried to talk to people who were in the industry in some way or whose lives revolved around the car," says Anne.
Many of their findings were quite surprising and although this refers only to the US one would expect that it is not too far removed from our experience in South Africa.
Large numbers
In 2006, 17 million cars were sold in the US. That number decreased to around 10 million in 2009, according to Anne.
What shocked her most is the amount of time Americans spend in their cars. “We spend 18.5 hours a week as drivers or passengers in cars; that's almost two months of the year in our waking lives," she says.
The busiest hour on US highways has shifted from a busy weekday morning to midday on a Saturday. This signifies that “we're choosing to hop in our car and go,” she says.
Taking the danger for granted
“Because we drive so much and so often, we don't think about how dangerous a car really is. We’re still more at risk in our car than anything else we do in our daily lives,” she notes. “Really the only safe driving we have is no driving. We can make cars safer, but if we keep adding to our mileage, we keep adding to our risks.”
Compared to 25 years ago, Americans are now driving twice as much.
Rush hour in the US has expanded to almost seven hours each day. That’s because people are trying very hard to avoid rush hour – resulting in almost an all-day rush hour!
You might think that commuting to work is the big reason for the traffic congestion. But actually, three out of four car trips in the US are on the road for things other than going to work!
And the habit doesn’t come cheap: the average American family spends R108 000 a year to own their cars and keep them on the road!
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