The "abstract" tragedy I speak of is that our society (in the USA) accepts these kinds of deaths as a normal part of our routine. Nearly every day, I hear about people killed by automobiles. If these deaths were limited to people who choose to take the risk to drive, that would be one thing, but many people suffering from auto-related deaths are children, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Children are too young to make a rational decision about the risks of riding in an automobile, and are also too young to understand the risks they face as pedestrians. People who choose to bike or walk are faced with dangers they do not deserve.
In many ways, cars are like cigarettes. Not only do they create noxious fumes that non-drivers have to breathe, but they have other second-hand effects as well. As I stated above, they present the risk of death to those who choose not to partake in car-culture (pedestirans/bicyclists). They present health risks to children, who are too young to decide whether they want to take that risk or not. They are responsible for developmental patterns (suburbia) that promote obesity and eliminate alternative options for those who choose not to drive (or can't due to age or disability). They also account for the exportation of 700 billion US dollars a year to foreign countries (some of which are our "enemies") for oil.
Cigarettes were a normal, accepted part of our society at one time, and people had the right to smoke anywhere they pleased. Eventually, we began to understand the health risks associated with smoking, and we reached a tipping point where it went from being a benign aspect of our society to a negative aspect. Since we have ways of living without cars- patterns of community development that promote health, decrease pollution, cost less, keep our children safer, use less energy, etc- that in no way compromise our quality of life, will cars eventually become a negative aspect of our society as well? An invention from a foregone era that eventually illustrated its negative impact on society?
Are cars the new cigarettes? If not, why not?
Paul H
no because they are cars
Witchy
No. Even when a large portion of the population smoked, that number was still under 50%. Smokers have always been a minority. Now that they are only about 20% of our population, they are a minority who are easy to target for money.
There are too many car owners for our government to target them as our government targets smokers. Our government can force smokers to pay a tax of over 100% of the retail value of their product. The general public is not going to allow the government to do that with cars even though a car puts out more harmful toxins than a smokers and causes smog in our cities.
To give an idea of how we would have to exploit car owners like we do smokers:
A car that retails for $ 18,000 would have an additional $ 25,000 federal tax and in some states it would also have an additional $ 17,000 tax plus sales taxes. That's $ 43,000 taxes on an $ 18,000 product. (These are the tax rates in Texas for loose tobacco). Obviously, you could never get away with exploiting people this way unless they are a minority and unable to stand up for themselves.
I live in a large city where we have air quality issues in the summer. My government is targeting smokers but they won't even consider the pollution of vehicles. Any gardener who lives in a city knows that there are many plants that won't grow here due to the level of pollution. During rush hour, I can't stand to be sitting on my front porch due to the cars idling at the lights (my whole block is bumper-to-bumper traffic). But until car drivers are a minority and easy to target like smokers, no one will do anything.
Orignal From: Are cars the new cigarettes?
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