10 Reasons Why Cars Suck (Mickey Z.)

[Tace]

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

Sept. 20, 2006 -- There's an interesting courtroom battle shaping up out in California. The state is attempting to institute new emissions standards for greenhouse gases. Such regulations could reduce exhaust emissions 25 percent in cars and light trucks and 18 percent in SUVs. California already has the toughest standards in the nation -- standards adopted by 10 states, including New York. This new proposal would surpass federal emissions standards and is likely to eventually raise the national bar even higher. Guess who's not happy about this?

Among others, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers have filed suit, claiming that California is in violation of the federal Clean Air Act because the state did not get a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency. In other words, the automobile giants are siding with the EPA and the Clean Air Act to crush regulations designed to address issues of global warming and human health. You can add this situation to the top ten list of why cars suck. Here are the other nine reasons:

2. Bumper-to-bumper

From 1950 to 1970, the U.S. automobile population grew four times faster than the human population. Today, there are around 200 million cars in America. As a result, we Americans spend 8 billion hours a year stuck in traffic.

3. Cars kill people

During the twentieth century, 250 million Americans were maimed or injured in automobile accidents. Every single day in the United States, an average of 121 people are killed in car accidents. The leading cause of death for children aged 5 to 14 in New York City is pedestrian automobile accidents.

4. Cars kill animals

Automobiles, SUVs, trucks, and other fossil field-burning vehicles kill a million wild animals per week in the United States -- not counting tens of thousands of family pets.

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[Selatius]

1. How many people have died in Europe using public mass transit?

Those bullet trains, for instance. How many people have died each year using those bullet trains in France, Germany, etc.? I bet the per capita death rate is a whole hell of a lot lower than using insterstates for cars.