Driving Passion: Is It Gone?
The great American road trip. One of the staples of American culture. Families, boyfriends and girlfriends, groups of random people piling into a car to take a road trip just for the heck of it. Driving the open road offers a feeling like nothing else on this Earth. With the advent of the car at the birth of the last century, people felt a freedom they never had before. They could easily travel from town to town, bringing far-flung families closer together and leading to the flood of people to the western states of this nation.
And yet while for the past 100 years or so people have cruised without a care, the popular pastime of taking a drive is becoming more and more scarce. And it’s not just because of the environment. While people are more careful about their driving because of the price of gas these days, people has lost the love of cars that inspired generations before us.
Cars are becoming just another appliance to the vast majority of the population. This can to some extent be attributed to the cars that are on the market today. When you drive the street of your town, the majority of cars you see are family sedans, the most boring of all cars on the market. Sure they’re economical and space efficient but they offer little in the way of driving excitement.
Us car enthusiasts must remind the population how fun cars can be. We can't let a lack of oil force us to drive boring economy cars. Just because we may have to drive vehicles powered by electricity does not mean they have to be slow or uninspiring. The new Tesla Roadster proves it. Sure, its not cheap, but its design proves that as new technology comes along, it can be made interesting to drive while not impacting the environment at all.
It is clear to me that despite the rising fuel costs, people must embrace the freedom the automobile has provided to us, and access to the outside world. We have never given it the credit it deserves. Just ask these guys who drove cross-country just for the fun of it.
So, do your car a favor and once in a while stretch its legs; let it show you its true potential and if you aren't convinced, then maybe there is something to that mass transit thing.
And yet while for the past 100 years or so people have cruised without a care, the popular pastime of taking a drive is becoming more and more scarce. And it’s not just because of the environment. While people are more careful about their driving because of the price of gas these days, people has lost the love of cars that inspired generations before us.
Cars are becoming just another appliance to the vast majority of the population. This can to some extent be attributed to the cars that are on the market today. When you drive the street of your town, the majority of cars you see are family sedans, the most boring of all cars on the market. Sure they’re economical and space efficient but they offer little in the way of driving excitement.
Us car enthusiasts must remind the population how fun cars can be. We can't let a lack of oil force us to drive boring economy cars. Just because we may have to drive vehicles powered by electricity does not mean they have to be slow or uninspiring. The new Tesla Roadster proves it. Sure, its not cheap, but its design proves that as new technology comes along, it can be made interesting to drive while not impacting the environment at all.
It is clear to me that despite the rising fuel costs, people must embrace the freedom the automobile has provided to us, and access to the outside world. We have never given it the credit it deserves. Just ask these guys who drove cross-country just for the fun of it.
So, do your car a favor and once in a while stretch its legs; let it show you its true potential and if you aren't convinced, then maybe there is something to that mass transit thing.
posted by Ben at
Monday, May 07, 2007
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