7 reasons to ditch your car despite falling gas prices, according to a car-free activist

• Gas prices have eased in recent months — and some states could see prices below $3 a gallon.
• But anti-car activist Hirri Khan Adeogun says drivers should still ditch the "world's deadliest animal."
• She says cars are unhealthy, isolating, waste time, and propel inequality.

Gas prices might be falling, but Americans should hold off on that trip to the car dealership.

So says Hirra Khan Adeogun, an anti-car activist who is the head of Car-Free Cities for the UK Climate organization, Possible. 

Khan Adoegun is one of many Brits taking steps towards car-free or "car-lite" lives. The trend has taken hold in the US as well. A 2018 survey of over 1,000 Americans by the transportation technology company Arity found 51% of millennials felt owning a car was not "worth the investment." 

While many are doing so for environmental reasons, financial factors are also nudging some away from car dependence. 

In June, the average monthly car payment reached a record-high of $712, driven by rising car prices and interest rates on car loans. And in 2017, the average US driver spent over $10,000 on maintenance, fuel, insurance, parking, toll fees and other miscellaneous expenses. 

Owning a car doesn't just impact one's wallet, however, says Khan Adeogun, who points to seven other reasons why Americans and citizens of the world should ditch their automobiles.  

In the US, transportation accounts for roughly 27% of total US greenhouse gas emissions. But these emissions don't just propel global warming — they make it dangerous for some people to even take a breath. In January, a coroner ruled that the nine-year-old Londoner Ella Kissi-Debrah died in 2013 due to "excessive" levels of air pollution.

"These pollutants have both direct and indirect effects on the environment and our own physical and mental health," she said, adding that approximately 40,000 people die prematurely every year in the UK due to exposure to air pollution.

Some even argue that "tire wear" — when particles are released from tires as they wear on the road — has surpassed tailpipe emissions as the main source of car pollution. 

They're the 'world's deadliest animal'

In 2021 in the US, an estimated 43,000 people died in car crashes, an 11% increase from 2020 and the highest number of fatalities since 2005. 

"The car is the world's deadliest animal," said Khan Adeogun, citing that road accidents are responsible for 1.3 million deaths annually across the globe. 

Every day, roughly 32 Americans die in drunk-driving crashes, and in 2021, over 7,000 US pedestrians died after being struck by a car — the highest level in 40 years. It remains to be seen whether driverless technology will eventually make the roads safer.

Car noises can increase anxiety

The honking of a car horn isn't just annoying — it can have real adverse effects, says Khan Adeogun. 

"Noise pollution has been strongly linked to increased levels of anxiety – which has knock-on effects on circulatory, heart and mental health," she said. The US Environmental Protection Agency has come to similar conclusions. 

In New York City, where noise has historically been among the top complaints issued to the city's 311 non-emergency line, it is technically illegal for drivers to honk when it is not an emergency — drivers can face a $350 fine. 

This law is rarely enforced, however, and in 2013, New York's Transportation Department removed all "Don't Honk" signs from the city streets — which some interpreted as an admission of defeat.

They contribute to an 'inactivity crisis'

According to 2021 CDC estimates, nearly 42% of US adults are obese, something that leads to estimated medical costs of over $150 billion per year. 

Khan Adeogun calls it an "inactivity crisis" — one that widespread car usage has contributed to. 

"Almost without realizing it, we have engineered physical activity out of our daily lives," she said. "The consequences of this shift to more sedentary lifestyles on our health are severe."

She says that walking, cycling and using public transportation are easy and affordable ways for people to get moving and get healthier. 

Private cars are parked 95% of the time, and when they're not on a driveway or in a garage, they're taking up public space. And parking spots take up space even when there isn't a car there — space that could be used for outdoor dining, parklets, or bike lanes.

In the US, parking takes up roughly one-third of the land area of US cities, and nationwide, there are eight parking spots for every car. 

"Our cities were just not designed to accommodate the vast numbers of vehicles they now endure," Khan Adeogun said, adding that "It's not pleasant for drivers, nor anybody else."

Despite the space dedicated to roads and parking, many drivers spend hours each week trying to navigate them. 

In 2018, the average US driver spent nearly 100 hours in traffic, and a 2017 study found UK motorists spend an average of four days per year looking for a parking spot. 

Car ownership can propel inequality

Khan Adeogun says that while the poorest people in cities have the lowest car ownership rates, "It is these people who suffer the most from the toxic air, noise, stress, congestion and traffic danger from other people driving through."  

While Londoners with disabilities make 32% fewer car trips than the average city dweller, they are five times more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle accident.  In the US, research has found that minorities are more exposed to air pollution from the areas they live. 

When owning a car is necessary to commute to work — due to inadequate public transportation — those who can't afford one may have to pass on good job opportunities. And even for those who can afford a vehicle, the costs of ownership can make it difficult to get ahead financially.

It's harder to make friends in car-centric areas

Not only can driving solo in a car be lonely, but Khan Adeogun says that cars can make communities more isolated — an assertion some research has supported. 

"Where traffic volumes are high, residents report limited social contact with people on the other side of the road — they have fewer friends and acquaintances than on lower traffic streets," she said. 

She adds that traffic can lead people to perceive their neighborhoods as more dangerous than they really are. This can lead to less independence —  or "free play" — for children, something many experts argue is important for a child's development. 

"If we believe it takes a community to raise a child, we also have to take seriously how cars and traffic sever our sense of community," Khan Adeogun said. "It's a lot safer to meet and create physical communities on streets in low traffic areas."

A vision for a car-free future 

Going forward, Khan Adeogun says a lack of understanding around the need for urgent action, an absence of political will and leadership, and a broader resistance to change are car-free movement's key obstacles.

While she says electric vehicles are better than gas-powered cars, she thinks the goal should be to "reduce car dependency in general," adding that electric vehicles can still be expensive and pose safety concerns.  

Despite the challenges ahead, Khan Adeogun says she is optimistic.

"As we've seen with Covid, we can make radical change if we, and those in power, decide to do so," she said. "We can turn our lives upside down, and that's what it's going to take, but we can do it if we decide we want to."