Recent publications are reigniting historical criticisms of automobiles, highlighting their dangers and societal costs from a century ago to today. Authors argue that car culture shapes perceptions and perpetuates environmental and health harms. These works signal growing opposition to vehicle dominance in urban planning and daily life.
When automobiles emerged in the early 20th century, they faced widespread hostility. In 1921 alone, cars killed 286 children in Pittsburgh, 130 in Baltimore, and 97 in Washington, D.C., prompting cities to erect monuments, hold marches, and install grim reminders like Brooklyn's "Death-O-Meter." Rural communities fought back by throwing stones, shooting at vehicles, and blocking roads with ditches or wires. Newspapers branded drivers as "killers" and "remorseless murderers," viewing cars as perilous luxuries for the wealthy.
This resistance has faded into obscurity, but new books are reviving it. "Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile," co-authored by Doug Gordon, Sarah Goodyear, and Aaron Naparstek, exposes the automobile's collective toll. Released alongside "Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars" and "Saving Ourselves from Big Car," these works challenge the notion of cars as symbols of freedom. They cite stark statistics: more Americans have died in crashes than in all U.S. wars combined; the average driver spends over three-quarters of a million dollars on vehicles lifetime; and global SUVs rank as the fifth-largest CO2 emitter, surpassing Japan.
Environmental psychologist Ian Walker attributes this acceptance to "motonormativity," a bias where driving faces laxer moral scrutiny. His 2023 study found 75 percent of U.K. respondents opposed smoking in populated areas due to fumes, but only 17 percent felt the same about car exhaust. Another study showed lower pro-car bias in bike-friendly Netherlands compared to the U.S. or U.K. "Driving a car or being a passenger in a car is by far the most dangerous thing that most of us do on a daily level," Goodyear noted, adding that acknowledging this risk would be "debilitating."
Historical pushback persisted: A 1939 Superman comic depicted the hero destroying cars after a reckless driver killed his friend, while Ralph Nader's 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed" spurred 1966 federal safety standards. Automakers countered with campaigns, inventing "jaywalking" in the 1920s and promoting visions like General Motors' 1939 Futurama exhibit. The phrase "America's love affair with cars" originated in a 1957 Chevrolet ad.
Today, signs of change include post-COVID outdoor dining reclaiming streets, rising e-bike use, financial strains on car owners, and New York City's recent congestion pricing, which has reduced traffic, crashes, and emissions while boosting transit. "It’s almost impossible to imagine this book coming out 10 or 15 years ago from a major publisher," Gordon said, pointing to broadening acceptance of these critiques.