Americans are Falling Out of Love With Cars More and More

Owning a vehicle has been a part of the American dream for a long time. You can’t go too long before watching a show or movie about a kid working hard to buy his or her first car. The strange thing is this idea is fading away, and it might be a good idea to figure out what is happening.

What Isn’t Necessary

Millennials and Generation Z people are changing what is necessary in life. Cars are great, but any honest person would be able to admit they aren’t necessary to live. A car makes things easier for people, but that’s about it.

You could easily take a taxi, bike, or could just walk to and from your destination. Both generations are doing this for various trips. Cars may be one thing people are thinking about right now, but this group is also cutting televisions and landlines from their lives since they have a smartphone.

Eco-Conscious Choice

Both generations care more about the environment and are making choices to be better. One of those choices is to take active steps to cut how much they use their cars. For this reason, cars owned by millennials spend more time sitting beneath a car cover than being driven around.

These younger generations of Americans know they have other ways of getting to their destination and are choosing to take advantage of those. You’ve probably noticed how these same folks are trying to only buy local because it reduces carbon emissions. These folks are trying to buy used items because they believe in recycling, which makes their choice to use their cars less clear.

Rise of Car-Sharing

The rise of car sharing is also to blame for this phenomena. The reality is car sharing has made it clear to younger generations that car ownership is a bit of a waste of time. Car ownership comes with insurance costs, gas costs, mechanic costs, registration costs, and ownership stress.

These folks can get to their destination with a touch of a button without dealing with all of these stresses. After a while, the idea of owning a vehicle can seem like the wrong choice. No one likes to take on responsibilities if they don’t have to. Some people don’t want to take this responsibility when they can clearly see they don’t have to.

Focus on Public Transport

Another group of young people wants to support public transportation and carpool options instead. Some are doing this because they are trying to be more green, but others just see this as a better option. Driving can be stressful because you have to worry about keeping yourself and everyone else safe. You have to worry about erratic cars, and you have to worry about following every law perfectly.

Some young people prefer to leave that stress to someone else so that they can focus on what they want to focus on. Maybe they have work to finish as they commute, or maybe they want to binge a show as they get to their destinations. Young folks can do all of this by simply skipping car ownership altogether, especially when many of their peers are doing the same. Plus, most of them seem to think public transit is more reliable.

Economic Woes

The reality is many from these generations are dealing with financial woes. Recent economic blows to this country have made it hard for folks to have a lot of cash to spend. Cars are not cheap. Buying a new car can cost you an arm and a leg. Some of these people don’t want to stress about saving up for a car when they have more pressing matters to address.

This could be changing their attitudes about car ownership. After so long of being without a car and finding other solutions, it makes it easier for them to avoid buying a car altogether. Even if they get to a point where car ownership is possible, they simply have gotten used to alternative modes of transportation at that point.

These are just some reasons why many Americans are falling out of love with cars. There’s no telling where this trend is headed, but it’s something to pay attention to.