The Rise of the Car

It is amazing how within one hundred relatively short years, the car has gone from a novelty, only to be enjoyed by the elite, to something that we just cannot live without. And it is not enough to just have one car per family, but three or four cars per family is often common. Car sales Ireland and in the UK have shot up astronomically in the past few decades, apart from the temporary blip we are experiencing due to the recession. And this has to be temporary, as we are now too reliant on cars to ever go back to the more traditional ways of travelling.

Whereas once our grandparents and even parents were happy to walk short distances as a matter of course, such as a few kilometres, this is now unthinkable to most people today. Many people are horrified if they even have to walk a kilometre to the nearest shop.

Whether we can ever get back part way to where we were is debatable. It is quite sad that we now hop in the car without thought, without having a chance to take in the nature along the way, or chat to people in the street, quite apart from stretching our legs and getting some exercise.

Cars are necessary in this day and age, yet I cannot help feeling that we have taken things too far.