How America became so car dependent

Cars dominate America.

About 92% of U.S. households have access to a car. But only about 55% of Americans have access to public transit. And only about 3.5% take advantage of the options available.

The average American drives twice as much as the average German, said Peter Norton, a professor at the University of Virginia. The most common explanation for this is that Americans just love cars — and driving, Norton said. Americans love the independence, the open road. Cars are freedom.

But that’s a bit of a myth.

“My careful study of this history over a couple of decades now persuades me that the historical record shows that car domination was not the popular preference,” Norton said. “It was not voted for through democratic processes. It wasn’t even the result, as a lot of people will try to claim, of free enterprise just doing its thing.”

To be sure, the size of the U.S., its relatively low density, its wealth, its affordable suburbs, and — to be fair — the appeal of the automobile, are all key factors.

But policies and lobbies have played an outsized role in the shift of available transportation options toward cars, said University of Iowa law professor Greg Shill. They continue to. That matters for those who want to build communities around alternatives, such as higher-density living, walkable or cyclable neighborhoods, or cheap and convenient public transit.

Watch the video to learn more.