Cars and us

Government has affected the cars people choose to drive because there are rules and regulations to cars so that manufactures can make safer cars for the public , regulations that set a certain mpg rating (hybrid, electric cars) , and taxes on some countries and some environmental regulations affect how cars perform and look.

For a long time, cars represented the driver. If someone is rich, they may drive a fancy car. If someone works in harsh conditions, they may drive a heavy duty car. Basically, cars have changed the way we live, as explained in the article The Automobile - Effects / Impact on Society and Changes in Cars Made by Generation, written by LeisureLife. When cars were firstly massed produced in the early 20th century, the way and time people take to commute changed drastically. As cars became more affordable, many people began to own a car, not to mention that cars make traveling much easier. As times went on, suburbs became more and more popular and cars made it easier to get to such places. Another example is when the article says “Other modes of transportation had to be pushed aside in order to make room for the more comfortable and convenient automobile. Bicycles, railroads, and horses were among the most affected by the automobile’s sudden popularity in the 20’s.” Traditional methods were disregarded for the new and cool thing.

 However, this prevents some flaws. Every car model is different- some cars are more practical, some are more in need of fuel. The cars that require more fuel (lesser miles per gallon) produced bad emissions. So there are different laws about protecting the environment. In the article “Alternative Fuel Vehicle” published by Science Daily, they explained how certain places like Europe has heavy taxes on fuel. California, on another hand, has strong environmental laws. With these two combined, this forces manufactures to make more efficient cars. The article says “Current research and development is largely centered on "hybrid" vehicles that use both electric power and internal combustion.” Some manufactures also moved to hydrogen powered vehicles. These methods are great ways for manufacturers to protect the environment and obey the laws, barely.

 As mentioned before, companies are going for more efficient cars. In the article Diesel cars may be worse than petrol for carbon emissions, report claims written by Arthur Neslen, it shows that governments are trying to get car companies to make more efficient cars so car companies are trying to make diesel versions of cars; however, diesel is the same as gasoline or worse. More many reasons, cars are moving away from these fossil fuels as suggested by the article. “Diesel engines made after 2005 have all had particulate filters installed, but Helmers’ study cites French research which found that 75% of the devices tested were not working properly.” And it doesn’t help that global warming is at a all time high- “Diesel engines may be doing nothing to slow global warming despite being the backbone of Europe’s policy to reduce car emissions, a new report claims.” For this reason, cars are hybrid meaning they having electric and part combustion engine. Our future may see all electric cars rather than our normal gas or diesel cars, enforced by governmental laws.