America was the first nation to fall in love with the car. Henry Ford’s assembly lines produced affordable vehicles for the masses. Gas was cheap and roads were open. The number of automobiles rocketed from hundreds to thousands to millions. The present number of cars in the USA is over 300 million, however more and more young Americans are abandoning this form of transportation. The percentage of 18-years-olds with a driver’s license plunged from 80 percent in 1983 to 61 percent by 2010 according to an analysis by Advisor Perspectives.
See the NY Times’ “The End of Car Culture.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/sunday-review/the-end-of-car-culture.html
None of my young friends have a car.
Many don’t know how to drive.
Of course I live in New York, but for suburban teens a car is beyond their means.
‘Dollars for Clunkers’ effectively exterminated the possibility of buying a car for under $1000. In the late 60s Ernie LeClaire on Dorchester Boulevard sold weekend specials for $10. They were guaranteed to get out of the lot. My friend Moon Mullins bought a Ford Fairlane. The engine lasted until Sunday morning. He pulled off the plates and walked home.
Those were the times.
Free and easy.