The Psychological Impact of Over-Reliance on Cars: Mental Health Considerations and Global Solutions

 

 

   

    Since 1885, petrol-powered cars have been serving humans, but this serfdom came with its downsides. It created a plethora of problems. One of those problems is over-reliance on our petrol-guzzling servants. When the dependence on our cars increased, they created a new phenomenon called “traffic congestion”. This also created a plethora of problems by itself having the biggest adverse effect on our mental health.

     Because of the traffic congestion, we need to spend our short existence on the roads, instead of spending time with our families or spending that time on recreational activities. This situation puts a hefty weight on our psyche and makes us more stressed and depressed. To fight traffic congestion, we have taken different measures. The main point of these measures was reducing the over-reliance on our petrol-slurping labourers.

      In order to solve traffic congestion in cities, certain measures have been taken around the world. These measures mainly aim to take people out of their cars and onto the streets. To achieve this, roads are made narrower and speed limits are put in place to discourage people from leaving their cars behind. Pedestrian zones are made by closing the traffic in certain areas, like city centres and historical sites. The public transport system is enhanced for new pedestrians, and new walkways and bike trails are built. So, design the cities for their inhabitants, not for their tools.

     To solve this problem out-of-town, the solution is the same: making cars redundant and moving the drivers to public transport like trains and coaches. Unfortunately, the world attempts the opposite, such as building new and confusing lanes. For example, Katy Highway in Texas, USA, has 26 lanes and is the widest highway in the world, and still, there is traffic congestion.

     In conclusion, we depend on cars for the freedom they bring us, but this dependence brings plenty of problems, such as traffic congestion and that also brings a hefty weight on our mental health. To fight this, the world created solutions some of which were successful, and some weren’t.

 

AHMET FATIH OZDEMIR

G2

 234706074

 Molecular Biology and Genetics