Has Automobiles Improved Modern Life or Caused Problems?
Yes, there is no doubt about the fact that automobiles have impacted modern life tremendously. From François Isaac de Rivaz’s internal combustion engine fuelled by Hydrogen to Karl Benz’s gasoline powered, 4 wheeled automobile, the industry has come a long way. It is now the most common form of personal transportation and has made last mile logistics incredibly easy for institutions, by application of the same mechanics. Be it for delivering packages or to provide medical care or even to pick up garbage citywide. Automobiles have made the lives of millions of people, exponentially easy.
While many are of the opinion that automobiles were one of the greatest inventions of the late 19th century, there are those that do not hold the invention in as high regard. This is mainly due to the collateral damage, use of automobiles is causing the planet. Rising pollution levels across the world have been blamed upon the burning of fossil fuels by automobiles and so is large part of the ozone layer depletion. In addition to that, quality of urban life in the 21st century is said to be suffering due to traffic caused by automobiles. These factors among others, such as annual deaths caused by automobiles and rapid global warming are said to be antagonistic to the positive aspects of this invention.
The positives however, in my opinion, far outweigh the negatives. Automobiles are the quickest and most practical form of personal transportation. They not only withstand most weather conditions, but also provide adequate comfort during travel.
As man has, up until now, strived for better living conditions by using as fewer resources as possible, there are enough initiatives to overcome the shortfalls of this mode of transportation. Some of those being, introduction and rise in popularity of electric cars that are less strenuous on the environment, autonomous driving cars for personal and pedestrian safety, and the general positive sentiment towards carpooling or other initiatives to reduce traffic. In conclusion, I do believe that automobiles have indeed improved modern life and the few shortcomings that the technology does inherently suffer from, are overcome by the stubborn and survivalist mind-set of the specie that is Mankind.
