Lhe Paris Motor Show 2022, which ends on October 23, is being held in the midst of growing debates over the legitimacy of using private jets or SUVs. But rather than being enthusiastic about the spectacle of “French, European and global innovations that shape a new era of progress and passion », we call for a questioning of the “all-car” concept. Indeed, considering that our collective dependence on the car is neither desirable nor sustainable, we demand the right to travel without a car.
A majority of the population is forced to use the car every day, whether to get to work, go shopping, take the children to sports, or to get to the nearest train station. The idea that “the car is freedom”, according to the expression used by the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, during the days of the automotive sector, on December 2, 2019, seems to be engraved in stone, that is not entirely true: the development of the automobile has created widespread dependence.
We are stuck in the “all-car” system, while the damage it causes is now well documented: in terms of safety and public health, the car is the source of the majority of 3,000 deaths by road accident each year in France, not to mention the pathologies caused by the sedentary lifestyle it induces (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, etc.). The air pollution it generates causes even more victims, to which must be added those related to noise pollution.
Many costs
From an economic point of view, the car is expensive, for society and motorists. It is our taxes that fund road safety, medical care for victims of road accidents, construction and maintenance of roads and car parks.
In addition to this collective charge, the car has many costs borne individually: paying for fuel, maintenance, insurance and technical control of the car. The fluctuation of these costs hits the most modest households hard when they are dependent on the car on a daily basis.
From an environmental point of view, the car causes multiple pollutions. All stages of a car’s life cycle, from design to disposal, emit greenhouse gases. In particular, the car use phase alone accounts for 16% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. To this must be added the consumption of resources (oil, biomass for biofuels, rare metals, materials, manufacturing).
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