The Central Myths of U.S. Car Culture

Five myths about highways that ensure a culture of car dependence.

1 minute read

October 27, 2021, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Houston Freeway

The Katy Freeway in Texas is one of the nation's most infamous case studies of induced demand. | Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock

Five myths distort thinking about the role and importance of highways in American life, according to an article by David Zipper.

To open the article, Zipper speaks frankly about the role of highways in American life: "Even if you use a car to get to work — as roughly 85 percent of American commuters did before the pandemic — you might harbor some misperceptions about the pavement you drive on."

To illustrate the point, Zipper lists five myths about highways, listed below, but with more detail on each found in the source article:

  • Wider highways let traffic move faster.
  • Ninety-four percent of crashes are caused by human error.
  • Congestion pricing hurts the poor.
  • Gasoline taxes pay for highways.
  • Americans love cars.

The source article is well cited to build its case for each of the myths listed above.

Friday, October 22, 2021 in The Washington Post

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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