by Jimmy Flatbush

Created on: March 09, 2010   Last Updated: July 09, 2010

I currently do not own or drive a vehicle. A combination of factors merges for this lifestyle choice, most notably my tendency for causing automobile accidents. A vast majority of the accidents occurred when I was much younger and more impulsive. Yet, the primary reason I choose to live without a car is because of a close call I had about four years ago, when I was no longer young and impulsive.

The accident not only caused multiple injuries, it also changed my perception of the value of driving an automobile. My insurance rate soared after the accident. Health bills mounted until I was unable to pay for remedial medical services. The growing stack of unpaid health care bills eventually led to defaults, which destroyed my credit rating and any chance I had of finance managers approving me for car loans.

I generally live without a car when I reach the nadir of financial distress. While the bottom of the proverbial barrel describes my current situation, I decided that living without a car should be a permanent fixture of my lifestyle. I am no longer ashamed when friends and family members see me waiting for buses or walking alone along busy stretches of road within my community. After all, living without a car allows me to improve the quality of my life in three significant ways.

Living without a car reduces my carbon footprint. I do not release heat trapping CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The closest I come to contributing CO2 is when I ride a bus to and from work. Even then, I share the environmental burden with multiple riders. Since I live three miles from work, I often walk home long after the last bus passes by. By living without a car, I not only enhance the earth’s health, but I improve my physical and mental health as well. Finally, I spend little or no time in the stress incubator called traffic jams.

Nonetheless, the stigma attached to living without a car remains indelibly etched into how people perceive me. The see me hauling groceries and think, “there goes the bag man.” Some people may even believe I am homeless, since I carry the same torn backpack everywhere I travel. The stigmas will follow me for the rest of my life, but I am proud of the lifestyle choice I made that is counter intuitive in our materialistic driven society. I may not get to where I need to go as fast as most people, but I live without a car with equanimity.

Living without a car requires in depth planning and follow through. Here are some logistical tips

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