There are numerous reasons why I avoid driving. Below I only list five. Living car-free, in my opinion, is a huge step towards happiness.

Driving costs too much

To anyone who has ever owned a car, you know the cost of driving is more than $75 a month that a monthly bus pass costs here in Waterloo. The gas, maintenance, parking, insurance together could cost money ranging from $200 to $300 a month. On top of that you have to count in the ownership costs (or even worse, leasing costs or financing costs) which you can amortize monthly to arrive at a couple hundred bucks at least.

Now you’re spending upwards of $600 on transportation alone, per month. This expense translates into a loss of $138k in 10 years in equivalent savings at a conservative 4% annual growth rate.

If you have two cars, get rid of one. If you have one car, try to drive it less until you can live car-free. You can also do carshare if it’s available in your area.

Driving is usually a waste of time

A primary reason why you drive that it gets you to places faster which is true. But I argue that compare to taking public transit, the time spent on driving is a complete loss of productivity. When you’re taking a bus, you can relax and read on your phone or e-readers. But while you’re driving, all you do is sit there and drive. It’s just so boring.

I am not an experienced driver so I could get stressed while driving on busy roads. I don’t like that. However, when I drive on less busy roads, I find driving very boring and mentally unstimulating. I hate that too. I’d rather read a piece of news while riding a bus. Or I can bike and get some exercise.

You say you really need to get places fast? Sure, take a cab when you really need to (in Waterloo, there is also a new taxi-like service RideCo which is awesome; the cost is lower than car ownership). Most of the time your next appointment is not that urgent if you leave your house earlier.

You say you have to commute daily? Solution: live closer to work. Life is full of choices and there are choices that you can make to simply your own life. Just do it.

Driving prevents physical exercises

Once you get into the habit of driving, you tend to drive all the time. If it’s a ten minutes walk, you’d rather drive than walk. Sounds ridiculous? I bet you know at least one person who does that and you have that person’s face in your head now.

I’m a huge proponent of multiple modes of transportation. One should combine walking, biking, driving, etc to promote a healthy lifestyle. Both walking and biking are simple, doesn’t cost much (especially if you do bikeshare, too. But I recommend owning a bike if it’s your primary mean of transportation.) You get your daily exercise without realizing that you’ve done it. For someone like me who doesn’t particular enjoy physical exercises, it’s the best kind of exercise.

Driving leads to lifestyle inflation

Undoubtedly, driving provides convenience. Naturally you will decrease your tolerance for other less convenient aspects of your life, leading to various forms of lifestyle inflation, directly or indirectly. For example, you may not be satisfied with just a parking spot anymore and insist that you need a house with a garage.

Cars are strictly depreciating assets in most cases. They should be seen as merely a tool. But society may have a different idea and see them as status symbols. People tend to upgrade their cars to newer and more expensive models over time. Once you have a fancy car, you will start wanting other fancy things too. It’s a dangerous lifestyle inflation and it won’t make you happier due to hedonic adaptation.

Solution? Don’t see your car more than a car.

Driving destroys our air

Biking, walking as well as all forms of public transportation can help lessen the effect of car pollution. Do it before it’s too late.