High temperatures within all internal combustion engines cause air's two main components to form nitrogen oxides and a subsequent soup of photochemical byproducts, but catalytic converters work well enough to dissociate nitrogen dioxide back into harmless oxygen and nitrogen. Because the converters are not fully efficient and because other factors come into play, serious smog can still form, but on most days in most Canadian and U.S. cities, the levels of ozone and peroxyacyl nitrates are within acceptable levels.
I enjoy the typical car-in-the-uninhabited landscape commercials on TV. Not only do they sponsor the sports programming I watch, but they are not fully mythical. You could easily be the lone car within a half-mile on New York's Adirondack Northway or south of Oliver, British Columbia where you can witness the beauty of the surroundings and the suspension of time. But driving to work is not exactly the zoom-zoom experience.
This is the underlying reason I avoid both public transit and the automomile whenever I can. I had the luxury of being able to choose my school,so after choosing one that is 1.6 km from my doorstep, I walk, cycle and even occasionally ski to work. On my way there, I photograph things that are almost as startling as the creamy peaks of the Adirondacks.
Public transit, cycling and walking are impractical alternatives for many commuters. But we all know people who live close to a train station, bus stop or work itself and still drive. They choose not to alleviate traffic congestion; they decide not to help their cardiovascular systems and not to make life more interesting on the way to the punch-clock.
The second and third car for most families are also not wise investments, given that the cost of an average quality car is comparable to the average annual net salary of an American. Factor in not only the money it takes for the extra insurance, registration and maintenance but also the time lost on additional changes of tires, more washing and waxing, more dealings with fallible mechanics, and one has to conclude that buying an extra car is a dubious decision.
People also continue to drink and drive, not-sleep and drive, text and drive and for other reasons, over 30 000 Americans die each year in car accidents, which happens to be double the homicide rate. Excess driving only increases the probability of such a tragedy.
Luckily for my backpack and helmet, I recently survived a collision with a car whose driver did not see me while she was turning left and I was cycling straight. I let her get away without even paying my bike shop bills. I was just glad I wasn't hurt, and it served as a powerful reminder to enjoy the luxury of the choice I have: to avoid the busy route and cycle through the park instead.
The main advantage of driving a car to work instead of taking a bus is the comfort and privacy. Taking a half-hour / hour ride on a public transportation bus in the Boston area is a nightmare of rude people (smelly, eating smelly food, so fat they take up 2 seats, talking loudly, playing music loudly, etc...) on a disgustingly dirty and smelly bus (and which is always at the wrong temperature), which if you're lucky won't break down. (Note I'm not talking about the newer silver line buses which haven't turned into shit yet). So once you can afford it, of course you will upgrade your standard of living for transport.
Plus, with the bus, if you are 5 minutes late, you are then 1 hour late because you have to wait for the next bus.
Personally, I upgraded from bus-riding to work to driving to work, however I still walk several miles a week (sometimes per day) within the city. I also walk to the store and carry my shopping basket BY HAND unlike the rest of the weaklings around me (ok, to be fair I'm not the only one) and hand carry the bags back to my apartment.