According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately one-third of the nation’s residents don’t have driver’s licenses. In her 2024 book “When Driving is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency,” disability advocate Anna Zivarts argues that not only is America’s car-centric infrastructure harmful to the climate, it also fails to meet the everyday needs of many Americans.
Yeah, that’s kind of a weird way to look at it because the inverse is also true: having a driver’s license also doesn’t actually mean someone drives. I don’t own a car, but have a license. I walk or take the bus for most of my transportation needs, but renew my driver’s license so that I have the option to rent a car for the rare situations where it makes sense.