How America Got Hooked On Cars

Americans drive much more than in any other country – twice as much as the average German, for example. And the actual experience of driving isn’t quite as romantic as the image. Drivers are often stuck in traffic. Cars pump out pollution. Less walking means less exercise. Cars also can kill people. Some skeptics say, indeed–cars are awesome. But they got a lot of help from favorable policies and strong lobbies. CNBC spoke with some researchers and looked at numbers to get the full picture of why Americans became so dependent on cars. Chapters: 0:00 - 01:37 Introduction 01:41 Chapter 1: A nation hooked on cars 03:47 Chapter 2: How we got here 08:00 Chapter 3: Cars are subsidized 11:32 Chapter 4: Solutions Producer: Robert Ferris Editor: Andrea Miller Animation: Jason Reginato Senior Managing Producer: Tala Hadavi Additional footage: Getty Images » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Want to up your AI skills and be more productive? Take CNBC’s new online course on “How to use AI to be More Successful at Work" to leverage AI at work, and in life. Sign up now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+ taxes and fees) through February 11, 2025: https://cnb.cx/40jZlNX Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC on WhatsApp: https://cnb.cx/WhatsAppCNBC #CNBC How America Got Hooked On Cars