From the early 2000's to the present day, the number of people who own cars throughout Europe and the United States has gone down. Although personal motorized vehicles can be convenient to own and use, there are many advantages to not owning a car, such as a decrease in air pollution, experiencing other sources of transportation, and an overall cultural shift.

Air pollution is a big issue all around the world. Cars are responsible for twelve percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and fifty percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in some highly populated areas in the United States. Cities such as Paris have banned cars for a few days in order to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted into their atmosphere. Congestion of environmentally damaging gases went down by sixty percent in Paris after their cleanse, where as before the cleanse, they were suffering through five straight days of heavy smog. Cars are the second most source for carbon emission in the United States. Lower amounts of cars owned results in less pollution in the air, which creates an all around better environment, a huge advantage.

Without personal cars, people resort to using other new and exciting forms of transportation such as biking, walking, hiking, or using buses, taxis, or the transit. In Vauban, Germany, the residents live a new lifestyle without personal cars. The community is small, and there are just a few streets that are easily accessible. The residents in the community experience a life that is close to the people around them. In Bogota, Columbia, once a year they have a car-free day, where the population must find other ways to get around instead of their personal vehicles. The car-free day is very popular, and as a result, has allowed the city to invest in one hundred and eighteen miles of new bike paths and sidewalks, new parks, and new sports centers. In the United States, some people decide to just set up their life around their home. Everything they have to get to is within walking distance of their home. The number of miles driven peaked in 2005, and then declined hevily afterward. In New York, the bike sharing program and the car pooling programs have allowed for less personal car use. Driving by teenagers all throughout the United States has decreased by twenty-three percent between 2001 and 2009.

The decrease in personal vehicle use is leading to a revolutionary cultural change that is crossing borders and making it's way around the world. Since World War II, the development of the world has revolved around the car, but that will soon change. From Vauban, Germany, where there is no car use at all, to the United States, where in 2013, the number of miles driven per person was equal to that of 1995, this cultural change is making it's way into each home. Some explanations for this change are the internet and city centers. The internet allows people to feel connected to family and friends without having to drive to see them. City centers have made the suburbs less populated, which results in less driving back and forth. Some possible results from a cultural shift away from the use of personal cars are less dependence on the car industry, and overall smaller, closer, and more community-driven cities based around transportation such as biking and walking. In the long run, this cultural shift would be an advantage to the world.

In Europe and the United States, many people have already made the shift away from personal car usage. People of the world can partake in a cultural change of less car usage, experiencing different forms of transportation, and all the while positively affecting their environment.