Cars have been an important part of transportation in society for many years. However, in some communities that is changing. Many young people are not getting their licenses and some are giving up their cars. The streets of Vauban, Germany, are mainly "car-free" and the suburb only has two places to park cars, at the expense of $40,000. Limiting car usage results in many advantages.

One of those advantages is helping the environment. The article "Paris bans driving due to smog" by Robert Duffer explains Paris, France, put a driving ban into effect because of smog rivaling that of Beijing, China. The ban was based on license plate number, only allowing certain numbers to drive on specific days. Eventually the ban was lifited because the smog had cleared enough. Limiting the number of people that used their cars resulted in cleaner air, which is healthier for everyone. If limits were put into effect into other places, that could reduce air pollution, helping the environment. Americans are also buying fewer cars and driving less than previous years. The article "The End of Car Culture" by Elisabeth Rosenthal says, "If the pattern persists - and many sociologists believe it will - it will have beneficial implications for carbon emissions and the envrionment, since transportation is the second largest source of America's emissions, just behind power plants". That is another example of environmental benefits from limiting car use. By utilizing other forms of transportation, the impact a person has on the environment is greatly reduced.

Another advantage that comes from limiting car use is lower stress and better mental health. In the suburb of Vauban, Germany, fifty-seven percent of families sold their cars to move there and seventy percent do not own cars. In the article "In German Suburb, Life Goes on Without Cars" by Elisabeth Rosenthal, Heidrun Walter says, "When I had a car I was always tense. I'm much happier this way". By not owning a car, a person has less stress and can relax when traveling. There is probably less focus needed when traveling without a car because there is no worry about other drivers. Bogota, Colombia has started the Day Without Cars, the goal being to promote alternate transportation. Violaters recieve fines of twenty-five dollars. In the article "Car-free day is spinning into a big hit in Bogota" by Andrew Selsky, Carlos Arturo Plaza says, "It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution". People could enjoy the outdoors, without the constant noise and pollution from traffic in the city. That could lower their stress and increase their happiness.

Limiting car use has many advantages, some of which are helping the environment and lowering stress. Some suburbs, specifically Vauban, Germany, are mostly "car-free". A trend of buying fewer cars and driving less is also growing in America, which is beneficial to the environment. Plus, the stress of driving a car is taken away when their use is limited.