This is not to say that it doesn't matter what car to purchase, that since both use fossil fuels it doesn't make a difference. A Honda Insight can travel seven times the distance the Jeep Grand Cherokee can on the same amount of fuel. Driving fuel-efficient cars will help conserve our oil reserves and buy us time to develop more sustainable transportation alternatives, but it will do nothing to curb our dependence on polluting fossil fuels. To solve this problem, we need to address the root of the problem: we live in an automobile dependent society.

After World War II, the government began encouraging outward growth to suburbs through low-interest housing loans to veterans. This, in combination with images of a suburban utopia perpetuated by television shows and automobile manufacturers, led to a decentralized population completely reliant on cars for transportation. Through the influence of American oil and car companies in the government, freeways followed development instead of mass transit, further perpetuating this dependency on oil and cars.

This trend of urban sprawl has continued to this day and is most evident in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta and the San Francisco. Homebuyers are lured away from the city by new and large, but affordable and safe, tract housing with two or three hour commutes. Residential zones are built farther and farther from commercial and industrial zones, so a car is needed for the simplest of errands. Auto and oil companies have successfully impeded the progress of any far-reaching mass transit program, and are benefiting from every gallon of gasoline or car bought.

Most Americans cannot imagine life without cars, and I am not advocating the eradication of all cars. I am advocating a restructuring of society so that cars are not necessary for every single trip. If we increase density and make housing closer to commercial zones and mass transit heads, residents can walk or ride their bikes to school and shopping centers and take reliable and frequent mass transit to work and back. And density doesn't have to mean a decrease in the quality of life - recent urban revitalization projects that involve infill and higher-density residences have been linked to higher quality of life. People living in denser areas have more of a sense of community and are in better shape because they regularly walk to their destinations.

If we eliminate our dependence on personal vehicles for transportation, our society will not cease to function and panic when the oil reserves do dry up. We can avoid costly international conflicts and domestic drilling, as well. Plus, living in neighborhoods where schools, stores, and offices are within walking distance will bring back the sense of community that was lost with urban sprawl.