Few inventions have had as a thorough impact on our realm as the vehicles. It was an impeccable invention, which has not only changed the way people lived, but it has also influenced our economy and the business of course where no one could have foreseen. Some would even say that the world would not exist without automobiles.
Download PakWheels App
Most of us cannot even conceive a world without cars. No matter what, even if you love them or hate them, use them often or occasionally, you presumably have to admit that vehicles, especially cars play a leading role in our lives. They have designed our culture, our demeanor. In fact, they have deeply changed our vision & perspective on the world and manifested our imagination.
Why there is such infatuation with cars?
Vehicles are practical, of course, and quite revolutionary. People could actually imagine going anywhere they wanted, anytime they wanted to. No more walking, no more horses, no more trains. Thus, life becomes easy & effortless in mobilizing ourselves.
The auto industry is dynamically changed. It is continuously improving with competitive industry, which is propelling forward through human dexterity. Compare to today’s vehicles with vehicles that drove off the aggregation lines just 100 years ago, today’s car lasts a lot longer, gets better gas mileage and caters the owner with a comfortable ride. Cars along with train, bikes or buses offer unprecedented freedom and are one of the perfect industrial success stories of the 21st century.
Can you imagine a life without vehicle?
Just imagine a life without vehicles, a 1200+ kilometers trip between Lahore and Karachi took an average 12-14 days by walk, sea or several days by train. Traveling was complicated, expensive and somehow dangerous.
Today, it is a completely new story. It takes a mere 18 hours and Three minutes to drive from Lahore to Karachi. You can plan your journey minutes before actually embarking on it. Covering distance is just transparently easy. Whether it is a country or across the city, traveling has become common in our lives. You can go anywhere, fast & easy. Since the contraption of vehicles, the world has become the quite smaller place with broad & narrow roads all over it. The face of the world has totally been changed with the use of cars or vehicles.
A change for a better or a worse
Although we move faster with less covering distance, we have access to resources that once were inaccessible. But, is this changed for a better or worse?
Nevertheless, transportation is responsible for over a 3rd of worldwide greenhouse gas issuance. Air pollution is causing nearly 800,000 deaths annually. The marked construction of roads is destroying our ecosystem, and the noise pollution created by the vehicles on those streets is chasing various animals away from their natural habitat. Not to mention, those car-related accidents kill over 1.2 million people on the planet every year. Also, vehicles can be partly responsible for the increase of individualism. Communities have become scattered, and people are less likely to talk with each other. So, it is not really possible to say whether this invention is a good or a bad!
Environmental concerns with vehicles
It is entirely obvious that clean air is vital. However, it is even more important than we once thought. Air pollution globally kills more people than AIDS and malaria combined, and researchers show that toddlers who grow up with clean air will have stronger and bigger lungs for life. This is not just the part of any temporary annoyance; this is about making our lives healthier and better. The bottom 25% of the vehicles regularly emit-
- 93% of carbon monoxide
- 95% of black carbon
- 76% toluene, benzene, ethyl-benzene, and xylenes, some of which are known carcinogens.
As we looked at the exhaust coming out of these individual vehicles, we saw so many variations. How we drive, acceleration, vehicle age and how is it maintained. These few things affect pollution.
Tiny solid or liquid particles in the air irritate and damage the lungs, brain & even the heart. When inhaled, these particles can enter our bloodstream or remain in the lungs for a long time. People who live in an area with a high level of pollutants are more likely to hospitalize with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma or emphysema.
In addition, yes, there is a strong link between air pollution and high blood pressure. The system by which air pollution could contribute to the development of high blood pressure includes oxidative stress and inflammation, which may lead to changes in the arteries.
What can we do for the protection?
To protect our loved ones and ourselves, the first step is to learn the risk of hazardous pollution in your area. Sometimes, it is obvious that the air quality is poor we might smell smoke or smog. However, often, the particulate matter that makes up air pollution is so small that we are not noticing it. If your loved one is at high risk for the effects of air pollution, ask him for a regular checkup done by a pulmonologist.
Content provided by: Marham
A long article but incomplete.
It only considers passenger cars (4 pax seating capacity), ignores trucks, buses and other forms of public/cargo transport.
It ignores the fact that a bullet train can take you from Karachi to Lahore in 5 hours non-stop and in 6 hours with stops.
And it completely ignores the whole cultural shift caused by automobile freedom and only discusses the air pollution (water pollution by leaking oils and anti-freeze was ignored, solid waste due to cars going to landfills also ignored).
In the end the author suggests people go see a doctor.
PW blog must have a higher standard when sourcing articles from somewhere else.