A friend of mine is driving a motorcycle to work, because he gave his car to his daughter so she could attend college. I could relate since we gave one of our cars to our son when he went to school in New York.
Living in Florida, I found it’s not really necessary to have more than one car in our family. It seems more parents from my Generation X are willing to sacrifice the convenience of having multiple cars so that their college-age children have transportation. I think many of us are concerned about the environment, but it’s also about the fact that my generation was hit so hard by the Great Recession. The truth is, many of us can’t afford multiple cars in one family. For me, there are a lot of benefits to not having my own car.
Getting more exercise
One of the benefits of not owning a vehicle is I’m forced to exercise more. I can walk to the grocery store, department store and restaurants. It takes me about 15 minutes to arrive at my destination on foot. If want to visit my father-in-law or friends who lives in a neighboring subdivisions, I ride my bicycle.
Saving on car insurance
Our car insurance was cut in half after we went to a one-car family. My son has his own separate car insurance since he bought his own vehicle and no longer lives at home. Even before our son was included on our insurance, we paid more than $220 a month. Our car insurance is now only $100 for my husband and me. We have full coverage, including road side maintenance and a $500 deductible.
Being able to afford a third driver
My younger son has delayed getting his driver’s license because our car insurance will go up when he switches from the learner’s permit to the regular license. With one car, though, we still won’t have to pay as much as we would have paid when we had two vehicles. My insurance rep. said our insurance would go up to $200 once our son got his license.
Not only am I am less worried about my ecological footprint, but I also love the fact that we save so much money by having only one car in our family of three. I’m more inclined to conserve gasoline and manage my time more wisely with just one car. Also, my husband and I have grown closer since we spend more time in our one car together. The fact that my husband telecommutes also makes it possible for us to be a one-car family. Although we may get a second car in the future to accommodate my son’s work and volunteer schedule, I’m not looking forward to it. I may even look into the possibility of a golf car or motor scooter as an alternative form of transportation.
