social impact of automobiles
...ternal costs embody uncompensated pain and suffering from accidents, traffic delay, and any mental anguish, rage or stress resulting from automobile use. Automobiles also hurt our health and environment. Everyday the number of automobiles increase and the social impact caused by them become more and more intense. “The automobile is a toxc machine whose emissions indeed kill many of us, though we fail to make a solid connection” (Bronner, 1997: 495). Emissions from an individual car are relatively low, but once millions of automobiles are out on the streets during rush hour traffic, the personal automobile becomes the single greatest polluter. Driving a private car is probably the most “polluting” daily activity of a typical citizen. Emissions from a personal automobile include such components as Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Hydrocarbons (HC), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and particulate matter. Carbon Monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion and occurs when carbon in the fuel is partially oxidized rather that fully oxized to Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas which reduces the flow of Oxygen in the bloodstream and is particularly dangerous to persons with heart disease. It typically causes dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, and impaired coordination in busy intersections, cities and along the highway. Nitrogen oxides are produced under high pressure and temp...