Skip to content

Friday Video: How America Got Hooked on Cars

CNBC put together a solid 15-minute explainer on car dependency that's perfect for sending to anyone who's never thought about the role of automobility in their life.
Friday Video: How America Got Hooked on Cars
Photo: Still from CNBC

It’s Valentine’s Day — but U.S. residents aren’t all driving for the love of it. And on a recent episode of the CNBC series “Shifting Gears,” experts unpacked exactly how more than a century worth of polices have put so many of us in long-term relationships with automobiles, whether we like it or not.

Featuring Peter Norton, Greg Shill, and a few other faces that will be familiar to longtime Streetsblog readers, it’s the perfect video to send to folks who have never thought about why Americans rely so heavily on their cars, and what our country might look like if we supported a wider range of options — even if we don’t break up with driving outright.

Comments Are Temporarily Disabled

Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.

Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.

More from Streetsblog USA

State Bill Would Stop Highway Expansions Near Vulnerable New Yorkers

April 3, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Keep Our Eyes on the Road, Our Hands Upon the Wheel

April 3, 2026

Friday Video: A Master List of All The Reasons Why Car Domination Sucks

April 2, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Civil Rights, Civic Transport

April 2, 2026

Study: How Capping Vehicle Sizes Could Help Save the World

April 2, 2026
See all posts