Student Essay - In twenty years, there will be fewer cars in use than there are today. Do you agree? – by Hyun Min Hee, A-levels, HELP Academy

In twenty years, there will be fewer cars in use than there are today. Do you agree? – by Hyun Min Hee, A-levels, HELP Academy

When our car broke down three years ago, we needed to get it repaired at the mechanic’s. It took a week for them to complete the job so we lived without a car for a week. At first, it was inconvenient because I had to take a bus to school. However, the advantage was that I could meet my friends on the bus. Our family quickly got accustomed to living without a car. In the future, I think we might use fewer cars compared to today because of several reasons. 

Firstly, maintenance of cars will become even more expensive in the future than it is today. In particular, fuel will become very costly because it is a good without a substitute and it is almost used up. In fact, three years ago in Korea, oil price was only RM12 a liter. Now it has gone up to RM25 a liter! The price of oil will go up continuously. Moreover, land will become scarcer so there will not be many areas for parking. So parking fees will become more and more expensive. Therefore, the number of cars might decrease in the future because people will be discouraged by the high cost of owning one.

Secondly, cars may not be needed any more. In the future, apartments will have a lot of facilities such as gym, supermarket, swimming pool, cinemas, restaurants and parks so people do not have to go far to do anything. For example, parents with young children can have their children’s birthday party in the park of their apartment. In addition, internet services will become more advanced so most things such as work, learning and shopping can be done over the internet. Thus, people might not have to use the car anymore. 

Finally, global warming is worsening so the world is trying to reduce air pollution. The car is one of the causes of air pollution so governments and people will try to reduce the use of it. In twenty years, public transportation will be much better than it is today so people will be encouraged to use buses and subways rather than their own cars. Some people may also use bicycles to be more environmentally friendly. 

In conclusion, I believe there will be fewer cars in use in twenty years than there are today because of increased costs, advanced technology and love for the environment.