Cars enslave us rather than liberate us. Do you agree?

It is a foregone conclusion that no citizen of a 21st century city can survive without a
personal car. Not only do cars provide the most convenient means of transport, but in a
highly competitive society, what better indicator of wealth and social status than an
expensive sports car? Given the circumstances, it is understandable why the average
American family has 2-3 vehicles. However, it seems to me that the shortcomings of
owning a car outweigh the advantages, and that cars enslave us rather than working in our
favour.
To begin with, the costs associated with owning one are considerable. Aside from the
original acquisition of the vehicle, you have to afford the gas, and with the price of oil
increasing steadily, that might prove to be a serious challenge for those with low incomes.
What is more, if you live in an area with high crime rates you should seriously consider
installing expensive security systems to avoid having your car stolen or broken into,
which only adds to the total expenses.
Secondly, if you are concerned about the environment, the use of a car is one of the
worst decisions you could make. The smoke from your exhaustion pipe is directly
responsible for a polluted atmosphere, which in turn affects your health and the general
quality of life in your city.
What is more, driving can get stressful at times. If you live in a busy city, there is often
no way of avoiding rush-hour jams which steal precious time and can spoil your mood
for the rest of the day. Furthermore, the bad conditions of some streets and highways, as
well as the lack of parking spaces to name only a few- are other serious inconveniences
drivers face everyday.
On the other hand, there are certain situations in which a car certainly comes in handy
the - could be replaced by such asmedical emergencies, last minute trips to the
supermarket before the dinner party, and so on. However, it seems to me that these do not
compensate for the inconveniences of using a car as a primary means of transport.
Taking these points into consideration, I would say that a closer look at what cars have
brought to our lives reveals a considerable number of negative aspects and should rather
serve as a prompt for us to reconsider the way we regard transport nowadays.
Coverage of all points required, total relevance to task 5 points
No grammar/ spelling errors, wide range of structures 5 points
Appropriate register, varied vocabulary 5 points
Very clear organization, many linkes, correct paragraphing and layout 5 points
Convincing, original 4 points

Total = 24 points x 2 = 48 points out of 50