NaturallyResilient

About

I wrote the original post 16 years ago and it became my most active post. I did not realize it was such a hot topic. But just the other day I came across some more information on the topic that I wanted to share.

In my February 2016 issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine that the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) publishes, there was an article titled “By the Numbers: Fewer Miles For American Cars.” This article states that Americans have consistently increased the number of miles driven through the years the only exceptions were the oil crises of 1974 and 1979, that is until 2007; At that point the number of miles driven stalled. That is not all; starting in 2008 the percentage of licensed drivers failed to keep up with population growth and during the recent recession the number of registered vehicles actually declined and still has not passed the 2007 peak.

The article goes on to say that one of the factors at work may be “the apparent disdain of the so-called Millennial generation – those born since 1983- who seem more attracted to compact, walkable cities than are older Americans.” These younger Americans are also “taking fewer trips, shorter trips and a larger share of trips via public transportation.” This article also quotes a report by the United States Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit based in Boston that said “Today’s young people drive less than previous generations of young Americans… even when economic and other factors linked to vehicle ownership or driving are taken into account.”

This is interesting information when you realize that Millennials are the largest generation in the nation.

I wonder if there may be other factors involved. A number of teens responding to the original post expressed fear of driving. Considering that 92 people were killed in roadway accidents in the US on average every day in 2012, these teens may have a legitimate point. Information from Wikipedia shows that from 1899 to 2013 there have been 3,601,732 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents in the US.

My view is that a lot of these souls who met such an end are coming back through in the millennial generation. On the soul level, they remember their previous violent deaths and are seeking to avoid the same fate this time round. I remember years ago walking through a preschool yard and passing a line of small children and hearing one of them commenting to a teacher that they were hit by a car once. The teacher was quick to say “No you weren’t”. Maybe we need to stop, listen and explore what small children are saying.

Many fears and phobias can be linked to past life experiences so why not car deaths.