Americans' reliance on cars is hazardous to our health

The brutal commute:

• Exposure to the pollution caused by exhaust can cause respiratory problems.
• Researchers have found that people who spend more time in the car had worse health and were more likely to be depressed.
• We spend about 40 hours per year sitting in traffic, and unanticipated delays on top of the gridlock we’re used to are a cause of stress, which we know to have a host of health effects. One study linked “extreme traffic” to higher rates of domestic violence.

Go deeper:

• Want to live a long life? Spend it in a large, dense city.
• The American car is becoming obsolete