
You might not think so, but this is what a 1996 Volvo 960 station wagon looks like after it’s been totalled.
This post isn’t about being grateful that no one was hurt in this accident. Although I am. What I’m mostly grateful for is the fact that we live in an area and our lifestyle is such that losing this car will not seriously affect our lives. In fact, we’ll probably come out ahead.
There are many, many people, I’d guess the overwhelming majority of Americans, who absolutely depend on their car. Without a car they would not be able to get to their jobs. They would not be able to get to a grocery store to buy food. Or, at the very least, doing those things without a car would add a huge burden to an already stressful life.
For most people, if they were in our situation, they’d have to take the little bit of money from the insurance company and put it towards a new car. Which means replacing an old but very reliable car with either an expensive new car or a used car that may or may not be reliable. Stress and financial burden on top of stress and financial burden. Their lives could be seriously impacted because some kid was driving his parents’ Lexus recklessly and crashed into their parked car. How fair is that for the owner of the parked car?
We are the lucky ones. Keli has been enjoying walking to and from work (two miles each way) since she started her job a few weeks ago. I work from home. We’ll still use a car a few times a week, to go to Trader Joe’s, to go to our favorite restaurant, and for odd needs here and there. But for that we’ve got ZipCar. And there are plenty of ZipCars within walking distance from our apartment. Even though the old Volvo was paid off long before Keli took it on as her own car, it still costs us close to $150 per month for insurance and gas. And that’s with using it very rarely. $150/month pays for a whole lot of ZipCar. More than we’ll really need.
So, yes, I’m very happy that Keli wasn’t in the car when it hit. But I’m also very happy to live a life that allows us to get by from day to day without owning a car. I’m grateful we can walk to many places for food. We can take the bus to places that are beyond walking distance. And we can quickly and easily get a shared car when that’s what we need. I’m gratefully to be so lucky in that regard.





