Week Without Driving

This week (September 30 to October 6) is the annual Week Without Driving.

Washington-based disability advocate Anna Zivarts notes in her excellent book When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependence: nearly 30% of Americans do not have a driver's license. This statistic includes everyone our car-oriented transportation system leaves behind, including children, the elderly, the disabled, and others who must rely on alternative" transportation options in our cities.

The Week Without Driving offers a challenge to those who jump behind the wheel without a second thought: what if you couldn't simply drive everywhere you needed or wanted to go? This is the reality for nearly 100 million people in our country.

Starting in 2021, the Disability Mobility Initiativebegan organizing elected officials and other decision-makers in Washington to a Week Without Drivingin order to highlight the weaknesses (and, in some cases, strengths) of our transportation system. In 2023, The Disability Mobility Initiative partnered with America Walks to take Week Without Driving national.

Reducing systematic car dependency has long been a priority of the Blog, and it's great to see a campaign like this gain national influence.