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When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency
One third of people living in the United States do not have a driver license. Because the majority of involuntary nondrivers are disabled, lower income, unhoused, formerly incarcerated, undocumented immigrants, kids, young people, and the elderly, they are largely invisible. The consequence of this invisibility is a mobility system designed almost exclusively for drivers. This system has human-health, environmental, and quality-of-life costs for everyone, not just for those excluded from it.Ìý If we’re serious about addressing climate change and inequality, we must address our transportation system.
In When Driving is Not an Option disability advocate Anna Letitia Zivarts shines a light on the number of people in the US who cannot drive and explains how improving our transportation system with nondrivers in mind will create a better quality of life for everyone.
Drawing from interviews with involuntary nondrivers from around the US and from her own experience, Zivarts explains how nondrivers get around and the changes necessary to make our communities more accessible. These changes include improving sidewalk connectivity; providing reliable and affordable transit and paratransit; creating more options for biking, scooting, and wheeling; building more affordable and accessible housing; and the understanding the unrecognized burden of asking and paying for rides.
Zivarts shows that it is critical to include people who can’t drive in transportation planning decisions. She outlines steps that organizations can take to include and promote leadership of those who are most impacted—and too often excluded—by transportation systems designed by and run by people who can drive. The book ends with a checklist of actions that you, as an individual living in a car-dependent society, can take in your own life to help all of us move beyond automobility.
When the needs of involuntary nondrivers are viewed as essential to how we design our transportation systems and our communities, not only will we be able to more easily get where we need to go, but the changes will lead to healthier, climate-friendly communities for everyone.
In When Driving is Not an Option disability advocate Anna Letitia Zivarts shines a light on the number of people in the US who cannot drive and explains how improving our transportation system with nondrivers in mind will create a better quality of life for everyone.
Drawing from interviews with involuntary nondrivers from around the US and from her own experience, Zivarts explains how nondrivers get around and the changes necessary to make our communities more accessible. These changes include improving sidewalk connectivity; providing reliable and affordable transit and paratransit; creating more options for biking, scooting, and wheeling; building more affordable and accessible housing; and the understanding the unrecognized burden of asking and paying for rides.
Zivarts shows that it is critical to include people who can’t drive in transportation planning decisions. She outlines steps that organizations can take to include and promote leadership of those who are most impacted—and too often excluded—by transportation systems designed by and run by people who can drive. The book ends with a checklist of actions that you, as an individual living in a car-dependent society, can take in your own life to help all of us move beyond automobility.
When the needs of involuntary nondrivers are viewed as essential to how we design our transportation systems and our communities, not only will we be able to more easily get where we need to go, but the changes will lead to healthier, climate-friendly communities for everyone.
175 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2024
25 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 17, 2025
Read this!!!!
June 14, 2024
I feel so lucky to live and work in a community with a Anna as a fellow transportation advocate! Her book paints a compelling picture of how to design communities that work better for everyone.
June 18, 2024
As a person that has not driven anything but a wheelchair in the last 7 years, I very much appreciate the insights that Anna brings to the issue of not being able to drive. She also makes it clear that there are a lot of people that are unable to drive an automobile for many different reasons. I will read the book again. You should read it too, especially if you depend on a car for transportation.
May 6, 2024
A well researched book that opens your eyes to the quarter of people who can't drive. Anna walks us through the challenges our transportation system presents and the decades we've been doing infrastructure wrong. Impossible not to look around and see the roads we use in a different light!
March 9, 2025
Fun fact, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. can’t drive. And there are probably more who shouldn’t (looking at all you drivers that almost run me down in crosswalks). Definitely a great book for a slightly different take on the importance of active and public transportation that focuses on the accessibility side of how we get around.
January 13, 2025
One third of Americans don't have a driver's license and even more don't have access to a car. Despite this, virtually all federal, state, and local infrastructure money goes to highway widening and repair and nearly every community is designed for driving.
As a non-driver herself, Anna discusses the experiences of non-drivers with a lens on rural Washington State and Seattle and highlights the failures of our system for ignoring non-drivers. From spending hours on trip planning to find a safe, accessible route to pushing wheelchairs through the mud, these are experiences of non-drivers across the country.
The book is slightly technical but it's lessons are well understood: a third of nearly every community doesn't drive yet nearly every town is planning for more cars and ignores the needs of the young, poor, and disabled as fringe. Only by elevating voices of non-drivers and pressuring politicians to change their mindset to understand and reflect on how the third of their community gets around (see: weekwithoutdriving.org) will we build a transportation system for everyone.
As a non-driver herself, Anna discusses the experiences of non-drivers with a lens on rural Washington State and Seattle and highlights the failures of our system for ignoring non-drivers. From spending hours on trip planning to find a safe, accessible route to pushing wheelchairs through the mud, these are experiences of non-drivers across the country.
The book is slightly technical but it's lessons are well understood: a third of nearly every community doesn't drive yet nearly every town is planning for more cars and ignores the needs of the young, poor, and disabled as fringe. Only by elevating voices of non-drivers and pressuring politicians to change their mindset to understand and reflect on how the third of their community gets around (see: weekwithoutdriving.org) will we build a transportation system for everyone.
March 10, 2025
Dear Anna Zivarts,
One of the core reasons I originally got into urban planning was because of my inability to drive and the impact that had on my life and every major decision I have ever made. It made me want to create a world where everyone could feel safe, comfortable, and happy and have access to the world around them. Now I have been in professional planning for almost a year and I had started growing jaded towards transportation planning, multi mobility, and accessibility altogether and this was the exact book I needed to have that fire relit. So thank you.
One of the core reasons I originally got into urban planning was because of my inability to drive and the impact that had on my life and every major decision I have ever made. It made me want to create a world where everyone could feel safe, comfortable, and happy and have access to the world around them. Now I have been in professional planning for almost a year and I had started growing jaded towards transportation planning, multi mobility, and accessibility altogether and this was the exact book I needed to have that fire relit. So thank you.
March 26, 2025
5/5
Super eye opening pov on people who can't drive and how we are failing them. Made me step back and think about my own privilege as someone who chooses not to drive. I loved that Anna put concrete things we all can do (even as just an average person!) to advocate for additional support for nondrivers.
Super eye opening pov on people who can't drive and how we are failing them. Made me step back and think about my own privilege as someone who chooses not to drive. I loved that Anna put concrete things we all can do (even as just an average person!) to advocate for additional support for nondrivers.
October 1, 2024
A stellar, wonky overview of the many barriers people with disabilities and other people who cannot drive face when interacting with America's transportation system, with concrete, actionable steps to change these barriers, alongside a deep understanding of the politics of advocacy.
February 14, 2025
Excellent overview of disability, mobility, and accessibility. I learned a lot in this, and it is quite readable. However, I would have liked to see more engagement with transportation (the worst contributing pollution source of climate breakdown) and land use. I know that is beyond the scope of this book, which is more focused on uplifting the voices and experiences of non-drivers. It turns out a lot of people cannot drive cars, more than you would think perhaps. Ultimately, this is another great analysis of how cars are the problem � in urban planning, social isolation, climate crisis, and inaccessibility for disabled people. If we push for people of all backgrounds to move with ease, it will require decades, if not a century of political pressure. She points that out, it took a century to get to this car-dominated sprawl. Zivarts does a great job of exploring how you as just one individual can take action to improve multimodal forms of movement. Definitely going to use this in a future course on mobility justice and urban geography.
November 24, 2024
read the majority of this on the bus, which is fitting. As someone who is already deep in the world of transit, cycling, urbanism, and what not, I was surprised at how much in this book I did not know, or at least things I had a vibe on but were presented with solid facts, numbers, and firsthand accounts. I would recommend this to anyone, especially people who don't think about this stuff, people who drive everywhere and wouldn't think of taking the bus (if there even is one near them). I think it'd change some perspectives for sure, and it's pretty succinct.
September 7, 2024
This is such an important book for transportation/urban studies. Zivarts does such a good job highlighting the broad and, largely, politically invisible coalition of people that get the short end of the stick in the age of car dependency. In a lot of urbanist circles car dependency is talked about usually from the perspective of criticism on urban form, sustainability, and economic value. Zivarts adds in one of the most critical aspects missing from that conversation: people who, for whatever reason, cannot drive. The picture is painted very clearly throughout the text that this group is forgotten about in government, engineering, design, and planning circles to the point that I as the reader thought "there's no way 25 - 30% of the population cannot drive and just no one has noticed".
My only gripe with the text is that Zivarts claims to want to focus on all kinds of people who cannot drive, so not just those with disabilities but the poor, immigrant, elderly and child populations. She doesn't really live up to this, as almost all of the book focuses on people with disabilities, which is fine and important, but I just wish more was written on the other reasons that people cannot or choose not to drive (not that there's nothing in here about it).
Overall, this is probably required reading for anyone studying or advocating for transportation issues, as it really does open up an entire new way of thinking to a field that may have underestimated how large of a problem car dependency is specifically for non-drivers.
My only gripe with the text is that Zivarts claims to want to focus on all kinds of people who cannot drive, so not just those with disabilities but the poor, immigrant, elderly and child populations. She doesn't really live up to this, as almost all of the book focuses on people with disabilities, which is fine and important, but I just wish more was written on the other reasons that people cannot or choose not to drive (not that there's nothing in here about it).
Overall, this is probably required reading for anyone studying or advocating for transportation issues, as it really does open up an entire new way of thinking to a field that may have underestimated how large of a problem car dependency is specifically for non-drivers.
July 23, 2024
Highly recommend this read. I really enjoy when authors incorporate meaningful facts such as: 30% of US citizens do not drive, while incorporating personal stories of the challenges these people experience to get places in their community. Personal stories seem to make more meaningful impact than data alone. I agree we need to mobilize a base of citizens to include active mobility in order to decarbonize our transportation system, rather than thinking of electrification alone. If you want to join me in these efforts in Iowa City please message me!
What we all need is a transformation of the way we organize mobility, housing, and public space so that we have options for getting around that do not rely on driving a car. We need safe, connected places to walk, roll, and ride: transit that is as reliable as driving; and land use and remote access opportunities that reduce how much we have to travel. This transformation can move us away from the most harmful public health and climate impacts of automobility and start to create a more inclusive mobility system.
What we all need is a transformation of the way we organize mobility, housing, and public space so that we have options for getting around that do not rely on driving a car. We need safe, connected places to walk, roll, and ride: transit that is as reliable as driving; and land use and remote access opportunities that reduce how much we have to travel. This transformation can move us away from the most harmful public health and climate impacts of automobility and start to create a more inclusive mobility system.
June 12, 2024
�1/3 of people living in the United States don’t have a drivers license.�
Eye-opening call-to-action for drivers to consider the barriers for which car-centered infrastructure impacts immigrants, young/old, BIPOC, disabled, & low-income people. Brings attention to non-walkable regions that promote elitism/segregation and moved me to scrutinize the lack of accessibility in the roads and sidewalks I travel through every day. I’m left with a lot of optimism that if we encourage our elected officials to plan cities WITH (not just for)nondrivers, we will improve traffic, the environment, and social web of communities!!
Eye-opening call-to-action for drivers to consider the barriers for which car-centered infrastructure impacts immigrants, young/old, BIPOC, disabled, & low-income people. Brings attention to non-walkable regions that promote elitism/segregation and moved me to scrutinize the lack of accessibility in the roads and sidewalks I travel through every day. I’m left with a lot of optimism that if we encourage our elected officials to plan cities WITH (not just for)nondrivers, we will improve traffic, the environment, and social web of communities!!
March 13, 2025
XXXXX
RETHINKING SOCIETY'S CAR DEPENDENCY or DESPITE WHAT YOU THINK, NOT EVERYONE DRIVES
XXXXX
"We are failing people who cannot and do not drive, diminishing their quality of life and hindering their social and economic opportunities. These failures hold back our local and regional economies.
As a result , we're not able to make the strides necessary to fight the climate crisis, improve public health, and create a more just and equitable nation for all...
We must shift from a worldview where the system is centered on people who drive to one that is centered on people who need to get somewhere and who deserve a variety of options."
The above quote (in italics) comes from this passionately written book by Anna Zivarts. She is a mother and nondriver who was born with the neurological eye condition nystagmus so she can't drive. Since launching the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington, Zivarts has worked to bring the voices of nondrivers to the planning and policy-making tables. She serves on the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium advisory board and the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's Coordination Advisory Committee.
Note that while this book centers on car dependency in the U.S., its ideas can be applied to any car-dependent nation.
At the heart of this book are the experiences that nondrivers shared. (Nondrivers are everywhere. Nondrivers include the disabled, those who can't afford to drive, immigrants, seniors, and children & youth, ) They tell us and it has been shown that they are the most impacted by traffic crashes, pollution , and lack of access to housing and mobility options.
Thus, this book is critical for disability, transportation, and environmental advocates, policy makers, and urban planners seeking to create a just, equitable, and livable world.
One error I found is when we're told that "transportation is the leading contributor to carbon emissions." NO. The leading contributor to carbon emissions is actually the electricity sector. However, the transportation sector is the second major contributor to carbon emissions.
Finally, this book concentrates on getting from point "A" to point "B" in a comfortable and safe manner without the use of a car. It says nothing about what to do if you have to bring things back with you from point "B." I've seen people bringing back a lot of groceries on a bus. It's not a pretty site. I thought not considering this in the discussion was a major oversight.
In conclusion, I thought that this book did a good job in stating what nondrivers need and how they can get what they need, Above all else, this book makes it clear that society must learn to value the expertise of nondrivers with respect to mobility.
XXXXX
(2024; preface; acknowledgments; introduction; 4 chapters; conclusion; epilogue; main narrative 150 pages; about the author)
XXXXX
RETHINKING SOCIETY'S CAR DEPENDENCY or DESPITE WHAT YOU THINK, NOT EVERYONE DRIVES
XXXXX
"We are failing people who cannot and do not drive, diminishing their quality of life and hindering their social and economic opportunities. These failures hold back our local and regional economies.
As a result , we're not able to make the strides necessary to fight the climate crisis, improve public health, and create a more just and equitable nation for all...
We must shift from a worldview where the system is centered on people who drive to one that is centered on people who need to get somewhere and who deserve a variety of options."
The above quote (in italics) comes from this passionately written book by Anna Zivarts. She is a mother and nondriver who was born with the neurological eye condition nystagmus so she can't drive. Since launching the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington, Zivarts has worked to bring the voices of nondrivers to the planning and policy-making tables. She serves on the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium advisory board and the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's Coordination Advisory Committee.
Note that while this book centers on car dependency in the U.S., its ideas can be applied to any car-dependent nation.
At the heart of this book are the experiences that nondrivers shared. (Nondrivers are everywhere. Nondrivers include the disabled, those who can't afford to drive, immigrants, seniors, and children & youth, ) They tell us and it has been shown that they are the most impacted by traffic crashes, pollution , and lack of access to housing and mobility options.
Thus, this book is critical for disability, transportation, and environmental advocates, policy makers, and urban planners seeking to create a just, equitable, and livable world.
One error I found is when we're told that "transportation is the leading contributor to carbon emissions." NO. The leading contributor to carbon emissions is actually the electricity sector. However, the transportation sector is the second major contributor to carbon emissions.
Finally, this book concentrates on getting from point "A" to point "B" in a comfortable and safe manner without the use of a car. It says nothing about what to do if you have to bring things back with you from point "B." I've seen people bringing back a lot of groceries on a bus. It's not a pretty site. I thought not considering this in the discussion was a major oversight.
In conclusion, I thought that this book did a good job in stating what nondrivers need and how they can get what they need, Above all else, this book makes it clear that society must learn to value the expertise of nondrivers with respect to mobility.
XXXXX
(2024; preface; acknowledgments; introduction; 4 chapters; conclusion; epilogue; main narrative 150 pages; about the author)
XXXXX
June 17, 2024
The first 20 percent of so of this book explains the size and diversity of the nondriving population; the rest of the book is more focused on disability-related issues.
As to the former issue, Zivarts relies heavily on a 2019 survey. She discovered that only 17 percent of nondrivers are "choice" nondrivers- people who could easily drive or afford a car, but simply don't want or need one. 68 percent of nondrivers cited financial costs as a barrier to driving- not just the costs of buying a vehicle, but also the costs of maintenance, registration and insurance. 19 percent cited disability as a barrier to car ownership. Visual disabilities are especially significant- over 3 million Americans either are legally blind or have a lesser degree of disability that makes it dangerous for them to drive something as large and lethal as an automobile. In addition, people with anxiety, depression or autism may sometimes be unable to drive. Zivarts points out that these issues overlap: people with disabilities are generally poorer and less likely to be employed than the general population, and thus often cannot afford to drive even if they are physically capable of driving.
Most of this book focuses on the barriers that make hinder mobility for the disabled, including missing or cracked sidewalks, dangerous street crossings, the absence of bike lanes for people who are capable of driving a sl0w vehicle like a bicycle or golf cart, high housing costs in areas served by public transit. Although Zivarts clearly describes these problems, she does not really discuss the costs of the many possible solutions or suggest how cities should apportion scarce resources among those solutions.
As to the former issue, Zivarts relies heavily on a 2019 survey. She discovered that only 17 percent of nondrivers are "choice" nondrivers- people who could easily drive or afford a car, but simply don't want or need one. 68 percent of nondrivers cited financial costs as a barrier to driving- not just the costs of buying a vehicle, but also the costs of maintenance, registration and insurance. 19 percent cited disability as a barrier to car ownership. Visual disabilities are especially significant- over 3 million Americans either are legally blind or have a lesser degree of disability that makes it dangerous for them to drive something as large and lethal as an automobile. In addition, people with anxiety, depression or autism may sometimes be unable to drive. Zivarts points out that these issues overlap: people with disabilities are generally poorer and less likely to be employed than the general population, and thus often cannot afford to drive even if they are physically capable of driving.
Most of this book focuses on the barriers that make hinder mobility for the disabled, including missing or cracked sidewalks, dangerous street crossings, the absence of bike lanes for people who are capable of driving a sl0w vehicle like a bicycle or golf cart, high housing costs in areas served by public transit. Although Zivarts clearly describes these problems, she does not really discuss the costs of the many possible solutions or suggest how cities should apportion scarce resources among those solutions.
April 22, 2025
Certainly an interesting perspective on being a non-driver. It made me consider the challenges of disabled people, it made me think about all the little things I don’t need to think about as someone who is able bodied. The book expresses that everyone has a right to mobility this includes people like kids who need to get around as much as anyone else. I myself am a non-driver, some of the challenges shown in the book I relate to like having to rely on other people for mobility and feeling like a burden, I relate to the mental burden of having to plan out my journeys extensively beforehand and I also relate to not going places because there is no easy way for me to get there if there’s a way at all.
Our infrastructure is definitely car centric and us who don’t drive are excluded from the system. I often cannot or I am discouraged to apply to jobs and internships because they require full driver’s licenses. I often wonder would I REALLY need a license to fulfill the role of this job? perhaps yes but in some cases no. You shouldn’t be barred from being a part of society just because you don’t drive, this is something the book conveys well.
Our infrastructure is definitely car centric and us who don’t drive are excluded from the system. I often cannot or I am discouraged to apply to jobs and internships because they require full driver’s licenses. I often wonder would I REALLY need a license to fulfill the role of this job? perhaps yes but in some cases no. You shouldn’t be barred from being a part of society just because you don’t drive, this is something the book conveys well.
February 22, 2025
This book opened my eyes to the plight of many Americans who cannot or do not drive vehicles, either due to disability, age, or finances.
Instead of depending solely on our vehicles to get us around, we should try to seek alternatives (not just to save on resources but also for health benefits).
The author advocates the availability of better transit systems, sidewalks, and shelters for all people, not just the rich or privileged.
Instead of depending solely on our vehicles to get us around, we should try to seek alternatives (not just to save on resources but also for health benefits).
The author advocates the availability of better transit systems, sidewalks, and shelters for all people, not just the rich or privileged.
July 8, 2024
Good perspective on the different reasons people don't drive (which are personal and may change) and the difficulty that transportation planners sometimes have in understanding actual barriers to getting around ().
November 3, 2024
This is my top transportation book of the year—Anna clearly outlines what’s at stake for nondrivers in our transportation system, its relation to other systems of oppression, and pulls together the latest research on it all. Zivarts also just communicates everything in an accessible way with a whole lot of heart.
Essential reading for anyone in transportation! - maybe 5 hr tops?
Essential reading for anyone in transportation! - maybe 5 hr tops?
December 26, 2024
Anna Zivarts wrote a great American masterpiece
Some really compelling stories and thoughts herein. As a transit advocate for over a decade, I learned stuff I didn’t know before. I also got tips on the next book to read. Will quote this book in my communications with elected officials.
Some really compelling stories and thoughts herein. As a transit advocate for over a decade, I learned stuff I didn’t know before. I also got tips on the next book to read. Will quote this book in my communications with elected officials.
September 2, 2024
Anna Zivarts brings well-written and essential insight from the non-driving community about how to advocate for mitigating car dependency.
Considering how many states have 25% (or even 31% in the case of Wisconsin) of their residents as non-drivers, often by necessity, you would think there would be a stronger presence of accessibility in our transportation infrastructure. Everyone should read this book and understand the challenges that exist in our car-oriented societies, and think about what we can do to make change happen.
And remember, Week Without Driving 2024 is coming up! From Sept 30 - Oct 6, challenge yourself by reducing your car trips and opening your eyes to the challenges some members of your community face.
Considering how many states have 25% (or even 31% in the case of Wisconsin) of their residents as non-drivers, often by necessity, you would think there would be a stronger presence of accessibility in our transportation infrastructure. Everyone should read this book and understand the challenges that exist in our car-oriented societies, and think about what we can do to make change happen.
And remember, Week Without Driving 2024 is coming up! From Sept 30 - Oct 6, challenge yourself by reducing your car trips and opening your eyes to the challenges some members of your community face.
October 7, 2024
This is desperately needed reading by our transportation professionals. Zivarts does an excellent job laying out the degree to which different aspects of demographics create a massive non driving population whose needs are ignored.
January 1, 2025
Must read for anyone interested in how usable infrastructure is essential for everyone, not just vehicles. Sidewalk connectivity, standard design practices and including people with disabilities in conversations about useful infrastructure and transportation design should be no brainers.
October 21, 2024
Makes a great case for non-drivers to have equitable access in society, beyond sidewalk advocacy.
November 10, 2024
Good. Not very long. From the perspective of a lady with horrible eyesight for whom driving is not an option trying to navigate Seattle.
December 19, 2024
Made me reconsider and look at pedestrian infrastructure differently.
March 6, 2025
Great perspective on transportation infrastructure from the perspective of non drivers, who make up almost a third of the US population!
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