Every day I keep worrying about the next big attack. It could happen while crossing the street, riding my bike-whenever I least expect it. After all, these people are ruthless, short-tempered, and prone to violence at any time. They can, and will, kill you.

I’m talking about one of America’s largest terrorist groups: DRIVERS. Even by the most conservative estimates, cars kill around 50, 000 Americans every year. To put this in perspective, this is close to the number of our soldiers that died in the entire Vietnam War. The publicity generated by today’s campaigns against drunk driving only serves to cover the fact that cars, whether you drive them drunk or sober, are deadly. In fact, sober drivers cause the majority of car accidents. Although most people realize that cars, in some vague way, are bad for the world, many don’t realize the extent to which the oil spill of car culture has seeped into our neighborhoods, our environments, and our everyday lives.

Introducing cars to our cities has had the same effect on our communities as muzak- it takes over everyone walking by, picking away at our sanity without really letting us identify the source. These days over half the space in our cities is devoted solely to the car. While affordable housing is getting harder and harder to find, automobiles have their choice of a wide variety of low-cost, even free housing, both indoor and outdoor.

When I went home to visit my parents last summer I was saddened to see that some of the grassy lots I used to play ninja in long ago were repaved and covered in parked cars. Street hockey is now illegal, not to mention suicidal; and as for street parties, well, you only need to look at what happened here last Mayday.

The reality these days is that our streets are nothing more than shuttles to herd people to and from their workplaces and shopping centers. They are war zones, just as much as the countries we invade in order to get the oil that runs them. Anyone who attempts to challenge this prevailing view is run off the road, ticketed, screamed at, and sprayed with a face full of noxious fumes.

The problems that cars bring us are too numerous to mention. A problem that is being subsidized to the sweet tune of 200 million dollars a day. They lead to suburban sprawl which causes freeway expansion, most of which happens to be built in the heart of a city’s poorest communities.

A good example of this is the Hunter’s Point community of San Francisco. Tucked against the bay by two intersecting freeways, it is cut off from the rest of the city and forced to dwindle away in a sea of toxic runoff and air pollution. Many people there can’t even grow gardens because the soil is so contaminated. The area has been driven to the brink of extinction in the name of progress.

Is there any hope for our smoggy future? Watch E.T. and you’ll see a glimpse of how the future could be-the bicycle cutting through the night with the moon shining and the pine trees blowing in the background. That’s right, when was the last time you rode a bike? Not just for exercise, but to work? It’s a totally free experience, not only because it costs nothing, but because you can rip through traffic lights, slide through jams, and maybe even get to work faster. A biker knows no rules. While light rail is another hope, a cheaper and cleaner alternative to highways, biking is an immediate way to save money, get exercise, and cut down on pollution. Plus, it will give you sleek, rugged thighs that will let you wear spandex shorts (should you choose to take that step) without being embarrassed.

There are so many things drivers could see if they stepped out of their air-conditioned boxes. The fact that, while complaining about traffic, they are still contributing to it. The fact that, while claiming to be against war, they are still supporting it by buying oil. And the fact that, sometimes, the act of getting there is half the fun of a trip. People need to stop treating their cars like toys and start treating them like weapons. If you absolutely must drive, try to organize a carpool. There are probably scores of other drivers going to the same place you are, and they are probably all alone.

Slow down, and for God’s sake, give bikers some room! We are not responsible for any damage done to your vehicle.