Have you ever heard your dad rant on and on about possible future technologies and how lucky you are to be able to experience something such as a flying car? Well, I have, but I am not excited. Flying cars, an idea that multiple forms of media have idealized, is not such a good idea. They would not only pose a much greater risk than regular cars, but they would also have an overall negative impact on the environment. On top of that, it would just be another way for the rich to flex their unnecessary items on the average and poor. 

Flying car accidents would be worse than normal ones. According to the Amaro Law Firm, around 19,937 crashes occur daily, and with how uncertain the safety of flying cars will be, this number could potentially double. This uncertainty is especially true for when and if the production of these cars first begins. The airbags built into your car will not save you from a 30,000-foot or so drop if you were to crash. Furthermore, consider the fact that cars sometimes stop working out of seemingly nowhere. In a flying car, you will not have the safety of a paved road to prevent you from plummeting to your death. This risk would also be dangerous for people and buildings on the ground. Who’s to say that a car won’t crush a bystander, someone’s home, schools, other buildings, etc? 

Pollution is already an extensive issue, and using cars, planes, boats, and other vehicles has never been good for the environment. Even vehicles that do not run on gas (i.e. electric cars) pollute the environment. On top of this, the image of a car flying through the sky is personally not very appealing. Flying cars would also mean sky traffic, assuming that in the future, most people would own one. Many people who live by the highway are already disturbed in their daily lives by the air and noise pollution. Creating a sky highway would disturb everyone and become a major inconvenience.

On top of this, from a realistic view,  most people wouldn’t be able to afford a flying car. It would be way too expensive to begin making the prototypes of such vehicles as well as figuring out the design and safety regulations. Ordinary people won’t be able to purchase them when these cars are ready to be sold. How does something that basically no one can afford benefit society? Flying cars would just turn into a private jet situation except less useful, only for the wealthy to get around, and maybe even just for show.