Abstract
The paper analyses the reasons for car ownership and compares the levels of ownership in the US and the UK with the resulting effects on mobility and independence, each with its attractions for different groups of people. The implications for the use of public transport and its operations are also considered. The measures of car attraction are said to offer predictive power by influencing car drivers inclination to drive, or change to other transport modes, and therefore improve knowledge of the psychological components of car dependence.