3 ms·

50% of Americans aren't also below the poverty line, they can afford to drive.

mikeash 8y ago
Alas, being below the poverty line and being able to live in a place where you don’t need a car rarely go together.
prolikewh0a 8y ago
50% of Americans are in poverty or low income though. Probably worse since this data too. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-low-income/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-...
- shittyadmin 8y ago
  > $45,000 Enough said. We're talking about someone making under $20k here. At $45k you can easily afford a car.
  - ceejayoz 8y ago
    $45,000 is the middle-to-lower number, not lower-to-poverty, and it's for a family of four. "Cheap" cars get expensive quick, and living in a low-income area means your insurance rates are way higher as well.
    - jki275 8y ago
      You can buy a reliable ten year old Toyota Corolla for less than $2k, it will run for at least another ten years with nothing more than basic maintenance, and the income area you live in doesn't affect liability insurance in any appreciable way as you don't need full coverage on the vehicle (you'd pay more than the cost of the vehicle for it over a few years anyway).
      - ceejayoz 8y ago
        Area definitely matters. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/your-money/car-insurance-neighbor-zip-code.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/your-money/car-insurance-... > With other factors being equal, addresses in less affluent ZIP codes with higher minority populations were quoted annual premiums that were $410 higher, on average, than those in neighboring ZIP codes with wealthier, more heavily white populations, according to the analysis. and from the linked study, these are minimum liability rates, not comprehensive: > Except for the address, the tested drivers were exactly the same in every way, and the coverage is for the state mandated minimum liability policy. (Add in what happens to a low-income family when their new-to-them $2k, minimally insured Corolla gets totaled in the first week to the "things that make it expensive to be poor" list, too.)
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - pavel_lishin 8y ago
    > At $45k you can easily afford a car. Unless you have other expenses, or live in a place where keeping a car is unusually expensive.

Alas, being below the poverty line and being able to live in a place where you don’t need a car rarely go together.

50% of Americans are in poverty or low income though. Probably worse since this data too. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-low-income/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-...

shittyadmin 8y ago
> $45,000 Enough said. We're talking about someone making under $20k here. At $45k you can easily afford a car.
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  $45,000 is the middle-to-lower number, not lower-to-poverty, and it's for a family of four. "Cheap" cars get expensive quick, and living in a low-income area means your insurance rates are way higher as well.
  - jki275 8y ago
    You can buy a reliable ten year old Toyota Corolla for less than $2k, it will run for at least another ten years with nothing more than basic maintenance, and the income area you live in doesn't affect liability insurance in any appreciable way as you don't need full coverage on the vehicle (you'd pay more than the cost of the vehicle for it over a few years anyway).
    - ceejayoz 8y ago
      Area definitely matters. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/your-money/car-insurance-neighbor-zip-code.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/your-money/car-insurance-... > With other factors being equal, addresses in less affluent ZIP codes with higher minority populations were quoted annual premiums that were $410 higher, on average, than those in neighboring ZIP codes with wealthier, more heavily white populations, according to the analysis. and from the linked study, these are minimum liability rates, not comprehensive: > Except for the address, the tested drivers were exactly the same in every way, and the coverage is for the state mandated minimum liability policy. (Add in what happens to a low-income family when their new-to-them $2k, minimally insured Corolla gets totaled in the first week to the "things that make it expensive to be poor" list, too.)
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- pavel_lishin 8y ago
  > At $45k you can easily afford a car. Unless you have other expenses, or live in a place where keeping a car is unusually expensive.