Living Car Free - Why live car-free?

I'm curious as to why (and where) people live car-free or commute by bike. We're surrounded by a car-based culture. In almost all circumstances, cars are put first: there are more parking spaces than bike racks, more advertising for cars than bikes, cars get more space on the road than bikes, government subsidies go more to car-pool commuting than to bike-commuting, and so on and so forth. So, given all that, why do you live car-free? Finances? The environment? Efficiency? Health and exercise?

Also, where do you live car-free? Urban areas? Rural areas? Warm climates? Cold climates?

I live in Monterey, Ca.

car-free for about 6 years now
car-lite for most of my life.

why?
yes, finance
health
environment
I was also in the army, there has been a degree of "soldiering thru" with bicycling.
but, I've been like this most of my life.
that is, yes... i'd ride my bike to work in the rain, and always be early.
yes, I'd ride my bike around mudslides, fallen trees, during blackouts, etc...
also I'm totally a bike-a-holic
i went to UBI (certified bike wrench)
i help put on events/races (on site operations co-ordinator for Sea Otter Classic 09')
training camps, etc...
most of my racer buddies are not car free
and all the teams i end up working with, have support vehicles

Donald Shoup has an excellent view on the current car situation
http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4622062
http://www.intransitionmag.org/default.html

in my experience, being Car Free demands/installs a degree of self sufficiency
for me
its a matter of being able to get my rides in
for awhile now, I've been riding 20 to 40hrs/week.
save money
maybe even work less.

that is...
since I haven't owned a car for a few years, i was able to save up some money.
currently I am at the 27 month mark with no real job
that is, any work I've done, has been 100% bike support/bike shop related.
i love working on bikes, and being around the culture in general.

this past weekend, I was in Mill Valley, Ca, where i got to ride with Jonathan Vaughters, Joe Breeze, Steven Cozza, and a bunch more.

i'm also somewhat of an accomplished amateur bike racer. a few 4th places doing 24hr solo mtb races, a bunch of MTB, & Road racing since around 94'

this year
i did 3 double centuries
some racing
a tour from Astoria to Ventura, CA
when i got to Arcata, I did 12hrs of Humboldt, where i placed 3rd, with 12 laps, 92 miles, and over 16,000ft of climbing.

so ya... I'm into bikes

the bottom bracket is The Center of my Universe.

I'm curious as to why (and where) people live car-free or commute by bike. We're surrounded by a car-based culture. In almost all circumstances, cars are put first: there are more parking spaces than bike racks, more advertising for cars than bikes, cars get more space on the road than bikes, government subsidies go more to car-pool commuting than to bike-commuting, and so on and so forth. So, given all that, why do you live car-free? Finances? The environment? Efficiency? Health and exercise?

Also, where do you live car-free? Urban areas? Rural areas? Warm climates? Cold climates?

Two reasons...... Money and the planet. Then there is also the damage to a person's health by being so sedentary.

I've been car-free for 5 years, in NE Indiana, where the weather gets bad and the drivers get worse. When the last car gave it up, I realized that I'd only driven it once in the previous 5 weeks. Called the junkyard, waved bye-bye to the car, and took the chump-change I got for it and bought the family lunch.

I love the bike; the ride kills any anger/stress I leave work with, and stalls any I may run into at home. I feel more alive on days that I ride. I extend my commute by as much as seven miles just to get in the saddle time. There's maybe 5 or 6 weeks out of the year when it's just too nasty out to ride.

I also love the thought that, with everything I save by not buying gas/oil changes, tuneups, license plates, etc., I can put together a hellacious bike and still be money ahead!

It's also changed my whole outlook; I don't drive fast anymore when I DO drive, which only happens when someone hands me keys. I average about 2-3 drives a year. Everything outside the house, I channel it into logistics about the ride -- routes, time involved, weather, etc.

I wouldn't want to live without the bike; it would take a direct threat to my daughter to make me do that.

I live car-lite. I have a scooter and two cars that I drive only when I have to or am with others. Rarely do I jump in the car alone. It makes no sense for me to because it is not cost effective and can take the same amount of time to drive as it would to cycle or ride my scooter. I ride because I enjoy being outdoors and doing something good for my body and spirit. I live in Southern California so weather plays little in what I do. There are cars all around yet they don't get in the way (so far) and the roads are rideable.

Also, where do you live car-free? Urban areas? Rural areas? Warm climates? Cold climates?

This may come as a surprise to you but almost half the population is car free! Only 57% of the U.S. population drives a motorcar which means 43% is using public transportation or walking. Where do the car free live? EVERY STATE IN THE U.S!

There are car free people in every state from cities to rual towns. You'll find the car free in Texas or Alaska because the poor are to be located everywhere. Most of the car free are not bicycling and the people you see on the forum are the exception. The majority of the car free are using the bus or walking.

Most people in my part of the world won't leave their houses without first strapping a 4,000 pound machine to their butts. I just wondered if there was a better way to live.

Time, money and convenience mainly. The chance to ride extra miles is a side benefit, as is the fact that it's good for the environment.

Cars are a great big hassle for the most part. Rent one for vacations. Rent a truck if I have to move.

I live just north of the location under my avatar. My 3.8 mile commute ranges from suburban to exurban. It will likely be all suburban within 10 years.

They are fun to drive. I just picked up a 2009 WRX. Not as fast as my 2000 FRC Corvette or plush as my 1996 Impala SS but more fun on dirt roads. :love:

I've still never driven a soobie WRX. Closest I've come is a Mitsu Evo VIII, and that was one VERY fun vehicle to drive!!!

I agree with your implied premise wholly. Cars are fun to drive. But driving them around in the city on a daily basis is usually very ****ty. Not fun at all!

I've still never driven a soobie WRX. Closest I've come is a Mitsu Evo VIII, and that was one VERY fun vehicle to drive!!!

They are a hoot. The Vette is all torque where the WRX is like a slingshot. Roads I would never think of going down in the Vette you can take at 70 MPH in the soobie.

If I could commute to work on a bicycle I would but I would still keep the cars for fun.

Vrooomrmrmrmrmrmrmrmrm!

Once upon a time, one of my profoundest pleasures was taking a car sideways through a corner on an icy mountain road.
At some point in my travels, I came to the conclusion that the nicest places in the world are those where cars can't go.
Now I'm just trying to do my part in the reduction scheme.
Given my beliefs, it would be selfish for me to do otherwise.

Financial

Urban

You can check out this site to see how each town performs in terms of living car free (pooled from past census data): http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/carfree-census-database.html

I have been car lite for 7 years and car-free for 2 years as of November 6th :thumb:

For me, it initially was shear logic. We had to move 3000 miles cross country for my job, and they salt the roads so heavily here in winter our car would be worthless by the time we left here, so we sold it before the move. We were originally figuring we'd bite the bullet and live car free while in Maine, and then buy a car once I graduated and we settled back in the pacific northwest. However, then came the bank statements. Once rid of the car, and the resulting insurance, gas, taxes, repairs, etc., our savings sky rocketed. We suddenly went from being happy to be debt free, to being able to work towards a 20% down-payment on what will be our first home.

There also came the freedom. We no longer had to have an emergency repair fund for the car, freeing money for saving for retirement, and we no longer had to fear whether that rattle was some critical car part coming loose and what sort of exorbitant fee we'd have to pay to fix it. I also loved that I could repair my vehicle, no longer having to trust some mechanic (I once spent $2000 to have a transmission fixed, only to have it die the exact same way in two weeks).

All in all, our lives are surprisingly simpler and far more fruitful now that we no longer have a car. On meager incomes we have maxed out IRAs, almost to our 20% down-payment goal, are far more healthy then we were (another area of savings: lower medical costs), and have a lot more freedom. Especially when it comes to moving and finding a place to live, because parking is now a moot concern.

And then, beyond the selfish reasons, there are also the self-righteous reasons that are just as fun. I feel like I'm doing my part to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and thus reduce our rampant trade deficit, and that I'm helping the whole health-care issue by not becoming another morbidly obese American draining our nation's resources. In the grand scheme of things my contribution may be small, but when I hear reports on how much oil the US consumes or how unhealthy Americans are, I feel good in knowing that we imported a few fewer gallons of oil and wasted a thousand fewer dollars on preventable diseases thanks to our change in life-style.

This may come as a surprise to you but almost half the population is car free! Only 57% of the U.S. population drives a motorcar which means 43% is using public transportation or walking.

Do those figures include children?

I'm curious as to why (and where) people live car-free or commute by bike.

I rode a bike a lot as a teen, and in my college years, then I graduated, became sedentary and gained weight.

At age 44 I had a heart attack, which caused me to re-evaluate, and I started riding a bike to work regularly. I was doing this in Maine, which sometimes has weather. As years passed, I rode in worse and worse conditions until I found myself riding almost all the time.

Earlier this year my job relocated me to california. When I looked at how much I was using the car in Maine, I decided to leave it behind and go car free. I have not yet had reason to reconsider that decision. From a financial standpoint, could easily afford a car, but then I am also paying more in living expenses to live in a neighborhood which is more conducive to not having a car, so in the end, I am not sure that being car free is having a financial impact for me one way or the other.

This weekend, I went grocery shopping, and outside the store, I am loading grocery bags in my bike trailer and a little kid comes flying out of the store, looks at my bike and trailer and yells 'Hey Mom - look how cool this is', I was about to say something when mom came out of the store, and she probably weighed over 250 lbs. I didn't say a thing to mother or child, just smiled.

For me, the reason that I live the way that I do is partly because it makes me feel better.
Also, it is prolonging my life,
but mostly, it's like that little kid said: 'Hey Mom, look how cool this is'

Because of my bike, at an age of over 50, I can relate more to a 5 year old than to many adults, and that is cool!

Do those figures include children?

Good question. I don't know.

I just did a search on how many Americans did not have a car.

There also came the freedom. We no longer had to have an emergency repair fund for the car, freeing money for saving for retirement, and we no longer had to fear whether that rattle was some critical car part coming loose and what sort of exorbitant fee we'd have to pay to fix it.

LOL!

It reminds me of the last time I was in my brother's car as he drove me home. He made this sharp turn and said, "Did you hear that rattle" from under the car! Boy the fear in his eyes from the prospect of making another huge repair bill said it all.

I wasn't so lucky in having extra money set aside for emergency repairs. My MasterCard was the auto emergency fund that was never paid in full back in the good old days. Today with interest going as high as 33% on credit cards, I'm lucky to be out of that racket!

Funny thing, there, Steve... about the car-free percentage; I tool around on other sites, one of which is pretty car-centric. Another 'authority' (no negativity to you intended) quotes figures that say there are 300 million people in the USA, and 210 million of them are licensed and have cars! That's a little higher than your figures.

Not trying to troll or start a flame war, just sayin'....

I know ABSOLUTELY that there are more than your percentages owning/driving cars in my town! According to the city's numbers, there were right around 100 commuters that showed up for the city's Bike To Work Day. Out of 300,000, 100 isn't a real high percentage; now I know that doesn't include the 'low-end' riders, service workers on big-box bikes who just ride to their jobs because they can't drive for whatever reason. But I KNOW, where I live, there isn't 160,000 car-free folks! That would be a dream for me!!

You said you looked it up; m'friend, what was the web source of that? I'd like to see that....

Cause cars cost money and eventually will have problems. Also gas sucks. Supporting oil companies makes me die a little inside.

We're surrounded by a car-based culture.
And?

In almost all circumstances, cars are put first: there are more parking spaces than bike racks
I'm still closer to the front door.

more advertising for cars than bikes
If I fell for ads, I'd get a new car every month, a new toothbrush every day, and have a list of fast food that I must eat. Are people really that influenced why what's on TV?

cars get more space on the road than bikes
I also take less space, so most people pass me with ample space.

government subsidies go more to car-pool commuting than to bike-commuting
I think as more people commute by bike, the government will start changing. Look at cities like Portland, Boulder, Minneapolis, etc.

why do you live car-free? Finances? The environment? Efficiency? Health and exercise?
Yes. I'm actually car-lite, but people are car-free because they feel like it.

Also why not?

Every day at work, (I drive for a living but bike every other minute of the day) when I pass the MAX (its Portland mass transit trains) they are LOADED down with people. They look like they barely have room to move around. That a good percentage here in PDX that are car free/lite.

Even though Portland has hundreds (maybe even thousands) of cycle commuters, mass transit is probably used more year round here then biking. Though its nice to pass people riding bikes in a down pore and have them smile and wave. :)

I bike so I eat more and not get fat, save gas money to send on good food, clear my head everyday, and I'd like to say one less car, but I then hope in a truck (10-18 wheeler) when I get to work but it is one less car on the road.
I consider myself car lite, hoping to be car free or SUPER lite.

Urban NE Portland is home, suburban NW Gresham is work, about 12miles each way.

Good question. I don't know.

I just did a search on how many Americans did not have a car.

I never would have suspected 57% vs 43% in the car drivership. I'm guessing quite a few of the 43% are under 15 and are driven by the 57%.... at least in my neck of the woods.

I drove about 65000 miles a year for four years at a previous job. I was self employed and it involved a lott of travel that I could not do by plane or train or bus. I had to carry a lot of equipment.

I lived out of the car, literally, sleeping in it when it was freezing outside, showering at truck stops, being at the mercy of the auto repair shops.

When I quit that I got a job about 20 miles from where I live. I never thought I would be biking to work. As a joke I said "When gas hits $4/gallon I am biking to work." and nobody believe me when I decided I'd give it a try.

I got on my mountain bike (with under inflated tires and the seat not set right) with me sitting near 300 lbs. I had three bottles of ice water. It took me over 2 hours to do that ride. I barely made it to work on time.

But I felt really good about myself. And I had fun. And I was sore.

But I had proven to myself I could do it. So I started doing it more often. I'd hear people complain about gas prices and I would just kinda snicker. I spent less than $1000 to get my bike to what it is now including winter gear.

I've still got the car which has been driven more recently than before and I will tell you going near car free, than back to car dependant, now working to become car free again here are the reasons I am set to doing it again.

1) I feel a lot better about myself.
2) My blood pressure has improved significantly.
3) I pollute less and contribute less to global warming.
4) Construction is no longer a big issue to me.
5) I take about the same amount of time to get to work everyday.
6) My paycheck is not going to the oil companies or the car companies that needed to be bailed out.
7) The ladies seem more interested in me as they find me more interesting for being more individaulistic.
8) I have influenced management at my job to consider ways to make the company greener.
9) Two of my co-workers have started biking to work (except in the winter.)
10) I HATE pumping gas.
11) I get discounts at the grocery store for bringing 'reusable' bags -- saddle bags and my backpack.
11) I have almost gotten out of debt after considering bankruptcy two years ago.
12) It just feels damn good to get exercise daily.
13) The wind at my face and the open air is very liberating.
14) The time I spend on the bike is *MY* time.
15) People I don't even know have come up to me asking about my lifestyle at work, at the store, and other places because they see me biking all the time.

PotatoSlayer: you rock! welcome to the pedaling world.

I am hoping to be car free, but I think it will take a move to a more urban area to do it. My reasons for NOT wanting to own a car just keep growing: can't stand dumping $35 of gas into the car each week, can't stand the ginormous bills for new snow tires, brakes, etc., my night vision isn't good at all so I really hate driving at night especially if it's raining, I hate knowing that at any time I could be stranded on some deserted road b/c of a car malfunction and not know what to do (no cellphone coverage in a lot of spots around here) and the list goes on. I have always loved bikes, I love riding them and fixing them and being around them. I feel empowered on a bike b/c I know I can fix whatever might happen to it, I love being outside in all kinds of weather, and the feeling of moving under my own power. Right now, the things in my daily round are very spread out and having a car around (an 11 yr old subaru) to get my dogs to the vet, to get to the eye doctor, for other things that are 20 miles or more away or so makes sense. but I"m looking forward to moving to an area where the things I need to do are within a much closer range and then it will be time to ditch the car.

I'm carfree first because I enjoy it more. Second because I think people made a big mistake when they became so dependant on cars, and it's time for us to start rectifying that mistake.

I'm carfree first because I enjoy it more. Second because I think people made a big mistake when they became so dependant on cars, and it's time for us to start rectifying that mistake.

Car free my whole life, on behalf of the environment.

I'm curious as to why (and where) people live car-free or commute by bike. We're surrounded by a car-based culture. In almost all circumstances, cars are put first: there are more parking spaces than bike racks, more advertising for cars than bikes, cars get more space on the road than bikes, government subsidies go more to car-pool commuting than to bike-commuting, and so on and so forth. So, given all that, why do you live car-free? Finances? The environment? Efficiency? Health and exercise?

Also, where do you live car-free? Urban areas? Rural areas? Warm climates? Cold climates?

First time was for financial reasons, that was in a city setting, then moved to a larger city. That time lasted about 6 years, remained car light for several years after that. Took a job in 97 that required travel, unfortunately still traveling.:( But I do what I can when I can, take a bike with me and park the truck when I get where I am going, I do ride to the grocery store when at home. Currently live in a semi-rural fast becoming suburban area. We are considering a move back to the city...

Aaron:)

It is so weird where I live on O'ahu - the weather is perfect 330 days out of the year and even the other 35 are better than most places. We have a good public transportation system that goes pretty much everywhere and all the buses have bicycle racks. Most trips people make are very short and the furthest you can drive to get from point A to point B (Makapu'u to Ka'ena) is 40 miles. Why would you want a car under those circumstances? But we have more cars per mile of road than any other state in the union and O'ahu is by far the worst island in the state in this respect. So the question here is really not why do the few people who are car-free do it but why are there so many people with cars? So why do I do it - because I'm not a complete idiot. No offense to those of you who still have cars ... I probably would have a car as well if I lived where you do, but here it makes zero sense.

Every day at work, (I drive for a living but bike every other minute of the day) when I pass the MAX (its Portland mass transit trains) they are LOADED down with people. They look like they barely have room to move around. That a good percentage here in PDX that are car free/lite.

Even though Portland has hundreds (maybe even thousands) of cycle commuters, mass transit is probably used more year round here then biking. Though its nice to pass people riding bikes in a down pore and have them smile and wave. :)


Portland may be a poster child for bike commuting, but overall it is much more car-centric than many other major cities. According to the last census, only 14% of households in Portland are car free - compared to over 50% in NYC or 35% in Baltimore, or 31% in Buffalo, or 29% in San Francisco...Portland is number 25 out of 67 large cities in percentage of car free households. And only 20% of Portland's population commute without a car.

And the reason? The public transportation system you mention being packed is still not moving as large a percentage of the population as the other major US cities. Only 13% of Portland's population commutes by public transportation (2% bike and 5% walk). Compared to 55% in NYC or 33% in SF or Boston or even 18% in Seattle.

So despite being a hip bike town, Portland is a dismal failure in getting people out of their cars. Why? Because it is trains/buses that reduce automobile usage, not bikes. We need public transportation in this country, not bike paths.

Also why not?This. Or to ask it another way, why own a car? I need a good reason for that kind of expense, and I really haven't found one yet. I live in urban or sub-urban environment with fairly good public transportation. I know quite a few car-free people, it's not a huge deal around here. OP asked about climate, we do get snow and cold weather in winter.

--J

We need public transportation in this country, not bike paths.

Why the "either or" mentality? My city has opted for both bicycles and public transport: 120 kilometers of bidirectional bike paths and a new underground line. Both are getting people out of their cars (the former is moving more people at a fraction of the cost, by the way), so I say more and better bicycle infrastructure AND public transport!

It doesn't have to be "either or", but I can ride my bike without bike paths: I can't take a train without train tracks. So the priority is quite clear to me. As a taxpayer, I don't want any money spent on bike paths until they spent every dollar they can on public transportation systems in my county.

So despite being a hip bike town, Portland is a dismal failure in getting people out of their cars. Why? Because it is trains/buses that reduce automobile usage, not bikes. We need public transportation in this country, not bike paths.

Agreed.

I've said it before the people on this forum are the exception and not part of the rule. The majority of the car free use bus and not bicycles and that includes me. Portland is putting their money on lightrail which is the right way to go in the long term. However, interest in public transportation won't happen until gas reaches $4.00 dollars a gallon again.

Portland may be a poster child for bike commuting, but overall it is much more car-centric than many other major cities. According to the last census, only 14% of households in Portland are car free - compared to over 50% in NYC or 35% in Baltimore, or 31% in Buffalo, or 29% in San Francisco...Portland is number 25 out of 67 large cities in percentage of car free households. And only 20% of Portland's population commute without a car.

And the reason? The public transportation system you mention being packed is still not moving as large a percentage of the population as the other major US cities. Only 13% of Portland's population commutes by public transportation (2% bike and 5% walk). Compared to 55% in NYC or 33% in SF or Boston or even 18% in Seattle.

So despite being a hip bike town, Portland is a dismal failure in getting people out of their cars. Why? Because it is trains/buses that reduce automobile usage, not bikes. We need public transportation in this country, not bike paths.

Well, that's only part of the reason. NYC, SF and even Seattle have other factors that get people to not think cars are a good idea.

1. Metered parking. Portland only has maybe 3 sq. miles of metered parking last I checked.
2. On street parking being a major pain. Portland's pain-in-the-butt, drive around the block for half hour, on street parking area is much smaller than those other cities (Boston and Baltimore excluded, as I've no recent experiences there).
3. Disposable income available for car usage. Rents still have to get a little bit higher in Portland to make most people feel poor enough to consider ditching the car.
4. Cheaper rent relatively close to the city center. You can still save a good $100 per room if you move out just a couple of miles.
5. Cheap to register a car. There is a problem with SW Washington folks registering their cars in Oregon because Oregon's auto registration is a bargain.

My car light lifestyle is only possible because of public transit. I don't bike on ice.

A funny thing happened to me this week. I'm not car-free, but I'm headed in that direction.

I rode to see a client at his house. It was after dark. He saw my helmet and asked, "Did you cycle here?" I said yes. He said, "Well, thank you."

I asked him what he meant.

He said, "Well, it's my planet, too."

i am car free because i cant afford a car. i think when gas hits four or five dollars we will see more people using bicycles.
even in this recession people don't use bikes. i hear on the news one in six people can't afford food yet people still don't use bikes. i think people forgo bikes and use buses
and other modes of transport. what i hear from people is that the roads are too dangerous for bikes.
anyway people are car centric and i doubt that will change

It is so weird where I live on O'ahu - the weather is perfect 330 days out of the year and even the other 35 are better than most places. We have a good public transportation system that goes pretty much everywhere and all the buses have bicycle racks. Most trips people make are very short and the furthest you can drive to get from point A to point B (Makapu'u to Ka'ena) is 40 miles. Why would you want a car under those circumstances?

On the other hand, Honolulu is actually the 15th highest ranking city for car-free commuters. over 20% of the population commute by transit, foot, or bike. Just 0.1% less than the Portland that everyone hypes.

I never would have suspected 57% vs 43% in the car drivership. I'm guessing quite a few of the 43% are under 15 and are driven by the 57%.... at least in my neck of the woods.

Cause I saw this video called magic highway usa

http://www.bikingtoronto.com/duncan/2009/11/war-against-physical-activity.html

Cause I saw this video called magic highway usa

http://www.bikingtoronto.com/duncan/2009/11/war-against-physical-activity.html

Alot of people like myself carry a driver's license for identification even though we don't drive. Just because people have a license, does not mean they are driving. Other than a Passport, a vehcile license is a valid proof of identification and is essencial for employment and travel.

Cause I saw this video called magic highway usa

http://www.bikingtoronto.com/duncan/2009/11/war-against-physical-activity.html

This was a good video! Thanks for posting.

It was so funny and I found myself laughing the entire time. Incredible.

None of those dreams became true because the technology never really developed. The flying car is still just as far away into the future as it was 50 years ago when this cartoon was produced. What really killed those dreams were the TRILLIONS it was going to cost investing in technology. Yet, all those luxuries were supposed to be affordable?

It's amazing how futurists half a century ago though our lives were supposed to travel at 85 mph!

I having severe panic attacks when in cars. I ride now because I have to and I like riding because I have to like riding.

white_feather, can you drive? If not, you might be able to overcome (or cope with) your panic if you learned to drive. It could help you as a passenger.

None of those dreams became true because the technology never really developed.

Some things did come true. Did you notice that there were no bicycles? And the passengers of the tube "trains" were treated like baggage, just like on current airlines. ;)

Cause I saw this video called magic highway usa

http://www.bikingtoronto.com/duncan/2009/11/war-against-physical-activity.html

That was really, *REALLY* funny. I guess the lesson is that people do a really crummy job of predicting the future. Or perhaps the thing is that films like this are a projection of what we would like the future to look like in the absence of any other constraints.

I liked how they programmed the car using a punch card. A keypunch machine in every home :D.

I liked how they programmed the car using a punch card. A keypunch machine in every home :D.
Punch card programming for cars would be a major fail because of the people who never could remember "face down, 9 edge first". Get that wrong with an 85 mph capable car and you're in for a big surprise when you hit the GO button. Fortunately, punch cards weren't used for any important modern applications where reliability is important, just voting machines for presidential elections and stuff like that.