It’s no secret that we’ve lost a lot the traditions in this country that our parents and grandparents have had their whole lives. Some have been lost for the better, and others not so much. One of those is the Sunday drive. While today this is probably slightly controversial, and losing this tradition does have some benefits, but I’m here to argue that what is being lost is more bad than good.
The Sunday drive has it origins in the advent of the mass production and cost affordability of vehicles, around the 1920’s and 30’s. Previously, automobiles were really only owned by the truly wealthy. Roads were dirt or stone, not the smoothest, and the majority of the country still traveled via horse or railroad. But when the cost of vehicles became more affordable, the average family started buying them. With more cars being pushed by the companies, and travel by automobile being the preferred method by the government, the roads started to improve. In 1916 the Federal-Aid Road Act was signed, and road construction and improvement started taking priority. In 1926, numbered highways were constructed. These aren’t the massive freeways of today, but rather two lane highways that wound throughout the state, connecting cities and towns that otherwise might have only been connected via rail or dirt path. These early highways and byways cut through communities, offering unique views of the country while simultaneously allowing for opportunities to visit communities you might never otherwise encounter. By the 1940’s and 50’s, the Sunday Drive was very common (define common, you ask? Well it was common enough to get its own phrase that people still understand to this day), and into the 60’s this facet of American life was well established as part of our culture.
But by the 1970’s, the tradition began fading. Population booms, the birth of the suburbs, the development of the Interstate System, environmental concerns, and gas prices all played a role in the steady decline of this pastime. But perhaps the biggest death knell to the Sunday Drive was the not-so-gradual reduction in free time. Whether it be kids schedules, extra workload, or just the constant need to be doing something at all times, Americans are now just too busy to see what we’re missing. The entire premise of the Sunday Drive is to take a leisurely stroll around the countryside, see and visit some places you never have, with no real goal in mind. When you have two youth sports tournaments on any given weekend, or one member of the family just needs to pick up that additional weekend shift for a few extra bucks, or that extra house project just needs one to two more weekends, despite the fact that it’s actually just project after project with no real end in sight because sitting still makes you feel guilty and we’re never really happy with what we have so we don’t enjoy anything, finding the time for a Sunday Drive just isn’t in the cards anymore. And that’s sad to me.
So I’m proposing a revival of the Sunday Drive. Maybe not in its traditional form, because if we’re being honest, with all the changes since it was at its peak, it’s probably not realistic to return it to the way it was, but with the concept and premise at the core. Don’t get me wrong, less pollution from vehicle admissions is a good thing. And the more I learn about dense city living, the more I realize and am in favor of mass transportation. But electric vehicles are becoming more prominent. And while the grid itself is using fossil fuels to run, every year we get a little cleaner with our energy. Gas prices are a big deal too… for those without a hybrid or electric vehicle, but you don’t need to take a Sunday drive every single week. Perhaps its a monthly outing to bring the family closer together. But the value gained from the Sunday drive is more than the cost of emissions and gas prices in my opinion.
Slowing down your life and taking stock of what’s truly important to you is becoming more and more necessary in todays society. The Sunday drive is one way to accomplish this. The goal is to slow down, amble around an area close to you, and spend it with your loved ones. If you do this the right way, you’ll inevitably end up seeing or doing something you really love and otherwise never would have. I can promise you that this will be worth it.
In order to bring the Sunday drive back, I’m going to make a new series with some country roads and byways that are worth traveling if you’re in a certain area, along with a few highlights along the way. Again, the goal is to not really have a goal, but perhaps a few things to check out will be enough of the prodding you need to get you started. We’ll start this new series in a week or two, so stay tuned for some suggestions on ways you can help bring this tradition back.
Life is Too Short to Take the Fast Way 