When Have You Felt Most Free In A Car?

These days, car ownership can feel like the furthest thing from free. The average price of a new car is close to $52,000, surpassing a record high from three years ago. The price of fuel is still sky-high because the Strait of Hormuz remains closed as President Donald Trump's ill-advised war against Iran still hasn't ended yet. However, the high costs can slip to the back of your mind once you step behind the wheel.

In honor of the 4th of July, a holiday celebrating freedom in a country that is losing it by the day, what have you felt most free in a car? Was it the first time you went for a drive after getting your license? There was a time when all of us had a permit or a provisional license, and we finally passed our road test. Even if you passed it on the first go, it can feel like you've thrown off a set of shackles and can do whatever you want in a car. Or did you feel most free during a more sentimental moment, like moving away from home for the first time?

If you live in the United States, part of the freedom you feel behind the wheel is the product of the Interstate Highway System. The nearly endless stretches of freeway might seem as if they've existed since time immemorial, but the system's conception is only 70 years old. The Congressional Act appropriating the initial $25 billion for the cross-country network was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.

When Ike was a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel in 1919, he took part in a 3,000-mile convoy from the White House to San Francisco. The voyage took 62 days, illustrating a need for better roads to the military. The Progressives in the 1910s were already advocating for better roads to raise the standard of living in rural areas, in a similar vein to how railroads benefited cities. The Interstate System proved to be a taxpayer-funded economic engine accessible to everyone with a vehicle. Along with the Postal Service and Social Security, it is one of the greatest public institutions in the country's 250 years of independence.

Be sure to tell us when you felt most free in a car down in the comment section below.