shows the US at 809 cars per 1000, vs Italy at 682, Germany 588, and so on. Which I would interpret as "Europe has slightly fewer cars per person", not "Europe has NO NEED for cars". It's hard with a straight face for anyone who's visited Paris or Rome to observe there's not serious traffic. (And, in fact, woe to any pedestrians who get in their way.)
In most European cities you really do not need a car. That does not stop a lot of people from owning cars anyway out of convenience, and because they can afford it.
The numbers do not show a full picture. A lot of people in Europe own a car but use it only occasionally -- going on holiday, weekend trip etc., and still use a public transport - which is well developed in most (even smaller) cities - for everyday commuting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_p...
shows the US at 809 cars per 1000, vs Italy at 682, Germany 588, and so on. Which I would interpret as "Europe has slightly fewer cars per person", not "Europe has NO NEED for cars". It's hard with a straight face for anyone who's visited Paris or Rome to observe there's not serious traffic. (And, in fact, woe to any pedestrians who get in their way.)