

It’s not terribly expensive. It costs like 2 tanks of gas a year. And you can usually sign up for AAA over the phone after you’ve already broken down on the side of the road. If you’re still financing your car, you probably already have roadside assistance. Expecting car owners/drivers to be financially prepared for a breakdown isn’t car-brained it’s just part of the social contract.
We killed our trajectory because the cold war ended and we were no longer engaged in an arms race involving rockets. Once capitalism figures out how to exploit space for infinite growth we’ll get back on track assuming we don’t great filter ourselves first.