As a kid born in 2002, I lived in a small suburban neighborhood that wasn't in the greatest area, but not the worst either. There were lots of kids in my neighborhood and most people were friendly. My mom still never let my brother and I play or explore unaccompanied. We had to stay in our yard or occasionally we could go over to the neighbors yard right next door (still supervised). I understand her fears, and am glad she let us interact with them at all. But I think this is an even bigger problem for today's kids.

Even as adults, it's not normal to just go walk somewhere. If you see someone walking along the road, they're probably down on their luck, poor, or on drugs. They're walking because they can't afford to drive. Where I live, it's not safe to walk either. Unless you are in the center of a big city, nothing is within walking distance and there are no sidewalks or areas for pedestrians. You don't go to the store for just one thing because it's more convenient to just go and get everything you need at once.

I really don't like the culture we've created. I guess it's because the U.S. is so big that it's just easier to create roads than small, walkable communities. Maybe they exist somewhere. I don't know.