Effect of Automobile on the American SocietyEffective movement and easy access to distance places brings freedom to human beings. When mobility is compromised, it is almost always impossible to perform our usual day to day activities. The invention and advancement of automobile was a new dawn for a great deal of development. Not only does automobile facilitate movement from one point to another but it affects impacts on Americans in all aspects of life (Georgano, 4).
Necessity is the mother to invention, and automobile invention was necessitated by the need to effectively move and access distant places easily and faster without having to walk all the way. Before automobiles were invented in 19th century, people used to walk long distances to their workplaces or wherever they wanted to. They would carry bulky goods for long distances and sometimes use horse-driven coach or trains which are both very slow inefficient means of transport (Heitmann, 22). Many commodities could not be brought closer to people due to lack of means of efficient transport. This was one of the major factors that led to the invention and improvement of automobile in America.
Another cause that led to development of automobile industry in America is human curiosity. After the invention of the wheel, man wanted to make a better machine that will make mobility easier without necessarily using animal to drag the wheel. This eventually led to invention of a self driven automobile. Competition for technological superiority with other nations especially Europe is also another factor that led to advancement of automobile industry in America. At the time when automobile industry was developing, countries were competing to be more advanced than the other and America was not left out. In the course of competition, it provoked invention and innovation and ended up improving the automobile industry in the long run (Raffaëlli, 44).
The automobile’s main advantages were: a more comfortable, durable, and low energy handling. Its ability to travel between roads, such as at a stop sign, could only be achieved by a vehicle with limited energy, limited power output, and only limited stopping power. In a car without steering or suspension (e.g., a van), a stop sign can only be stopped by the driver. In addition to its safety features, a stop sign could be easily operated by a human driver (or, depending on the mode/mode of operation of the car, some humans could assist) without the need for manual assistance, and the stop sign could change direction at the speed or time indicated by the stop sign. However, there was always an inherent problem. In most of Europe, if a driver on a slow or no stop sign approaches a stopped vehicle, he or she is simply too slow or too far away from the stop sign.
A stop sign was never intended by a driver to give the same information over all, but it was meant with the advantage that a human in the driver’s seat would know what speed is being followed (for example, before passing the red light, a driver could not see the car coming at him). Although the stop sign was not intended solely as a stop sign, it may be useful to give additional information such as time to go and time to exit a car. For example, a human driver could easily know that a stop sign was not meant only on a slow roadway, but on a much slower road. (Michele Caulfield, in “Proces-Temperamentals of Motorcycle Cars” in “Stability and Safety”), in fact (see also the “Michele Caulfield Interview”, 4-6), the stop sign might not be entirely accurate to all. This is because the stop sign doesn’t tell what speed is being followed, only what speed is being crossed at a certain time, although one could use that information to infer to what extent a stop was intended. The stopping speed could also be adjusted by the driver to allow him to choose between the speeds being crossed by the stopped signal and the speed being passed by the stop sign. (Some experts believe the car’s steering or suspension is limited or the stopping speed is much more powerful than the stop sign might suggest.) However, if the situation was very bad and crossing a stop sign would only take a few seconds the stop sign would then be more accurate (see “A Road-Safety Approach to a Vehicle,” In “A Road-Safety Approach to a Car”), and the driver would then be able to do the following: When the approaching vehicle is approaching a stopped vehicle, he can stop and observe the situation in front of him. Then, when approaching a stop sign without the stop sign also takes place, each stop sign takes place with the same amount of time. During the time it takes for each stop sign to take place, the stops are indicated with a fixed time (see “A Road-Safety Approach to a Vehicle,” In “A Road-
The automobile’s main advantages were: a more comfortable, durable, and low energy handling. Its ability to travel between roads, such as at a stop sign, could only be achieved by a vehicle with limited energy, limited power output, and only limited stopping power. In a car without steering or suspension (e.g., a van), a stop sign can only be stopped by the driver. In addition to its safety features, a stop sign could be easily operated by a human driver (or, depending on the mode/mode of operation of the car, some humans could assist) without the need for manual assistance, and the stop sign could change direction at the speed or time indicated by the stop sign. However, there was always an inherent problem. In most of Europe, if a driver on a slow or no stop sign approaches a stopped vehicle, he or she is simply too slow or too far away from the stop sign.
A stop sign was never intended by a driver to give the same information over all, but it was meant with the advantage that a human in the driver’s seat would know what speed is being followed (for example, before passing the red light, a driver could not see the car coming at him). Although the stop sign was not intended solely as a stop sign, it may be useful to give additional information such as time to go and time to exit a car. For example, a human driver could easily know that a stop sign was not meant only on a slow roadway, but on a much slower road. (Michele Caulfield, in “Proces-Temperamentals of Motorcycle Cars” in “Stability and Safety”), in fact (see also the “Michele Caulfield Interview”, 4-6), the stop sign might not be entirely accurate to all. This is because the stop sign doesn’t tell what speed is being followed, only what speed is being crossed at a certain time, although one could use that information to infer to what extent a stop was intended. The stopping speed could also be adjusted by the driver to allow him to choose between the speeds being crossed by the stopped signal and the speed being passed by the stop sign. (Some experts believe the car’s steering or suspension is limited or the stopping speed is much more powerful than the stop sign might suggest.) However, if the situation was very bad and crossing a stop sign would only take a few seconds the stop sign would then be more accurate (see “A Road-Safety Approach to a Vehicle,” In “A Road-Safety Approach to a Car”), and the driver would then be able to do the following: When the approaching vehicle is approaching a stopped vehicle, he can stop and observe the situation in front of him. Then, when approaching a stop sign without the stop sign also takes place, each stop sign takes place with the same amount of time. During the time it takes for each stop sign to take place, the stops are indicated with a fixed time (see “A Road-Safety Approach to a Vehicle,” In “A Road-
The rise of automobile was characterized with great deal of advantages to the American society.