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and media choices, something will be missing from the experience. Maybe people will miss the smell of gasoline when electric power takes over, or the roar of their engine since electric cars are quieter. As long as there are people in cars they are going to want a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable ride. Every year carmakers improve the comfort and of the previous year’s models. The public expects continual innovation in the function of their cars. Today, car buyers are demanding that car companies improve fuel efficiency and emission controls. A decade into the twentieth century, getting a full carriage on a car with a roof was the innovation that got people into interested in buying one. A lot of rules govern making a car. Safety standards require that front and rear windshields allow for a full view of the road and that all seats have seatbelts. Cars are designed today so the force of an impact is directed away from the cabin as much as possible. These rules limit a car’s shape in numerous ways. Engineers form angles and curves in the body in such a way that on impact energy is pushed away from the car. A few decades ago cars were boxier and accidents resulted in more injuries and deaths. But why are other things about cars the way they are? Why aren’t cars any wider, for example? Aside from engineering

not just make roads wider? There really is no reason for that other than tradition. Roads are as wide as they are because they’ve pretty much always been around three meters (10 feet) wide. European road lanes are 2.7 meters wide as was dictated by the laws of ancient Rome.

So, some constraints in making a car come from laws and regulations , others come from tradition. Both change over time, but typically in small steps. Car innovations tend to come in big leaps. A History of Invention Creating a new car today takes a team of people. Designers, engineers, quality control experts, and legal experts all take part in creating new cars. This wasn’t always the case. As with any new technology, it takes decades before problems become apparent and governments make laws in attempts at solutions. For military, political, and commercial purposes, the ancient Romans began the construction of long straight roads like this one. By law, they were 2.7 meters wide, a tradition that exists to this day.

hurdles, road width is the main reason cars are only as wide as they are. So why

Watch this GM short film from the 1956 Motorama show. The film shows what concepts GM had for future automobiles. The future in this video is 1976.

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