Automobile A New Paradigm In Transportation

The automobile represented a new paradigm in transportation. Moving from horses to high-speed gas powered vehicles was a big change for society. There was no precedent and little to limit what could be done with the automobile. Driving regulations for automobiles have altered over time and in the beginning of the 20th century there were few regulations because there was no precedent for motor vehicles. Drivers, excited by their shiny new thousand pound speeding block of metal, would take to the road without any thought for the damage cars could cause. Although automobiles were a luxury “toy” in the early 1900s, playing around without an understanding of the power behind the wheel was the cause of numerous accidents and fatalities as automobile popularity increased. In the 21st century today we know how dangerous cars can be. However, at the turn of the 20th century the citizens were not aware. According to the accounts of several journalists during this time the number of laws regulating the automobiles was limited, however, as the years progressed beyond 1900, automobiles were given limits and penalties for pushing those limits. Automobile accidents rose in conjunction with the expansion of new automobile recreation activities. Racing became a popular event at the turn of the 20th century however, that period of racing is not like modern times with special tracks and guardrails. 20th century racing was performed in the streets of towns and cities. Racing was unregulated and drew in as many spectators as it did speed demons behind the wheel. These races were known as “Automobile Scorching” and were an obvious danger to the public, leading to heavy protesting.1 In 1900 France, many citizens pushed for regulations when civilians were being injured. In Paris, horrible things like “an automobile dash[ing] at full speed into a wedding precession” were major headlines.1 Drivers were uninhibited to race through the streets, causing havoc wherever they traveled.