| Vehicle History Overview | | | | Deaths from Auto Accidents |
| - They don't make them like they used to. The | | | | Federal Laws were passed to regulate safety. |
| First Cars | | | | These laws included: |
| - The first motor cars were nothing more than a | | | | - Installation of seatbelts |
| buggy and engine (Generally repaired by | | | | - Safety glass windshields |
| blacksmiths and carpenters. These cars were | | | | - Head restraints |
| very expensive, which only the wealthy could | | | | - In 1979, the first driver side airbag was |
| afford) | | | | introduced |
| - Model T was the first car mass production on | | | | - Airbags are mandatory in motor cars produced |
| an assembly line in 1908 (Ford's Vision was to | | | | after 1990 |
| produce an affordable car the average person | | | | - Unibody Torque Boxes: Allow controlled twisting |
| could purchase) | | | | and crushing |
| - Model T's came in black only to keep the costs | | | | - Crush Zones: Made to collapse during collision (To |
| down. (The price came down once the assembly | | | | act as an absorber, absorbing the impact)Modern |
| line was streamlined, but in 1908, the cost for a | | | | Day Cars |
| Model T started at $825. By 1913 the cost of the | | | | - Carbon Fiber Parts |
| car reduced to $550)Cars in the 1960s | | | | - Aluminum Parts |
| Cars were made the same basic way up through | | | | - More Plastic Parts |
| the 60s | | | | - High Strength Steel |
| - Body Over Frame | | | | - Boron Steel |
| - Rear Wheel Drive (Same concept, but the cars | | | | - Unibody Construction |
| were very big, bulky, and heavy) Except people in | | | | - Space Frame Construction |
| the 60s wanted SPEED! They achieved this with | | | | - Computer |
| Big Block Motors, which created a lot of | | | | - Hybrid CarsNow they even have cars that will |
| Horsepower. (The Birth of Hotrods, Rat Fink, | | | | tell you when you're lost, where to turn, Parallel |
| Flames, and Pin Striping). | | | | Park for you. |
| Cars in the 1970s | | | | Conclusion |
| - The government place strict fuel economy and | | | | While the modern day cars appear to be made |
| emissions control laws | | | | cheap and unsafe, they are actually designed to |
| - Customers demanded cars with increased fuel | | | | crush or collapse, while transferring the energy |
| economy | | | | around the stronger passenger compartment to |
| - New laws and customer demands started the | | | | protect the passengers from injury. |
| automotive explosion of engineering ideas and | | | | There is considerably more damage to modern |
| changes in the automotive industry Changes to | | | | day cars during a collision than the older vehicles, |
| comply with Demands and Laws | | | | which gives the perception that "they don't make |
| - Smaller bodied cars and smaller engines | | | | them like they used to". However, in reality the |
| - Aerodynamics (Increase Fuel Mileage) | | | | cars are taking the impact instead of the |
| - Lighter cars by using different materials and | | | | passengers. |
| designs | | | | The lesson was designed to give you a little |
| - More work-hardened areas created during | | | | history, but to also emphasize that just a |
| formation of panel (Body Lines) | | | | hammer, dolly and a few wrenches are not going |
| - SafetyConstruction of Interstate Highways + | | | | to repair today's cars. We need highly trained |
| Higher Speed Limits + More High Performance | | | | collision repair and automotive technicians to repair |
| Cars = Accidents and More | | | | today's vehicles. |