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Essay / Essay on the 1950s - 1474
Most people had accumulated money from their savings during the war, so they spent it on whatever they wanted. Technological discoveries led to mass production of cars, revolutionary designs, and huge profits. “Air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, and car radios were all introduced as a safety measure and to please buyers” (Kallen 103). Automakers have kept pace with their competitors by adding new gadgets to their cars in order to sell more, such as different styles and colors. Owning a car was no longer a luxury as “rising incomes and easy credit made newer automobile models affordable to everyone, and by the end of the decade, four out of five American households owned a car” ( Time-Life Books 95). ). Everyone was looking for the new device to own just to show it off and say they had it. No one really cared about safety measures with the cars or traveling to remote locations, they just owned one for show. However, because “by 1958 there were nearly 68 million cars and trucks on the road” (Kallen 103), more roads needed to be built and laws implemented. The need for an easier way to travel across the country was needed more than ever with the increase in automobiles. The government tried to pass laws to build highways, but some of them failed and others did not provide enough resources.