The Highway and the Gap
The Pan-American Highway began a century ago with a vision of unfettered motor-vehicle access between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. What happened to the dream?
SUV: Stigmatized Urban Vehicles?
Skeptics in Sweden voiced concerns from the get-go. Even automotive industry journalists wondered why anybody needed an SUV to go to the opera.
Priests and Cars in Milwaukee
The popularity of the car reshaped Catholicism in the city, forcing churches to adapt their worship practices to attract newly mobile parishioners.
The Boomin’ Systems: The Evolution of Car Audio
Sound systems, as much as the automobiles themselves, symbolized upward mobility, social affiliation, and cultural identities.
The Sorry History of Car Design for Women
A landscape architect of the 1950s predicted that lady drivers would want pastel-colored pavement on the interstate.
Road Density Threatens Turtle Populations
Roadkill may be inevitable, but turtles are especially vulnerable—particularly females, putting species survival at risk.
When Ambulances Were Hearses
The federal government pushed the improvement of emergency services from several directions in the 60s and 70s.
The End of the Country Road
When “good roads” first became a political issue, rural people were decidedly not the ones advocating for them.
What Made the Pinto Such a Controversial Car
The Pinto became known as the subcompact car that Ford sold while ignoring major safety defects. But was that just a false narrative?
The Science of Traffic
Traffic congestion has been a problem in the United States ever since the 1930s, and since that time, scientists have been studying on the problem.