Automobile - Affects of Technology

Automobile – Affects of Technology

The automobile, more commonly called the car in American society, has had possibly the greatest effect on human lives in this county. The automobile has taken on many forms since its inception, but the basic idea has always been the same; find an easy way to move people from one destination to the next safely and quickly. This technology has become the number one means of transportation, with more than half a billion in operation worldwide (Automobile, 2008). New technologies are making the automobile more reliable, eco-friendly and safer.

The majority of automobiles in use today use an internal combustion engine. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the internal combustion engine is the most widely used power-generating device currently in existence (Internal-combustion engine, 2008). Due to its outstanding performance, the four-stroke engine is the most common internal combustion engine in the ground transportation industry (Internal-combustion engine, 2008).

With the emergence of new technologies, modern cars are being equipped with advanced safety systems designed to save human lives. Accident-avoidance systems, occupant restraint systems and passive restraint technologies have all increased the safety of traveling in a modern automobile. An example of an accident-avoidance system is the dual-master-cylinder brake system uses separate front and rear break lines so that if one fails, the other is still functional (Automobile, 2008). Occupant restraint systems help to keep a passenger in their seat in the event of a collision (Automobile, 2008). An example of an occupant restraint system would be the lap and shoulder seat belts installed in all newer cars. Passive restraint systems are systems that deploy automatically without any interaction from the occupant (Automobile, 2008). An example of a passive restraint system would be air bags. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that “All new automobiles sold in the United States since 1998 (1999 for light trucks) have required both driver and front passenger airbags” (Automobile, 2008, p.19). It has also been estimated that as much as “46 percent of front-seat fatalities could be eliminated by air bags when they are used in conjunction with lap or lap-and-shoulder belts.” (Automobile, 2008, p.19).

The internal combustion engine however, is not very eco-friendly. According to Ealey & Mercer (2002), today’s internal combustion engine is far more advanced and efficient than its predecessors. He went on to state that over the past 20 years, it’s power, fuel efficiency emissions have all been greatly improved (Ealey & Mercer, 2002). By the year 2000, late model cars emitted less pollution while running than 1970’s era cars did while turned off (Ealey & Mercer, 2002). This was due to the fact that cars from the 70’s era leaked a lot of gasoline