The Automobile

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to go further and live life to a greater level of comfort. For most of history, the horse had to suffice for road travel. Certain advanced were made, and there was the invention of the invention of the steam engine. This brought about new possibilities in the field of travel and commerce. But with the invention of the internal combustion engine came the first car, a vehicle to replace the horse in nearly every respecf. When cars were first invented, they were made by hand and they were made individually. Thus, the cost was enormous and only the wealthy could afford one. Now, due to many great advances in the automotive industry, almost anyone can afford a car. Fast-forward to present day. The car remains the choice vehicle for travel. The car has allowed for the expansion of the middle class and the ability for one to live in a different setting than one works. The car has allowed for the common man as well as the wealthy man to be mobilized, to be able to navigate the entire nation at his disposal. Compared to other forms of transportation, the car is still the best way to travel within and between cities. I'll compare these different modes of travel to the automobile. Walking: Obviously walking isn't the most effective way to travel if your destination is more than 300 feet away. It is burdensome, tedious and slow. It is good exercise so that makes it recreational. Bicycle: Only effective on flat terrain otherwise slow and difficult. Relatively slow unless there is a lot of traffic on city roads. Horse: Animals are slower than cars and less predictable than machines. Also, maintenance and food costs are very high and street manure is a problem on a large scale. Train: A train is very fast between two points but typically the wait time and lack of privacy, combined with the fact that your destination is likely not the train station itself so you will have to travel by car to your destination from the train station. Bus: Very ineffective in every field. It beiny slow, uncomfortable, and lacking in privacy makes it the worst form of motorized transportation. Plane: Fastest form of transportation, however costly. Inefficient between destinations that are less than 150 miles apart. The car only needs a road, no other infrastructure is needed. Public transportation requires an entire bureaucracy which raises the total economic cost since these jobs are not necessary. A car is the individual's vehicle. One does not need to rely on the work of others and does not need to work his schedule around the schedule of others. The car is one of the greatest inventions as it means that a person can move by himself across long distances without the lack of comfort that comes with a horse. The automobile industry provides countless jobs as it employs workers in the manufacturing, assembling, and maintenance of the vehicle. It employs people in the upstream markets as well since more steel, oil, aluminum, and other materials need to be mined and processed to create and operate the hundreds of millions of automobiles on the road right now. This means more jobs, meaningful jobs, and more opportunity for growth both in people's careers and in the economy at large. All of this has meant a general rise in the standard of living and thus has benefitted mankind.