The News Wheel Automotive News Staff
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s normal to pause and reflect on the things in your life that you’re grateful for. We thought we’d take a minute to appreciate the vehicle technologies that make life easier. From ventilated seats to built-in navigation systems, here are just some of the auto inventions we wish we could claim.
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Kurt
Three-point seat belts revolutionized automotive safety tech
Photo: cfarnsworth via Pixabay
If I had to take credit for any automotive invention, it would probably be the three-point seat belt. Is there any single innovation in history that has had more impact on car safety?
Propulsion systems evolve. Infotainment technologies come and go. But it’s hard to imagine a future in which cars ever lack a restraint system, and the three-point seat belt is a simple and elegant solution that has been going strong for 62 years.
The hardest thing to believe is that it took until the mid-1930s for even basic lap seat belts to appear. I get that cars were slower back then, but sheesh. Has our perception of risk really changed that much?
Amanda
Built-in GPS navigation systems make driving to new places and avoiding traffic easier
Photo: The News Wheel
I would love to have invented the in-vehicle GPS navigation system, not only because I’d be rich but also because it’s one of the most useful features in my car. As someone who barely remembers my own street name, my GPS has helped me reach my destinations more times than I can count. I’m thankful that I’ve had a GPS available since I first got my license and haven’t had to rely on a paper map to get to where I need to be.
Caleb
Ventilated seats keep passengers comfortably cool on warm-weather drives
Photo: Chevrolet
As perhaps the world’s sweatiest person, I’d like to shake the hand of the person who came up with ventilated/cooled car seats. Too bad automakers only offer them on the most expensive vehicle trim levels. If I were the inventor, you can be sure the masses would be enjoying chilled buns as an affordable standard feature.
Daniel
Dome lights take the stress out of finding misplaced items when you’re driving at night
Photo: Lionel Allorge via CC
At first glance, this may seem to be an odd choice. But before you judge me for not picking a more obvious invention, stop and think about how many times the humble ceiling light has saved your bacon.
Whether you’re trying to load or unload your vehicle at night or searching desperately for that credit card you somehow dropped between the seats, having an easily accessible light right above you is incredibly useful.
Plus, have you ever noticed how cool they always look? None of them look like normal lights; they’re all futuristic and awesomely shaped. The family-hauler from my childhood had ceiling lights that looked like the Matrix of Leadership from the original “Transformers” cartoon. Now that’s what I call awesome.
Thank you, ceiling light. I salute you, and I really wish I’d thought of you first.
Whitney
Three words: adaptive cruise control. Because who hasn’t been at least slightly annoyed when you’ve got regular cruise control on, and are making great time on the interstate, only to be cut off the road by some slower driver that thwarts your progress? I definitely want to have adaptive cruise control on my next vehicle.
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Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, thrifting, decorating, crafting, woodburning, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie. See more articles by Whitney.
