Whether you have a 2012 Toyota or a loaded Lexus straight from the factory, if you’re an American you probably love your car, maybe love with a small l, but love none the less.
Not only do we drive to work in our cars, we shop, go to movies, and take our kids to soccer and piano lessons and our furry kids to the vet. We go on road trips and visit our parents, grandparents and our friends, all with the help of our cars. We have blankets, pillows, cheese puffs, juice boxes and coffee cups in our vehicles. We laugh, cry, sing, and sleep in our cars (but don’t sleep and drive).
No other country on the planet has this kind of intense relationship with their vehicles on a daily basis. So, how did this happen? In 1956 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act into law, setting the stage for a nation paved with highways and freeways and opening up endless opportunities for automobile manufacturers.
Before the construction of highways and the manufacturing of affordable cars for the average person, people either took public transportation or didn’t travel as often. The automobile contributed to the development of the suburb and people started moving out of the cities, especially after WWII. The car allowed suburbanites to travel farther distances to get groceries, go to church and even search for the perfect job.
Here in the Twin Cities, it wasn’t that long ago the Streetcar was the way to get around. Thomas Lowry owned the streetcar system in 1886 and developed them throughout the Minneapolis and St Paul urban and suburban areas. A combination of the automobile industry, the Highway Department and even Kid Cann and the mob contributed to the downfall of the trolley system.
By the end of WWII, it was apparent the streetcar rides were coming to an end. Today’s bus and light rail system don’t compare in ridership with the streetcars of the 1920s. Public transportation doesn’t give people the same freedom or personal space that owning and traveling in their car does, and many of us don’t want to give that up!
So, when our cars get messy, we clean them, and when they get dirty, we wash them. So, what do we do when they get minor dents, dings, or even hail damage? Call Gray Duck Dent Repair, of course! We’ll help you make your car look its best with paintless dent repair so you can be proud of driving to work or on that road trip with the entire crew.
