Revolutionizing Transportation: Cars Since the Advent of Karl Benz - Research Proposal

Introduction

Cars are perhaps the most significant inventions ever made. Since the invention of the first car by a German inventor Karl Benz, the automobile industry has grown significantly, with the models of vehicles evolving at an equal rate ("Transportation before the Days of Cars," 2020). Vehicles also have become more efficient in their energy use as manufacturers strive to develop eco-friendly machines. Another development that has occurred in the industry is that cars have also become safer in terms of handling and protecting passengers in case of an accident. Also, as technology continues to evolve, vehicles have become more sophisticated to the extent that there are autonomous vehicles in existence today. All this growth, attention, and innovation demonstrate that cars play a very vital role in human life. The desire to keep developing them and improving their performance and efficiency are indicators that they make work easier. Although cars used to seen as luxury items, their importance in making life easier has become evident.

Mode of Transport

There are several ways that cars made work easier for people. The main one is providing a mode of transport. Before the invention of vehicles, modes of transportation included walking, using drought animals such as horses and donkeys. Later wheels were invented in modern-day Iraq, which led to the development of roads and chariots ("Transportation before the Days of Cars," 2020). Things continued to evolve, leading to the invention of bicycles, which helped people to move around.

Still, before the invention of vehicles, people created railroads that provided the fasted form of transport ever seen by then. Also, the rails enabled the transportation of goods in massive quantities. After the trains, vehicles followed, although mass production began after the First World War (Doyle, 2020). Vehicles provide an efficient mode of transport compared to the other forms that came before. It is undoubtedly more comfortable making a relatively long journey with a car compared to rising on horseback or walking on foot. Vehicles, therefore, came to assist humans in moving with much ease before they did earlier.

Decongest Cities

Vehicles have also helped to decongest cities by making it possible for people to live far from their places of work. Earlier, people were forced to seek accommodation near their places of work (Doyle, 2020). Despite there being a public transport system, they only operated within the cities. Cities, therefore, become crowded with people that worked in various organizations within towns since it was difficult to travel long distances daily.

The congestion in cities strained resources that a city could provide for residential purposes. Such challenges affected the quality of life for most people due to crowding. However, since vehicles became mainstream, all this changed. People could manage to work in the city and reside way from the city. A person could conveniently access the city daily using their vehicle for work. Therefore, by enabling people to live outside the city, cars helped to ease congestion in cities and improve the quality of life for many people.

Food Distribution

Without cars, almost everyone would be forced to produce their food, especially people living in towns. Cars traverse through towns aiding in the delivery of farm products to consumers. Although other modes of transport, such as trains and animals, could achieve the same, the infrastructure required to support that movement is not enough to serve the people efficiently (Mayrand-Fiset, 2013). Therefore, people would be forced into farming despite there not being enough land to support the activities.

Also, there could have been a different type of urban planning to ensure that the residential areas had land to be used for food production. However, vehicles through their speed have made it possible to transport food from farms to people in different regions. This way, people can focus on their work since the supply chain is made effective by the presence of vehicles. Food gets moved from one area to another to cater to the demand of these regions.

Expanded Businesses

In the same way, cars complemented the delivery of food; they also revolutionized commerce. People could have access to products and services that are not necessarily provided in their region ("Why Cars Are Important And Why You Should Invest In One," 2015). It opened up towns and allowed people to buy more than they were used to. There are numerous delivery services all over the work whose activities have become possible due to the availability of vehicles. People could do business in places far from their usual places of residence.

The new environment created by vehicles enabled the economy to grow and expand to include more geographical regions. The distance was no longer a barrier to trade as vehicles could take significantly lesser time to complete a journey that usually took days. These developments represent some of the most significant contributions of cars in making work easier. They helped to expand trade and promote the growth of enterprises. They also gave people access to goods and services that would have been otherwise out of reach.

Use in Travel

In the past, explorers traveled the world using ships and carts on land. Vehicles have changed the landscape of traveling, allowing people to make road trips. People have these amazing experiences of traveling via road from city to city, enjoying the scenery along the way. Such trips are a form of local tourism and enable people to visit various places within or even outside their country.

Also, trips expose people to different cultures and geographical locations. The road trips could happen in groups or others might decide to travel alone. Besides tourism, some people might make the trips for a course like raising funds for charity. Such events without vehicles would have been impossible to make.

People get to have such amazing experiences because of the convenience brought by cars. They enable people to travel long distances in a reasonable time and make memories while on the journey. This movement is significant and efficient because cars reduce reliance on a public mode of transportation.

Convenience in Shopping

Cars came in handy when people went shopping and needed to carry heavy items. These activities would have otherwise been difficult or expensive to hire transportation services ("Why Cars are Important and why you should Invest in One,"2015). Besides the cost, it is also frustrating to carry goods while on foot or when using a bus. However, with a car, a person can benefit from its convenience when shopping.

This advantage of having a vehicle is in addition to enabling people to move from one point to the other. Shopping does not have to be a nightmare, especially when it comes to carrying things. People with cars can easily transport goods from the point of sale to their homes. Since shopping is among the most common activities in human life, the impact of vehicles is easily defined and seen. Additionally, a person can combine activities with a car since they are liberty to determine where to head and where to stop, unlike in public transportation. A bus cannot take someone to a supermarket for shopping and wait outside.

Car Title Loans

Another way that cars have made life easier is when they are used as collateral when applying for a loan (Doyle, 2020). The benefit of using a vehicle to get a loan is that only a car title certificate and a copy of car keys is required. It is advisable always to ensure that a car is in good working condition since it determines its value when applying for a loan. Car title loans have lenient terms such that an applicant's credit score is not a requirement to qualify for a loan.

The other benefit is that compared to selling off a car altogether, these loans allow the owner to keep the vehicle while they continue to repay the loan. These loans also have a flexible payment plan that provides friendly options with risking a penalty. Additionally, the loans are processed quickly, thus ensuring applicants have the money in good time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cars have certainly made life easier. Their speed and safety have been the most desirable aspects that encourage people to purchase cars. They make work easier by facilitating the movement of people from one point to another. They also help in carrying heavy items between various destinations conveniently. Cars help to reduce overcrowding in cities and have also contributed to reducing the burden on public transport. Car owners can also use their vehicles as collateral when applying for a loan. These reasons explain why cars have moved from being a luxury item that was only left for the rich, to become an essential commodity for everyday life.

References

Doyle, K. (2020). How the Invention of the Car Changed the World. Aceable. https://www.aceable.com/blog/how-the-invention-of-the-car-changed-the-world/

Mayrand-Fiset, M. (2013, Jan. 30). Comparing Now and Then: An Overview of How Cars (Drastically) Changed Human Lives. Life as a Human. https://lifeasahuman.com/2013/eco/environment/comparing-now-and-then-an-overview-of-how-cars-drastically-changed-human-lives/

Transportation before the Days of Cars. (2020, Feb. 7). VIP Interiors. Retrieved 10 Apr. 2020, from http://www.tempeautointeriorsrepair.com/transportation-before-the-days-of-cars/

Why Cars Are Important and Why You Should Invest in One. (2015, Jan. 7). Global Cars Brands. Retrieved 10 Apr. 2020, from https://www.globalcarsbrands.com/why-cars-are-important-and-why-you-should-invest-in-one/