When I was growing up there were just a few car manufacturers. Each car brand was distinctive so you could pick all of them out. I remember in the years that I traveled with Grandma and Grandpa and my mother I counted types of cars to pass the time as we drove along.

Now there are so many brands of cars and they are so much alike that unless you see the manufacturer’s logo on the front or the back it is impossible to pick them out by brands.

The first car that I remember my family owning was a ’49 Plymouth. My grandmother’s brother worked for an automobile dealer and he sold those. We drove that a couple years then turned it in on a Buick. Now I do not remember the year of the Buick, but I recall that it looked a lot like the modern day PT Cruiser. There are pictures of me standing by the car so I would guess by my size and age that the car must have been an early ’50s model.

Next, my mother and my grandfather picked out a two-tone robin’s egg blue Dodge. I know that was made in 1955. We purchased that car new. By then we had had enough of borrowing other people’s troubles and went for the new model. By 1959 my mother decided to invest of a car of her own. She picked a ’59 Chevy with the big fins. She also picked a standard shift model since she wanted me to learn to drive on that.

That was some big boat and it did not steer easily. I worked hard and I conquered the stick shift thing. The only problem I had with that car was getting it into our garage. Grandpa’s house had a three-car garage out in the back yard. The bay that he used was a straight shot. The one that our car was kept in you had to veer to the right, then straighten the car up and go in. I was always afraid that I would nick the fender on my way in. Coming out of the garage was much easier. The big problem was that the garage was built in the 1920s and the car I was trying to fit in was a much larger model than was built at that time.

Of course, we did not have seat belts in those days either. When you were out with your best beau you could sit in the middle of the front seat so you could by close together. There were no seat belts when the children were young either. I hung a car seat in the middle of the front seat so the child could see. Also, children rode in the back seat without restraints. They could climb around as much as they pleased. By the time the grandchildren came along it was so different. I invested in a car seat for my car because I transported the young ones a lot. Eventually I had to have two seats – one was just a booster seat.

Now days parents have to lug around so much gear when they travel. You see the car seats on the airlines when you travel. Of course, you must also figure out how to install each car seat so that it is safe for the little passengers. Once I installed my seat I just left it unless we traveled with all adults who required the room in the back seat.

I found out that seat belts, the three -point type came on the scene in the late 1950s. Then again if you had an older model car it was not equipped. They were not standard fair until years later. Did you know that Czechoslovakia was the first country to pass a mandatory seat belt law. By 1969 it went into effect.

Airbags were next to come on the scene. They were first fitted into cars in 1974. At that time they were an extra that you had to pay extra for.

From that time on the configuration of the inside of cars has been constantly added to. Now there is no choice. You have airbags. You also may have multiple airbags for added safety. Of course, the U. S. has a mandatory seat belt use law as well.

Now you get cars with navigation systems installed instead of just a device that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Oh, by the way, cigarette lighters are mainly used for auxiliary devices these days. I have my cell phone plug in mine but be aware that the thing does not charge unless you are driving.

When you buy a new car today you get a camera that lets you look out the back to see if anything

is in your path. You may also get a screen for your children to watch videos. You may get a device that lets you see the blind spot. Some cars have devices that you allow you to open doors without your hands. Some have automatic locks that do not use keys. You can get pretty much anything you want on your new car.

Is this all necessary? We buy things by the package so there is little choice in the matter. You get whatever comes with your package and like it! Are new cars better than the old ones? Are they safer? You decide. They are using a lot less metal today so the cars are all lighter. When I went to sell my old camper the person asked if it could be towed by an SUV. I told them I did not really know, but I would assume it was too heavy. In the end, I was right.

As for the first car that I actually purchased it was a ’65 Dodge hardtop that was a very luxurious looking car. We drove it for more than eleven years and sold it to someone with the same type car so he could use the parts.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, PA. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net