How has the car evolved throughout the years?
Since the first car was made, many new features were added to the car. First, safety was majorly improved during the evolution of cars. When Karl Benz made the first gas powered automotive, there was barely any safety that was built in. Now, there are blind spot assistants, side, front and back airbags, automatic braking, sensors, collision preventions, etc. Safety has evolved a lot throughout the years. So how has the car impacted the environment? Lots of animals and plants have been killed of been destroyed by cars or for cars. Plants and animals have been hit and killed/destroyed by cars. Lots of animal’s habitats and plants have been destroyed for roads for cars. In the past, there were not as many cars as today, so there were less roadkills and plant kills. Pollution has also been a huge problem. Lots of energy is consumed before cars are even driven from the materials needed to make the car. When a car is in use, pollution is made and creates greenhouse gases. When a car is done and thrown away, the materials in it such as the toxic battery, plastics, etc. are left in the environment. Fortunately, there are fewer cars in the junkyard pile-ups. According to National Geographic, 3/4 of today’s cars can be recycled. In the past, there were fewer cars than today, so there were less car pile-ups and less greenhouse gases. Even mining the gas and shipping the car and gas is harmful to the environment. Oil spills cause major damage to the environment. For example, bird’s coats are covered with oil and that causes the feathers to mat and separate, which causes the bird to lose buoyancy and the ability to regulate their body temperature. In the past, there was less demand for oil than now since the amount of cars back then. Cars have evolved throughout the years, both negatively and positively.