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The First Act...
The
First Number of the World ...
The History of Traffic ...

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Automobile Down The
Ages |
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As wheel got invented in the Mesopotamian Civilization,
our own civilization was set to motion, for it wheeled our imaginations.
In 1645 a sort of cycle was invented by Jean Theson but
it had no Brakes, Pedal or Steering and needed feet motion. Laufmachine
cycle was then created by Karl Von (1817). Soon this was made into the
regal Dandy Horse by Dennis Johnson. In 1839 the proper cycle was shaped
by K. Macmillan. It had iron wheels and a wooden frame. The
manifestation of automobile horse-power was taught in 1769 by Nicolas
Joseph Cugnot, who invented the first 'Steam Truck' which the French
army thought was useful.
Then after, automobiles enveloped our life and culture.
But the notion called 'accident' endangered our future. The first
accident of the Steam Truck in 1771 was the eye opener.
During 1899 the first fatal accident took place with the
death of a driver. Then onward, the world coined several road safety
measures. Still, the present scenario is such that 5 lakh people are
killed and millions are injured all over the world every year in road
accidents.
This accident menace makes our children an endangered
species of the future. So let us teach our children, the Road Safety
Culture. Today's informed child only can ensure a safe future.
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The
First Number of the World |
The
world's first car number plates were issued by the French police in
1893.
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The First Act |

The Locomotives and Highway Act was the first piece of British motoring
legislation. This was also known as the Red Flag Act of 1865. The act
required three persons in attendance one to steer, one to stoke and one
to walk 60 yards ahead with a red flag to warn the oncoming traffic.
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The First Traffic
Light of the World |
The
World's first traffic lights were installed in Detroit, USA in 1919. The
first traffic lights in Britain were installed in Wolverhampton during
1928. However, they did not come to London till 1932.
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The First Petrol
Pump |
The
first petrol pump was installed in USA in 1906.
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The First
Accident |
In
1771 the first accident involving a motor vehicle took place in Paris
when Cugnot's steam tractor hit a low wall in the grounds of the Paris
arsenal.
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Pedestrian
Crossing |
The
pedestrian crossing were instituted in Britain in 1934. The roads were
marked by dotted lines. On the pavement there were striped Belisha
beacon light poles named after Britain's Minister of Transport L.
Hore-Belisha. The Zebra crossing with black and white stripes was
developed after the second world war.
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First Traffic
Police Woman |
Police
women were used for traffic control duties for the first time in Paris
in 1964. In Delhi we introduced women traffic police in 1989.
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First Fatal Car Accident |
The
first motor-car accident in Britain resulting in the death of the driver
occurred in Grove Hill, Harrow-on-the Hill, London, on 25th February
1899. |
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Dusty Road to Tar Surface |
In
1902 Tar was first used on a Macadam surface to prevent dust in Monte
Carlo. It was the idea of Dr. Guglielminetti, a Swiss. At first the tar
was brushed in cold, but soon it was applied hot.
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First Box
Junction |
Box
junctions, marked with yellow cross-hatching, were introduced in London
during 1964. The aim was to prevent traffic blocking junctions when it
could not proceed and this was successful.
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The Motor Car Act |
The
Motor Car Act of Britain came into force on 1st January 1904. It
required that all cars be registered and carry a number plate, and all
motorists to have a driving licence. But there was no driving test to
pass and the licence was obtained by filing up a form and paying the fee
at a post office. The act made dangerous driving an indictable offence.
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First Man to be
Challaned |
In
1895 John Henry Knight was convicted and fined for using a
motor-tricycle on the highway. He was probably the first motorist to
appear in court.
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