Above banner: Source: wallpapersus.com
Culture
(Millions) of Drivers In the United States (1949-2010):
Navigation instructions: Press play to show growth in number of United States Drivers over time. Each bar represents an individual state.
Graph embedded from Google's Public Data archive
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Videos: 1970 Film, "1950's Car Culture"
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Glorification Of The Automobile
Navigation Instructions: Click play button to start or use arrows. Citations (if any) are at bottom of picture.
Photo sources: vintageadbrowser.com
Improved Safety
Navigation Instructions: scroll over the star for a quote explaining this chart further.
STUDENT-COMPOSED chart, SOURCE: FHWA 1970 report, "Benefits of The Interstate Highways"
Suburbanization
Highways were a major cause.
CHARTS BELOW: Total central city decentralization (population decline) by 17% even while total metropolitan area population increased by 64%. Timing coincides with the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act.