Daily Transportation

Before the 20th century, the horse provided day to day transportation in the United States. Trains were used only for long-distance transportation. Today the car is the most popular means of transportation in all of the United States. It has completely replaced the horse as a means of everyday transportation. Americans use their car for nearly 90 percent of all personal trip . Most Americans are able to buy cars. The average price of a recently made car was $2500 in 1950, $2740 in 1960, and up to $4750 in 1975. During this period American car manufacturers set about improving their products and work efficiency. As a result, the yearly income of the average family increased from 1950 to 1975 faster than the price of cars. For this reason, purchasing a new car takes a smaller part of a family's total earnings today. In 1951 proportionally it took 8.1 months of an average family's income to buy a new car. In 1962 a new car cost 8.3 of a family's annual earnings. By 1975 it only took 4.75 months' income. In addition, the 1975 cars were technically superior to models from previous years. The influence of the automobile extends throughout the economy as the car is so important to Americans. Americans spend more money to keep their cars running than on any other item.