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As the 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.
First's
in the History of World Traffic
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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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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First
Number Plate of the World: The world's
first car number plates were issued by the French police
in 1893. |
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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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| 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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From 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
Number Plate of London:
In 1901 Earl Russel was allotted the first number plate
of London A-1 |
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| 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
Petrol Pump: The first petrol pump was
installed in USA in 1906. |
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| 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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First
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
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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