On September 9, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, establishing the first federal safety standards for automobiles and creating what would become the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The legislation passed unanimously after …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonRalph NaderGeneral MotorsJames RocheSenator Abraham Ribicoffconsumer-protectioncorporate-lobbyingregulatory-reformautomotive-industrywhistleblower
On November 30, 1965, attorney Ralph Nader published “Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile,” a meticulously researched indictment of the auto industry’s prioritization of styling and profits over passenger safety. The book documented how …
Ralph NaderGeneral MotorsFord Motor CompanyChrysler CorporationAmerican Automobile Manufacturers Associationconsumer-protectioncorporate-disinformationautomotive-industryregulatory-capture
On June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System—the largest public works project in American history. While celebrated as an engineering triumph, the $25 billion program (equivalent to over $300 billion today) systematically …
Dwight D. EisenhowerU.S. CongressBureau of Public RoadsGeneral MotorsAmerican Petroleum Institute+2 moreinfrastructureinstitutional-racismurban-renewalcorporate-interestsautomotive-industry