Hocus Focus
IF YOU'RE GOING...
In an interview with the Sunday Times of London, three-time Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart said, "The one thing you cannot have while driving is even the mildest form of distraction." Since the invention of the car, we've been, well, driven to distraction. Join us for a cruise past a few famous driversions. Now try to pay attention.
1925
Burma-Shave debuts its popular ad campaign of serial road signs making up verses. Trouble was / these funny signs / had drivers crossing /solid lines.
1933
First drive-in movie theater opens on June 6. Call it D (for distraction) Day. Where visible from roads, 40-foot close-ups turn heads and produce some car-to-car smash hits.
1948
The West’s first In-N-Out Burger drive-through opens in Baldwin Park, Calif. Drivers are soon in and out of control while eating behind the wheel.
1950s
Dangling ornamentation—notably fuzzy dice—from rearview mirrors becomes popular. Drivers’ obscured vision makes traveling in traffic a crapshoot for all.
1990s
Ubiquity of cell phones has troubling number of motorists dialing and driving—which some studies show is as hazardous as drinking and driving.
2000
Proliferation of backseat video monitors helps divert kids on long rides. But how distracting are these? Sometimes a driver can’t even hear herself talking on the phone!
To learn about insurance discounts for good drivers, visit AAA.com/insurance.
This article was first published in July 2008. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.
