11.1 Motor Car Accidents

• France, 1771: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (French) crashed his three-wheeled “Fardier” steam powered wagon into a brick wall.

• Considered by some to be the world's first motor car accident.

• Ireland, 31 August 1869: Mary Ward became the first recorded motor car fatality.

11.2 Britain's Red Flag Act

• In 1865 Britain introduced the 'Locomotives on Highways Act'. Better known as the 'Red Flag Act'.

• The act stipulated that all mechanically powered road vehicles must:

• Have three drivers.
• Not exceed 4 mph (6.4 kph) on the open road and 2 mph (3.2 kph) in towns.
• Be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag to warn the public.

• In 1896 the act was withdrawn and the speed limit increased to l4 mph (22 kph).

11.3 The World's First Known Amphibious Vehicle

• In 1804 Oliver Evans (American) designed an amphibious vehicle called “Orukter Amphibolas” for the Philadelphia Health Service.

• It was a two wheeled, 20 ton steam powered dredger, powered by a 5 hp twin cylinder beam engine. There was no means of steering the vehicle on land.

• In July of 1805 it travelled one and a half miles (2.4 km) under its own power to the banks of a river.

11.4 Licence Plates

• The first licence plates were called “Number Plates”.

• They were first used by the French police in 1893.

• In the United States the state of New York passed a law in 1901 requiring licence plates to be fitted to cars.