Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Roadside Assistance Is One Of The Best Safety Investments You Can Make

By Adriana Noton

The automobile has had a special place in the hearts and minds of America since early in its development. Americans love to travel, to see the varied and spectacular scenery the nation holds and to simply entertain themselves with the cultural idiosyncrasies of the divers United States. Having roadside assistance ensures there is help should it ever be necessary while we are enjoying our freedom to travel.

We have been a nation on the move since the pioneer days. Back then our travel was more driven by the need to expand and find for each individual a place and means for sustenance. The west was as romantic back then as the movies portrayed it, full of promise and wide open for the entrepreneurial spirit.

Travelling in the early days of this nation was fraught with danger. If the exposure, climate and difficulty finding sustenance did not get you, there was still the advent of lethal wild animals and an indigenous population that were often inhospitable. For this reason traveling was a carefully thought out and planned adventure not for the feint of heart.

The pioneers persevered, however, and despite many losses along the way, settlements were established throughout the country. Travel generally followed the designated postal routes of waterways and railways, with that mostly ending in Saint Joseph, Missouri, where further travel became truly an adventure. This explains why there are so many antique shops in that city, as the westward journey found unprepared settlers having to part with many of their belongings at the end of the railway system. They just could not get everything in a wagon.

It was not until 1863 that the transcontinental railway was begun, and it would take three years to complete it. It would take another fifty years before a regular highway was built across America. The dedication of the Lincoln highway, in honor of the president, took place in 1913. Spanning the nation from New York to California it would serve to inspire a later system of roadways to interconnect America in a truly revolutionary way.

The Lincoln Highway served as inspiration for the drafting of the National Interstate and Defense Act of 1956 which provided for the construction of the interstate highway system. Formally entitled the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, this system served two purposes. It encouraged and facilitated interstate tourism and business, and it provided the means to move the massive military machine should the US every come under attack. President Eisenhower had been impressed by the German roadway system while he served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II.

The interstate system began construction in 1956 and is generally agreed not to have been completed until 1992. It took 23 years longer than predicted and tens of millions dollars more than budgeted to complete but is arguably worth every penny. Our nations economy runs on the trucking industry which could not function without the highways. It is also designed as a preparation for mass mobilization should the US ever be attacked (very true with CAA insurance especially).

The number of movies, Hollywood makes which include cars, driving, travel or even road trips is to innumerable to count. Traveling has become convenient and it was always fun. The exception of course is when the inevitable car maintenance problem cropped up while driving. For that reason it is smart to always carry some kind of roadside assistance protection.

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