Though the automobile was loved and had become an inherent part of the family cultural image and conception of success and status (as evidenced by the brand and model purchased or for some, strictly as the result of private ownership) since the late 1920s, teens growing up during the economic recovery period following the 1930s recession era and immediately following World War II were the first generations raised with a car common to so many households and to have access to such unfettered transportation as the rights of passage provided by the automobile.
GROWING UP WITH ONE CAR IN THE FAMILY: PERSONAL VEHICLE BECOMES A MORE COMMON AMERICAN LUXURY EXPERIENCE IN THE 1930s and 1940s
In the not so distant past of the 1930s and 1940s, moderately wealthy families (or those who had a windfall of financial fortune) had one car. Driven by mother, father, and grandparents, teens were allowed to drive these luxury convenience vehicles on special occasions. Unlike the present 21st century day, teenagers did not rely on parent or having their own personal car for transportation.
Life went by according to different habits and a slower pace during the first half of the 20th century. Mothers stayed home and worked at domestic business while fathers commuted to work at the office; typically, job commute distances were not very far. As the first generation of working class parents raising families who were able to enjoy automobile ownership, this time period marked a distinct milestone in human culture as it relates to concepts of self actualization and transportation -- and teens across the country readily embraced their passion for the idea of automobiles.
The average cost of a car in 1930 was $640, which by todays economic standard -- at that time -- amounted an attainable sum (for someone recovering well from the Great Depression) but still a pretty penny.
If train or bus transportation was readily available and the locations for employment opportunities were far, ladies kept the cars while gentlemen commuted via public transportation. Kids were less tethered to utilizing their parents automobiles during this time, as the cost of vehicle operation was still impractical for many families despite growing middle class affluence.
Grandparents were often learning to drive and riding in their first privately owned vehicles themselves during the early 1930s. Teenagers often became the chaufferus to less skilled older drivers or old fashioned seniors not yet comfortable with traffic rules and regulations or the physical rigors of automobile operation before power steering was a common feature.
As a family unit, all generations were deeply affected by concepts of newfound mobility and growing independence.
- Click HERE to learn more about who invented the automobile
- Click for a modern day parent and teen driver contract from Allstate Insurance
- 21st Century Teen Driver and Auto Insurance Tips from Esurance
- Learn more about the history of automobile insurance by clicking HERE
Click the play button below to view a Chevrolet commercial movie reel about how much strength was physically needed to operate a vehicle built in 1940 (which relates to safe operation by growing teens, aging elderly, and women drivers).
Written in honor of National Family Month. Article 1 of an 8 part series examining and exploring the history of car shopping as it relates family vehicle purchases made during the 1930s and 1940s. Differences in cultural eras showcase the American concept of cars as both transportation and as pop culture consumer products in a growing post-Depression and post WWII economy. Car marketing is designed to appeal to the changing lifestyle of United States families and hopes to include cars as everyday method of travel before extensive highways sytems of the 1950s were created. The first generations of teenagers growing up with access to a family car occurs, imprinting young adults with an idea of freedom by mobility, leading them to aspire to achieve car ownership as a standard of adult success and maturity.
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