| Going back to the 1920's, the U.S. automakers | | | | Big Three introduced three smaller models to |
| began to break away from Henry Ford's | | | | compete against the imports: the Ford Falcon, |
| philosophy of sticking with the same model, | | | | Chevrolet Corvaire, and the Plymouth Valiant. |
| in the same color, at the same price. | | | | These cars, which were cheap to make, and |
| Instead, manufactures like General Motors | | | | appealing to the consumer would turn out to |
| changed models every year, to give the | | | | be unsafe and poorly constructed. |
| impression that there was something unique | | | | |
| that the American Consumer needed to buy. But | | | | Nader, being a consumer, himself was outraged |
| changing models constantly required large | | | | that the U.S. auto industry could get away |
| investments of capital for design and | | | | with murder. So he published his book "Unsafe |
| retooling. Detroit was planting the seeds of | | | | at Any Speed" to expose the automakers. |
| its own destruction if it didn't keep up with | | | | Millions of people read his book. |
| trends amongst the buying public. | | | | |
| | | | For its part, GM was shocked that this young, |
| A high demand for cheap attractive models | | | | unknown attorney would attack one of the |
| would lead to one of the biggest muckraker | | | | pillars of American business. General Motors |
| stories in the mid 60's. | | | | trying to hide from the problem was finally |
| | | | caught, and James Roche, president of GM, was |
| In 1965 Ralph Nader published "Unsafe at Any | | | | forced to apologize before the Senate |
| Speed: The designed-In-Dangers of the | | | | Subcommittee on Traffic Safety. Also, thanks |
| American Automobile." He exposed how General | | | | to Nader, the Consumer Product Safety Act was |
| Motors and the American auto industry were | | | | passed along with the Freedom of Information |
| placing consumers' lives at risk by failing | | | | Act. This forced the U.S auto industry to |
| to design safe cars. Nader especially singled | | | | redesign and overhaul their automobiles. |
| out the General motors' Corvair which he | | | | |
| labeled a death trap. | | | | America owes more than it may ever realize to |
| | | | Nader and his research. If not for him |
| By the late 1950's, the Big Three automakers | | | | Automobile industries could still be building |
| were losing out to a public that was | | | | unsafe cars. The time and efforts put into |
| demanding smaller, less expensive cars, and | | | | "Unsafe at Any Speed" has paid off for |
| was also increasingly attracted to imports, | | | | American consumers and also for the US auto |
| especially the Volkswagen Beetle. Imports, in | | | | industry. |
| fact accounted for 10 percent of all sales in | | | | |
| the U.S., exceeding 600,000 a year in 1958. | | | | Interested in this subject? |
| So in 1959 it came as no surprise when the | | | | |