Public outcry over skyrocketing automobile accident injuries and deaths throughout the mid-20th century prompted the government’s creation of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (NTMVSA), a reform that revolutionized consumer safety through the motor vehicle industry, giving the government the power, structure, and precedent to establish safety standards on automobiles across America.

A Moment In Time: Highway Safety Breakthrough, Lyndon B. Johnson signing the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act into effect on September 9th, 1966