AI Enhanced Maryville Forum Hi-Lights photo of the new Drivers Education equipment at the Washington High School, published April 16, 1949 An excerpt of the article (edited) is below, including identifying the people involved
Teaching Safety to Young Drivers Today May Eliminate Future Traffic Hazards by Shirley Davis
Up-to-date equipment has been obtained to complete the drivers’ education department of MHS. The school, with the aid of the local Kiwanis club, bought the somewhat expensive testing devices.
Authorities feel is an investment that will pay off in better traffic observations by those taking the course. Driving instruction classes were started just this year and under the direction of Coach Bob Gregory. They have enlarged in scope and interest. The equipment now used in those classes includes dual-control cars, which were lent at the beginning of the year by the Curnutt Motor Co., a machine to test the prospective driver’s distance judgment, a field-of-view tester, and a reaction time indicator. These new instruments were demonstrated.
Shown in the picture above: At the left. Norma Cashman, a second-semester driver’s education student, is practicing her skill of lining up cars using the rearview mirror to test her distance judgment. In the center, Eva Jean McDowell is pointing the field of vision to Shirley Davis. Seated on the right, Kenneth Meadows is testing his brake reaction time on the indicator.
Per AI For a typical 1949 car with a manual transmission, the three pedals on the floor, from left to right, were the clutch, brake, and accelerator (gas pedal). This layout is standard, though older cars sometimes featured a floor-mounted starter button, a headlight dimmer switch, or different layouts in earlier models like the Model T.
Left Pedal (Clutch): Disengages the engine from the transmission to allow for gear shifts.
Middle Pedal (Brake): Activates the braking system.
Right Pedal (Accelerator): Controls the engine speed.
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- The 1949 drivers‑ed car had three pedals — brake, gas, and “blame the instructor.”
- They taught clutch control by ear: if the engine sang, you were doing it wrong.
- The instructor’s favorite phrase: “In 1949, the car stops when I say it does — eventually.”
- That driving machine had so many gadgets kids thought it was a radio with commitment issues.
- In 1949 the safety test was simple: can you fit the whole family, the groceries, and your dignity in the backseat?
- The three‑pedal model came with a free history lesson: “That middle one? It’s called faith.”
- Their dashboard had one speed: optimistic.
- The slogan was: “Learn to drive like it’s 1949 — wooden steering wheel included.”
- The instructor said practice makes perfect; they meant practice stalling on Main Street.
- Students called the car the time machine — every trip felt like it took you back several minutes (to the spot you stalled).