On this day in 1966 POTUS Lyndon Johnson signed into law the U.S. National Traffic and Motor Safety Law. Ralph Nader’s book “Unsafe At Any Speed” prompted an uproar over automobile safety which led to this law. Nader’s book targeted the American automobile industies neglect of safety issues. Nader used GM’s dangerous Carvair as a focus for criticism. Congress responded with passing a bill that established federal safety standards with strict penalties for violations. Ralph Nader, especially back in his prime did more for the American public and had a bigger, more positive impact than some POTUS we have had over the years. {Hello there James Earl Carter… I couldn’t help myself..sorry.}

We will never know how many thousands of lives this act saved in the past 45 years.