When we sit behind the wheel of a car, our concentration is focused on placing the seat and rearview mirrors in the correct position, fastening the seat belt, setting the climate control to a comfortable temperature, choosing the radio station, playlist, podcast or audiobook that we want to liven up the trip and, finally, get going. All amenities that were not always available.
We are so used to driving contemporary automobiles that we hardly stop to think about how much vehicles have evolved from their origins to today. We also don’t wonder why some parts of the car are named after him. And usually this comes precisely from a long time ago.
Specifically, what concerns us here is to let you know why the car glove box and the dashboard are called that. It will not change the way you drive, nor will it interfere with your road safety, but knowing it will surely make you look very good in a random conversation with your companions on your next trip.
Nowadays, we use the glove compartment of the car to store documentation, as well as other objects such as fluorescent vests, a dust cloth, tissues, sunglasses, cell phone charger… But this compartment did not always receive this purpose.
To understand why the glove box is called that, we have to go back to the origins of automobiles, back in the 19th century. At that time, the glove box was used precisely to house the gloves that were necessary for driving safely and comfortably. There are several theories that come together to explain why gloves were necessary for driving, a common scene in old movies.
Firstly, they protected the driver’s hands from the cold in cars with open cabins. They also insulated their hands from the heat emitted by the steering wheel in cars powered by steam boilers. Likewise, they protected their hands when they had to work as mechanics in specific repairs. Finally, they were necessary to provide greater grip and grip to those first steering wheels that were so thin and without power steering. Over time, although gloves are no longer necessary for driving, this compartment has maintained its original appeal in most languages.
The name of the dashboard is also inherited from the ancestor of the modern automobile. At the time of the first horse-drawn carriages, there was a board that protected the feet of the carriage driver from mud, dust, water or other debris that could be splashed by the horses themselves. That’s why it was called a dashboard.
With the first motorized cars, the dashboard was used to protect the members of the car from the oil and heat of the engine. Thus, in the transition to the modern vehicle, this concept has been maintained, now appealing to the front part of the vehicle interior where the controls, airbags and other compartments are located, such as, precisely, the glove box.
