Dashboard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Dashboard (disambiguation).
A dashboard or dash board (sometimes facia in British English) is a control panel located under the windscreen of an automobile. It contains indicators, dials, controls and displays to assist operation of the vehicle.
Originally, a "dashboard" was the upturned front of a horse-drawn chariot or waggon, which protected the driver from mud and debris thrown up by the horse's hooves. [1] [2]
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[edit] Padded dashboards
Under the aegis of a safety program initiated by Robert McNamara[3], padded "safety" dashboards were introduced in 1956 by Ford under the name "Safeguard". Consumers showed little interest [4].
One of the safety enhancements of the 1970s was the widespread adoption of padded dashboards.
In the 1990s, driver's side airbags became mandatory in some countries and passenger-side airbags became widespread.
[edit] Types of dashboards
Lawn mowers, farm tractors, and earlier automobiles sometimes have little more than a steering wheel and ignition switch.
Custom-built coupé race cars often simply have a piece of sheet metal that forms the dash. Whenever a new gauge needs to be added, a hole for the gauge is drilled in the appropriate location.
Open wheel race cars have no space for a dash, so the instrument cluster is integrated into the center of the steering wheel.
Motorcycles and mopeds have a compressed version of car dashes, but sometimes have enough room for items such as tape decks and GPS navigation.
[edit] Dashboard items
Items located on the dashboard include the steering wheel, heating controls, lighting controls, audio controls and the instrument cluster. An instrument cluster contains instrument gauges such as a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, and fuel gauge. The audio system controls (such as radio and CD player) will also be on the dashboard although volume, tuning etc. may be on a stalk beside the steering wheel.
The top of a dashboard usually contains speakers for the audio system, and vents for the heating and A/C system. A glovebox is often found on the passenger side.
In more modern cars, automotive navigation systems are mounted in the dashboard.
[edit] Gallery
 The dashboard controls indicate the speed of a car |
 The firewall separates the dash from the engine compartment |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Dictionary entry for dashboard. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
- ^ Puzzler Answer: Dashboard Definition. Car Talk (2002-03-09). Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
- ^ The Fog of War documentary
- ^ Iacocca: An Autobiography, chapter four
