A closer look

Nothing prepares you for adult driving quite like getting aggressively rear-ended by a nine-year-old at a local fair. Oddly enough, the bumper car was conceptualized by Victor Levand, an employee at General Electric and Ford, who noticed how dangerous early car crashes were. The amusement ride was born from the idea of creating an environment where people could harmlessly experience collisions. Thus, society turned horrific vehicular trauma into a fun family weekend activity.