Cars were once a “New Terror of Locomotion” in America, and almost anyone could drive one. Then Driver’s Licenses arrived, but tests were still not required

Today, getting behind the wheel means having a license, passing a test and following a long list of traffic rules. But when automobiles first began appearing on American streets, almost none of those requirements existed. There were no standardized driving tests, no lane markings and, in many places, no rules about who could drive.

The arrival of automobiles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries quickly changed that.