B U S I N E S S P R O D U C T S P R O J E C T S P R O C E S S E S B O U L E V A R D

DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS

A cult for 70 years

T I P S

CAUTION:
WILD ANIMALS CROSSING

Automobile engineering is highly devel- oped, and the design departments of both manufacturers and sub-suppliers are working unceasingly to make vehicles even safer. Still, there are some dangerous situations that can never be completely prevented. For example, accidents involving wildlife are particularly frequent between autumn and spring. The sad tally for Germany’s roads: more than 50 people are killed every year in accidents with wild animals, and about 2,500 others are severely injured. 600,000 wild animals are killed. The material damage amounts to around

It all started with a Kodak projector and a bedsheet hung between trees in a backyard: Richard Holingshead had to experiment for some time before his idea was at last put into practice. The big day was the 6th of June 1933: the first drive-in movie theater opened in New Jersey. The heyday of these open- air cinemas was in the 1950s, and the main factor behind the success of this inexpensive pastime was doubtless the cult of the car prevalent in those years.

Sadly, there are fewer and fewer of these outdoor facilities today. Because even now, watching movies under the stars is a fascinating experience – and not just for the nostalgic. Europe’s first drive-in was, incidentally, built in Germany, and is still operating today. It was opened in 1960 in Gravenbruch near Frankfurt.

iFor a listing of all open-air cinemas in Germany visit: www.openairkinos.de
€350 million, and rising.
Here’s how you can minimize the accident risk:
■ Slow down when you see a “wild
animals crossing” road sign

■ Keep away from the right-hand edge

of the road

■ Caution: an animal is rarely on its own

■ Only use your brakes when there’s no

risk of being hit by a vehicle coming

from behind

■ Animals on the road: apply brakes, use

horn and dip headlights
■ On no account swerve to avoid the

animal if there is any risk of hitting a

tree, landing in a ditch or endangering

ELEVATORS

Reaching for the sky

oncoming traffic

If you do have an accident:

■ Immediately make the acci-

dent area safe (warning trian-

Long before there were cars, mankind was working continuously to improve its mobility, and ingenious inventors were already familiar with the idea of conveying passengers in the

vertical plane. As early as 1743, Louis XV of France enjoyed the luxury of using the first elevator – albeit a muscle-powered one. But the breakthrough for the elevator came exactly 150 years ago: Elisha Graves Otis invented the safety

elevator in America. His engineering feat consisted of a clamp on the elevator that expanded into the guide rail running along the platform in the event

of a cable break. This invention is still used today in a similar form. Elevators from the Otis Elevator Corporation are today used in around 1.4 million buildings, including ten of the twenty highest skyscrapers in the world.

gle) and notify the police

■ On no account touch the animal, as it

might harbor diseases (for example

rabies) or inflict severe injury

Correct procedures at the accident site are also necessary to claim from the insurance companies. Important: if your vehicle has not hit a wild animal but been damaged after swerving around to avoid it, you can claim the cost of repair against your insurance company with reference to ‘rescue costs’. Incidentally: taking away the injured or dead animal is illegal and is deemed as poaching.

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