The earliest motor vehicle was built in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. It 1 powered by steam and reached a top speed of about four kph. Many similar vehicles were then built, mainly 2 use on farms. These steam wagons had a sturdy frame and heavy wooden wheels. This made them capable 3 carrying heavy loads. By 1865 in response to growing public fears that steam vehicles were travelling too fast, a speed limit was introduced. It was decided that three kph in towns and six kph in country areas was fast enough. As an additional safety precaution, a person waving a red flag had to walk in front of the vehicle. You 4 think that the speed limit was very low, but you must remember that the roads were very poor and that many steam vehicles found 5 difficult to stop quickly. In 1885, Carl Benz built the Motorwagon, the first car to have a petrol engine. It was much lighter than the steam engine and 6 travel at fifteen kph. This type of vehicle was considered less dangerous than the large, heavy steam wagons. In 1896, the speed limit for petrol-driven cars was raised to 22 kph and in 1903 it reached 32 kph. In Detroit, in 1903 the Ford Motor Company was founded. By 1908 Ford was mass-producing 7 famous Model T cars on an assembly line. This meant that the time and cost of car-making was dramatically reduced and more people could afford to buy their own car. There are now 23 million cars in the United Kingdom and the average person 8 thirteen journeys a week, most of which by road.