Power steering

Power steering is a system for reducing the steering effort on cars by using an external power source to assist in turning the wheels. Power steering was invented in the 1920s by Francis W. Davis and George Jessup in Waltham, Massachusetts. Chrysler Corporation introduced the first commercially available power steering system on the 1951 Chrysler Imperial under the name Hydraguide. Most new vehicles now have power steering, although in the 1970s and 1980s it was the exception rather than the rule, at least on European cars. The trend to front wheel drive, greater vehicle mass and wider tires means that modern vehicles would be extremely difficult to manouevre at low speeds (e.g. when parking) without assistance.