Breakdowns also used to be much easier ...
Fifty or eighty years ago, car breakdowns were more frequent, but also much less complicated. This was not only because there was much less traffic, but also because it was almost always possible to push the stubborn car to the side somehow, somewhere, even if you were alone. Put it in neutral and push, steer and maybe swear a little, but that was it.
Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly common for broken-down vehicles to be unable to be moved at all, either because the gearbox prohibits the car from being put into neutral or because the car immobilizes itself (for safety reasons). In addition, modern cars are very heavy and almost impossible to steer without a servo. No wonder you constantly hear announcements on the traffic radio about traffic jams due to a broken-down vehicle.
But not only was it easier to push the car away in the past, it was also easier to repair it. When the yellow angel or another breakdown mechanic finally arrived, or if you were even a handyman yourself, many problems could usually be solved in a makeshift and temporary manner so that you could continue driving, be it by laying a replacement power cable, bridging a relay, installing a makeshift clutch cable or improvising something else. Nowadays, even professionals are often at a loss when they look into the elaborately clad engine compartment and the only solution is to recharge/tow away.
