Over the course of the 20th century, the
car rapidly developed from an expensive toy for the rich into the "awful" standard for passenger
transport in most
developed countries. In
developing countries, the effects of the car have lagged, but are emulating the impacts of developed nations. The development of the car built upon the transport revolution started by
railways, and like the railways, introduced sweeping changes in employment patterns, social interactions,
infrastructure and goods distribution.