Car turntable

The turntable allowed steam locomotives, which could not safety be run in reverse owing to their design, to be rotated to a forward position.

[1] Possibly due to the dense urban planning in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia (among others) an earnest adoption of turntables began in the 1950s.

Escalating urban density in the United States, and increased awareness of back-over and reversing accidents primarily involving children has helped in popularity of vehicle turntables.

The non-American turntables tend to be more utilitarian; the operator often spins their vehicle around by hand, and these manufacturers offer few options other than motorized versions.

The newer developed U.S. turntables tend to cater to the consumer behavior of the American marketplace – some of these models offer microprocessor controls, safety engineering features, high vehicle weight capacities, lighting accessories and heated platters.