This Invention At The GM Proving Grounds In Michigan Is Now Used Everywhere

When I was doing appliance maintenance back in 2015, I would travel all over the state from east to west and occasionally would pass the GM Proving Ground. It was a place that I had never heard of before, but the guy who I was showing would regularly reference and point out. What exactly is the Milford Proving Grounds though?

As they point out on their website, there are some incredible and important tests that take place here, including road tests that can measure the stability and conditions of certain roads at speeds up to 150 mph:

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Milford Proving Grounds is the lead facility for GM’s global proving grounds, responsible for product development and durability testing for GM’s North American and global products.  MPG was the first dedicated automotive testing facility in the world and remains among the largest and most comprehensive of such facilities in the global automotive industry.

As you can see from the Google Earth, Structures and Anomalies page on Facebook, they did a small highlight of the GM Proving Grounds, and just how big of an impact this section of land has had on the country:

Here's a track for you. The GM Proving Ground in Milford, MI. It has 147 miles of test track, including a road course that mimics parts of Nurburgring, a 2-mile replica brick road, and a nearly 80-acre asphalt pad. Only about 100 employees are licensed to drive at top speeds on the tracks and modern highway guardrails were invented here.

Not anyone can just go there and fly around in a car though, as you need to be an approved driver in order to do your thing on the track there. It's wild to think these tests led to the invention of modern-day highway guardrails, showing just how crucial this place here in Michigan has been for the entire country.

READ MORE: Can Police Shoot the Tires of a Fleeing Vehicle in Michigan?