<P> In 1937, Chrysler, Dodge, DeSoto, and Plymouth cars came with a safety dashboard that was flat, raised above knee height, and had all the controls mounted flush . </P> <P> Padded dashboards were advocated in the 1930s by car safety pioneer Claire L. Straith . In 1948, the Tucker became the first car with a padded dashboard . </P> <P> One of the safety enhancements of the 1970s was the widespread adoption of padded dashboards . The padding is commonly polyurethane foam, while the surface is commonly either polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or leather in the case of luxury models . </P> <P> In the early and mid-1990s, airbags became a standard feature of steering wheels and dashboards . </P>

What is the top of the dashboard called