Sep 7, 2014 By The Editors Of consumer Reports ® 4 min read

Feeling nostalgic for the good old days? Then think back to the late 1970s, says Consumer Reports.

Gas lines stretched for blocks at service stations thanks to a revolution in Iran and an energy crisis. Gas-guzzling cars were common: The midsized 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Consumer Reports tested got 11.8 mpg in city driving. Inflation sat at an uncomfortable 7.6 percent, compared with about 2 percent today.

The past 35 years have seen a revolution in consumer rights, protection and choice. Consumer Reports looks back at how much things have changed for all of us.

Fuel efficiency

In 1978, the average price of a gallon of gasoline ranged from 65 cents to 71 cents ($2.36 to $2.58 in today’s dollars), and half of all oil used in the country went for driving. Consumer Reports derided the government’s fuel-efficiency numbers as “exaggerated figures achieved in static tests that don’t accurately reproduce what happens in real driving.” Cars that year had to meet government fuel-economy standards of 18 mpg average over their fleet. But sub-compacts weren’t that impressive; a VW Rabbit diesel took 21.5 seconds to reach 60 mph. Standards increased to 27.5 mpg for 1985 cars, but stayed there for many years. Consumer Reports pushed to set the bar higher, filing comments and testifying for more stringent requirements. In 2012, the government announced new standards that will require fleets to average 54.5 mpg by 2025.

Car seats

When Consumer Reports started testing child safety seats in 1972, it rated 12 of the 15 models Not Acceptable. Partly in response to its findings then and in subsequent years, the government mandated that as of Jan. 1, 1981, manufacturers had to certify that their child safety seats would pass “a rigorous crash test.”

Health coverage

In 1978, CR’s advocacy division, Consumers Union, asked then-president Jimmy Carter to move the country toward a national health insurance system. It’s a message it has been sending for decades. Now, 35 years later, health reform is up and running. To make the case in 2008, Consumer Reports outfitted a 32-foot RV, staffed it with three advocates and logged miles in 47 states. That “Cover America Tour” documented consumers’ experiences as part of a larger effort to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of health care, long a mission of Consumer Reports. The advocates covered 17,620 miles, speaking with thousands of ordinary people who had extraordinary stories about a failed system. And in 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, ensuring health care choice for millions of Americans who had previously been shut out of the market.

Hospital infections

As many as 440,000 Americans die each year as a result of preventable harm that happens while they’re hospitalized. And a significant portion of those deaths are the result of hospital-acquired infections. In 2003, Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project began as a campaign to push hospitals to publicly report their infection rates, helped by the personal stories of consumers. Now, 32 states and the federal government require some level of disclosure.

Drug evaluations

Prescription drugs, supplements and vitamins grab an astonishing share of consumers’ health dollars. In 1990, Consumer Reports wrote that despite a scandal over payoffs at the Food and Drug Administration, generic drugs were safe and effective, and could save half of the cost of brand-name versions. Its Best Buy Drugs project now helps millions of consumers save money and find the best medication for their condition.

Appliance efficiency

In 1975, Congress ordered the Department of Energy to set mandatory standards for energy use by major household appliances. But the DOE refused, saying standards wouldn’t be economically justified or result in a “significant” energy savings. It took 10 more years and a lawsuit from Consumer Reports and others before a federal court decision in 1985 that said, just do it. Almost 30 years later, evolving energy standards have brought significantly more efficient washers, dishwashers, air conditioners and refrigerators.