Dashboard!

Another term in your vehicle that is strange is Dashboard. Did you ever wonder where it came from?

From Wiki: Originally, a "dashboard" was the upturned front of a horse-drawn chariot or waggon, which protected the driver from mud and debris thrown up by the horse's hooves.

From Websters: A screen on the front of a usually horse-drawn vehicle to intercept water, mud, or snow.

Well there you have it. The dashboard.