[Dr. Sivana]

Can you imagine what would have happened 110 years ago if an overprotective US government had found out that the new invented automobile would cause maybe 50,000 deaths and injuries a year?

Cars? What about motorcycles, which by their very design cannot accept the myriad safety "features" mandated.

Ever wonder what happened to TRUE bench seats? Why backseats now have THREE headrests? The disappearance of full-sized station wagons with rumble seats? The truly large families I know have to shell out for 12 and 16 passenger vans because there aren't enough belts to go around. When I was a kid, 7 (2 grown-ups and five kids) of us were crammed in a beltless '61 Dodge Lancer. The child seat HOOKED OVER the front bench seat, mainly to keep me from bthering the driver. I did get to use the integrated steering wheel however. Fortunately, my folks were careful drivers.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

When I was a toddler, my parents made plenty of long-distance drives to my grandparents’ house with me in a playpen in the back seat of their ‘64 Comet 2-door. Plus there were many trips after I got a bit older (and after my sister was born) where us kids rode in the back of a station wagon with the rear seats folded flat.

Oh, the horror! I never should have lived this long. :)