Posted on 12/06/2017 7:49:25 PM PST by sparklite2
Unpadded metal surfaces, blunt knobs and rods, steering columns that impale—and seatbelts weren’t even on the options list. We may think highly of the 1955 Chevrolet, but like all cars of the era, it didn’t think much of its passengers; here we use it as a lens through which to view the state of automobile safety of the time. Yes, 62 years later, things have become much safer.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.caranddriver.com ...
I was wondering if the spark plug boots were amply seated on my old car, so I reached down to push on the first one, with the engine idling. The cable must have been worn out because I got a shock that was like a hammer blow. Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from BAD judgement.
I’ll take the trade-off air conditioning provides.
I still do that, even though my kids wear seat belts.
Just a mom thing I guess.
Ya’ know - if that ‘59 BelAir had ‘09 brakes - it might have stopped in time to avoid the crash altogether.
When I bought our Honda Odysessy Minivan in 2009(?) I found a review that had a test track comparison with a 1968 Porsche Carrera. The Honda did better in the slalom, the braking, handling, etc. It did lose on acceleration iirc. compared it to a 1968
The lightweight nature of today’s fuel savers ironically makes them worse
More like 18 years max
1973 is when usa cars went dead
I heard the other day that collapsible steering columns had saved 80000 lives as of 2012. They began to be required in the 70’s, so you might think the figure would be even higher.
I had some late 1960’s and 1970’s vintage cars that DIDN’T shut down when you turned off the key. They’d just chug along dieseling for a good while until they settled down with a fart and a sigh.
C&D does this every once in awhile...when they need readers...hell
washing machines,hair dryers, down to Pez dispensers have been “upgraded”...
And the Tucker cars had visionary safety features but the Big 3 auto makers ran him out of business because it would cost too much to retool the then vehicles coming off the production line. The ones that were unsafe, no seat belts, marginal brakes and though they were built heavy they crashed heavily and crumpled, especially in rollovers.
I would really love to restomod an older car like a 40’s era Caddilac or a Packard, do the modern drive train install with full awd, disc, abs like from a new Silverado or an Escalade.
And then go further, air bags, that includes curtin bags. And also installing side sensors, lane departure and collision avoidance.
If you choose the right vehicle some restomods bring in big big auction returns, especially the very early Corvettes.
Myself being a specialist in pretty much that field i see a market of what may look like a 59 Caddy or a 64 Lincoln on the outside but its basically a reproduced shell on a modern donor vehicle. Imagine a 66 Mustang with a Tesla battery and motor?
Predictably, this thread is full of comments just like yours that were posted by people who DID survive. The ones who didn't survive aren't available to comment.
If you look at cars of any era, they all end up looking pretty much the same. The people who get all weepy with nostalgia when they see an isolated, lovingly-restored 1950s car on the road forget that when that car was new, the roads were teeming with cars that differed from that one only in minor details. There were probably people in the 50s who longed for the boxy cars of the 20s because for the same reasons.
I was in a 1956 Chevy that rolled on a curve slid on the roof down into a 12 foot ditch and stopped when it hit the opposite side bank. The driver and I both walked away with my injury. Guess they weren’t all bad!
“The cars were built like TANKS! You could have a head on collision and both drivers would ligh up smokes and walk away.”
—
It was called steel. Now days cars are mostly plastic. Case to your point:
Once (in the mid 80’s I think) saw a 50s Studebaker that had been hit by a then newer Volvo - surely with all the safety bells and whistles available at the time.
The fedora-wearing old guy driving the Studebaker was standing on the road scratching his head with a smoke in the other hand. The Volvo’s front end was splayed out so that the wheels angled out to either side.
The Studebaker had a small dimple in one fender ... The female Volvo driver was being carted away by the EMTs on a stretcher.
Didn't have a seat belt on in any of them.
Prior to that my friends and I traveled everywhere as shown below...somehow we all survived. On nostalgia, I guess.
p.s. Have your remembered to remember me in your will with one of the pickups??? I don't even care which one!!
Ahh man I lived in Moscow Idaho for several years...always was amazed how many would die above Lewiston each and every winter.
Most of them were local too, just people hurrying to get to work.
But that is part of living in Idaho, no guts no glory.
I made the drive frequently in all seasons, on the new road, yes, but I kept an eye out for the other guy (and deer and elk and moose) each and every mile.
Unless you were driving a Scarab...?!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.