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 ...
Oh ya, ‘59 Plymouth wagon for 9 kids.
All “good ol’ days” reminiscing aside...people inside cars of that era (and I like ‘em as much as anyone else) who crashed at speed were turned into hamburger meat.
Hydraulic brakes can’t be appreciated by anyone who has never driven with mechanical brakes. LOL
I remember riding around with my brother in his 60s Impala convertible [white with a red slash on side] ...
Front seat as big as a full sized sofa.
Ah, and cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway, top down, blasting the Beach
Boy’s “Be True to Your School”!
When some loud braggart tries to put me down
And says his school is great
I tell him right away
Now what’s the matter buddy
Ain’t you heard of my school
It’s number one in the state
So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school
I got a letterman’s sweater
With a letter in front
I got for footbal and track
I’m proud to where it now
When I cruise around
The other parts of the town
I got a decal in back
So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly
Be true to your school
On Friday we’ll be jacked up on the football game
And I’ll be ready to fight
We’re gonna smash ‘em now
My girl…
Well, you know, peak oil and all of that. LOL
I’ve always been under the impression that engineered crumple zones make modern cars better at handling accidents.
We had one of those, too. A ‘53 DeLuxe. Our heater didn’t look like it came standard, we had to reach down to it and turn it on. It only kept you warm enough to realize how cold you were.
If only the socialists who wrote it could cause it to be read only by people who are too young to both A. Remember the era and B. Point out the undeniable fact that the exact same group of people who demanded and designed all these changes that make cars ugly and less durable also blocked the implementation of airbags for over a decade.
Why do you think they blocked the implementation of airbags?
Yes, most of the people who drove those cars did so without incident and are around to remember the good old days now. But I have to admit I would not want to get into an accident in one of those cars. A car wreck that you can walk away from these days would most likely have been a lethal event for the occupants in some of those old cars.
All “good ol’ days” reminiscing aside...people inside cars of that era (and I like ‘em as much as anyone else) who crashed at speed were turned into hamburger meat.
...
Yep. This thread contains a lot of BS nostalgia.
cute
I learned to drive in a 50 Chevy coupe with 3 on the column and mechanical brakes. You could not lock the wheels if the car was traveling over 30mph no matter how hard you stood on them. Lol!
I’d agree.
We had a lot of Brit cars in my neighborhood, people who brought them back after being posted overseas. Family a few doors down had a TR3. I’ve wanted one ever since.... Another family had a Jaguar sedan, late 50s. Absolutely beautiful car.
Or a Honda Preluzzzzzzz....
[[The cars were built like TANKS! You could have a head on collision ]]
I got in a near headon collision going 50 miles an hour (The woman who hit me was waiting for a fella to turn around in her driveway, when he did- she started into my path- apparently she didn’t look to see if any cars were coming- she was probably ticked that someone made her wait to pull into her own driveway) with an early model suburban- bounced off the car and smashed into another on the side of the road and all that happened was the front end got twisted a bit. The car that hit me was spun around 2 times and ended up across the road in the ditch- she had two kids in the car- her front end was smashed pretty hard- but she survived, I survived, and the other fella who was in a newer suburban also survived
noone was wearing seat belts- I hit the steering wheel so hard it bent it over- but what saved me was the fact that the old suburban was built like a tank and didn’t crumple - plus the fact that it was taller than the car- The front end lifted off the ground and flew into the fella that was turning in her driveway-
And meeting drunk drivers on the road was scarcely discussed.
Hell, driving drunk was scarcely discussed. You just pointed the hood ornament in the direction you wanted to go and went. When the later model Chevys came out with no hood ornaments, but an ornament atop each fender, drunk driving got hard.
They also didn’t go as fast as today’s cars. I remember when a trip from Bakersfield to Pasadena to see relatives was considered a trip! Now I’ll drive there have lunch and drive back.
great post- i feel the exact same way- those great days are gone forever now-
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