Yes, new cars really are safer

kevin37b · May 20, 2013

Wonder if the text got sent ?

GreenWannabe · May 21, 2013

k0ua said:
I agree newer vehicles are for sure safer than past designs, but here I think a lot of this was just the way the car hit, allowing her position in the cab to be spared the worst of the damage. Of course airbags and seatbelts are lifesavers. Heck most cars and trucks had metal dashboards when I was a kid, and no seatbelts. I remember even as a child, thinking about taking a bite out of one of those in event of a collision. Padded Dash was a luxury item for a while in the more expensive cars.. and if you wanted seat belts, you had to order them as an option.

James K0UA

I was at the LA County Fair back about '57, and talked to a California Highway Patrol officer for a bit. We were talking about the (then) new padded dashes, and he commented that it made things a bit handier for him - he just had to pick the teeth out of the padded dash instead of picking them up off the floor.

k0ua · May 21, 2013

GreenWannabe said:
I was at the LA County Fair back about '57, and talked to a California Highway Patrol officer for a bit. We were talking about the (then) new padded dashes, and he commented that it made things a bit handier for him - he just had to pick the teeth out of the padded dash instead of picking them up off the floor.

Well I got a laugh out of that one,:laughing:.. I guess if we all wear our seat/shoulder belts we won't be biting that dash after all. and of course that airbag popping in our face is bound to be fun.. But better than the alternative.:thumbsup:

James K0UA

CliffordK · May 21, 2013

In 57?
Seat belts would have been lap belts (both front and back), if it had any at all. So, undoubtedly one would get a good taste of steering wheel.

Do school buses have seat belts yet?

Pilot · May 25, 2013

A friend was killed in a crash in about a '58 Studebaker. Driver (drunk) was doing over 100 on a 4 lane city street late on Christmas night when a driver pulled out from a parking lot, never expecting a need to look for a car coming that fast. The Studey bounced off that car, skidded a couple hundred feet and hit a tree. We later saw the wreck and as a young teenager I was appalled to see that car's roof was attached with just thin bent sheet metal.

When we bought a '72 Saab, I was impressed to see I-beams coming down from the roof thru the pillars and attached to a plate on the wheel well. The car had a complete roll cage. That was a lot safer than that Studey! Now all cars have a rollover standard.