11 thoughts on “Car Safety”

1. When I see one of those car crash video compilations on Youtube (dashcams are getting popular everywhere now), in about half of the accidents one of the cars goes careening all over the place after the initial impact, and you just know it’s because the driver is under the dashboard or in the backseat area.

   A lot of those out-of-control post-crash sorties end up in even worse, potentially fatal secondary crashes.

   I wonder what those drivers could possibly be doing wrong?

   1. I was right behind a woman who lost control of her car on a ramp. As she hit the guard rail, I was amazed to see her butt appear in the windshield area.

      1. Was it still attached to the rest of her?

2. My 2017 Subaru Impreza is about as safe as a tiny car can be, but it probably wouldn’t survive an encounter with a modern semi. On the other hand, a modern semi probably wouldn’t survive an encounter with my 1962 Chrysler Nieuport (if I still had it). I did retrofit it with lap belts once my son was born in 1974 (helpful I could weld in the posts myself).

3. Driving is probably one of the most dangerous things that people do, but the govt. has no business forcing people to wear seat belts. Helmets would add to safety as well, but car drivers aren’t forced to wear those. Why? Because people eventually resist govt.

   CA will stop you for having tires go beyond fenders. AZ allows you to drive a car with no body.

   Laws are made by people that are no more qualified to make them than you. They generally aren’t handed down to us by god.

4. I remember my mom didn’t want a car with electric windows because she was afraid it would short if you drove into water and you’d be trapped in the car. Now you can’t get manual doors. I wonder if the mechanical systems are more likely to jam in a t-bone collision and electric windows are safer? Or do they just protect against shorts really well? Or possibly neither and people just don’t like the cranks.

   1. Apparently one issue with manual windows is, if the car is submerged and the interior hasn’t entirely flooded, the pressure differential would prevent the windows opening just like it does the doors. A tool to break the window is pretty much the only option.

      And when the car is not submerged, it’ll still do the trick.

      1. Those tools are cheap but depending on how severe the accident is, you might not be able to reach one.

         1. Any accident that severe, you may not be in any condition to get out without help even if the windows blew out on impact.

   2. You can still get manual doors with hand crank windows on a new car. At least here in Missouri you can.

      1. Obviously the govt. should mandate explosive bolts on all car doors. /sarc

         Stallone and Bullock might suggest collision foam?

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