Tragic Head On Collsion with an H/O in MD

[kustomkyle]

That is very bad to see, someone and their neat old car both getting their lives cut short. Having worked on late model cars in a collision shop previously, it's hard to understand how a lot of newer cars hold up at all in crashes (which, in a lot of ways they don't). But the truth is, as somewhat stated before, the newer the car is, the more they are strictly designed to protect the driver and occupants. Design by styling is the afterthought. That's why everything is basically a bubble filled with air bags now.
In all honesty, I believe if you were to somehow take an older car, say a G-body, and implement air bags, ABS, and a few other things, they would be extremely safe. By looking at the photos, the Hurst/Olds was hit at a very awkward angle, head-on, as well as rear ended and likely pushed by the Saturn. Unless the person in the Olds was otherwise in a brand new truck or something, I don't think they would have fared much better.

 

[popeye1978]

Terrible situation

The topic of safety has come-up at my office a few times when discussing cars and all of the older car guys -- Baby Boomer generation -- feel safer in today's cars than the ones they grew-up in, even though the thinking is the older cars can take more of a beating ... one summarized it as "the older cars fare better in accidents because they're designed so the occupants of the car absorb all the energy of the crash -- being knocked-around with (maybe) just lap belts & metal everywhere, no padding -- rather than the car taking the beating"

Something needs to be said that, in the news article, the police believe aggressive driving by the Mustang was a major factor ... in some cases, today's cars are TOO safe, with our rack-and-pinion steering (my '67 Mustang had just power steering before I upgraded it, felt like I was going to drive myself straight off the road all the time), radial tires (versus bias-ply), disc brakes (versus drums all-around), and all the creature comforts you want (as long as you pay for it) lulling you into thinking driving is easy and you're Superman.

 

[gmparts]

No politics OR b.s. facts are facts. IF i have time i will look for that info and post it here. If not i guess i am a b.s. artist

 

[-83MONTESS-]

^^ just to add on to that; You're not supposed to get out of the car but every crash I've witnessed the people with airbags got out choking on a cloud of smoke immediately. That being said I live in Indiana and most cars are OLD around here. Cars after 04 that you would expect in higher class areas are well equipped w good airbags and definitely way safer than any old rusty car could ever be. There probably aren't huge clouds of smoke from the newer style airbags in most models except the cheap ones. My stepmom came home with a 3rd degree burn from a airbag once. Never forgot the scars all over her face.

Older cars are safer because instead of getting burnt by airbags you die? That's some below average IQ logic there. Newer cars are designed to protect the occupants. Old cars weren't. Older cars might look a lot better after a wreck most of the time but newer cars are safer by a long shot. I would much rather have burns on my face and arms from an airbag than die of blunt force trauma after my head bounces off the steering wheel

 

[drogg1]

I'll have to ask that this definitely positively absolutely not turn into some political thing or I'm bringing out the mod scissors. I mean, cmon, that could have been any one of us, regardless.

 

[jetsetw31]

My heart goes out to the victims of this crash.
Now about all this new vs old talk. You guys seemed to miss one thing, the Gbody actual did well in the head on. The Saturn made the difference by changing the direction during the impact causing the Gbody to twist onto the driver. That is what you see in the photo. Our G bodies do crumple on impact front and rear. In stock form the engine and transmission drops down on impact. Few new cars would have done any better in THIS scenario.
RIP fellow Gbody owner.
T

 

[pencero]

You guys are so close minded. My argument was that most newer cars would fail crash tests if they weren't relying so heavily on airbags. Are they safer w/ the airbags: yes. That's just the airbags artificially inflating the safety rating of the 'car' itself when the mfr spending on airbags is really the entire factor. I don't like how some of the smaller new cars safety relies entirely on the concept of airbags. Well I'm not putting all my trust into some POS asian gunpowder discharging pillows which seem to save a similar amount of people as it kills. Also, we will see how you guys feel about airbags in newer cars like 10 years from now when some of these newer designs start to get old and the car won't start unless the airbag responds during the computer check on start-up. Have fun replacing those airbags just after the warranty expires. Sounds like a lot of fun... Do you think the dealership or the NHTSA that forced airbags on you is going to foot the bill when these airbags expire and your car won't start? Call them for free airbags when you can't get plates b/c your 'airbag' light on dash says 1 of your airbags doesn't work.

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

The real tragedy is that this could have been prevented. People need to treat the road and other drivers with respect. Driving is a privilege, not a right. It amazes me how little thought is put into what people do before they do it. Maybe losing your license for a while might wake people up to the problem they're creating. I'm seeing people who are acting afraid to walk through parking lots when a car comes near them, WHY? Are people this ignorant? Are they this selfish? Are they stupid? You're suppose to stop to let people walk through! A couple weeks ago, someone blared their horn at me and their passenger gave me the finger for walking out of a store towards my car. My crime? They had to stop to let me walk to my car. I had just walked out of the store, it wasn't the middle of the parking lot either. I was maybe 10-15 feet outside the doors and I'm getting attitude from someone who thinks I'm in their way.

There is something seriously wrong with people. Personally, I think it's a symptom of a larger problem we're having as a society.

 

[88hurstolds]

More information, charges might be filed.

http://www.abc2news.com/news/breaking-n ... -injures-2

http://www.abc2news.com/news/region/ann ... moms-dryer

 

[rustyroger]

We should maybe step back and wait until any criminal proceedings have been completed. We cannot make an an informed judgement unless we have ALL the facts relevant to this tragedy.
On the face of the news report it appears the Mustang driver is to blame. But that is speculation, the police have the difficult job of gathering as much information as they can before any decisions can be made.
I hope justice prevails, I am also aware that nothing will bring him back to life. But trial by media is no justice at all.

Roger.