Tragic Head On Collsion with an H/O in MD

[Bonnewagon]

What a tragedy. Now some family is missing their brother/son/dad/grandpa who was just out enjoying his classic G-body. Could have been any of us on any given day. Because most people are *ssh*les, period. We drive carefully because we love out cars and most probably built them up from junkers. Not so with your average idiot who treats his car like a toaster over. Wrecked? So what? I got insurance. I deserve a new car anyway! I'm driving 45 years and I shake my head in bewilderment at the stupid stuff I see on the road nowadays. If the speed limit is 55 and we're all flying along at 70, WHY is some dick doing 90 and swerving from lane to lane?!? If there's 10 cars at a light, and you are in a hurry, why, just use the oncoming traffic lane to get ahead of everybody! After all, YOU shouldn't have to be inconvenienced at all by the millions of other cars on the road! Right? And don't get me started about drunks because I think drunk drivers should be shot right at the scene. As stated above, all this is just a reflection of a serious problem in society- a lack of respect, decency, and common sense that used to be expected but is just absent today.

 

[axisg]

Wrong. Older car designs are much safer. Improvements to AIRBAGS artificially inflate the safety ratings in newer cars. The reality is some newer cars are ticking timebombs b/c the gunpowder in many airbags is cheap and asian and unstable. As the cars age the airbags start to become less likely to go off in a crash. Would rather smash in the Cutlass anyday - would rather smash up in the Cadillac Fleetwood or the Silverado I had prior on that note however. One car I mistakenly thought was safe but turned out not to be was my 94 Blazer. Absolutely no protection w/ those crappy thin doors.

really ?? You sir are a fool if you think an older car is safer. I have been a passenger in accidents in both kids of vehicles.
old vs new
windshield - butyl vs eurethane ( increasing the " safety cell " rigidity of the newer car )
airbags - none vs multiple
crumple zones - none vs multiple
structure in a rollover - frame & pillars vs safety cell

the newer cars brakes & handling are much better helping you avoid the crash in the first place.

An older car is easier to rebuild but the occupants are more likely to be injured or killed. I would rather survive with airbag burns than die in a crash.

Its always in the back of my mind when driving the Monte ( esp with the family on board ) that the car is not safe in a crash.

have you seen the 1959 BelAir vs 2009 Malibu video ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ptUrQOMPs

 

[pontiacgp]

airbags - none vs multiple

the thought of an airbag in my Jeep punching me in the face scares the sh*t out of me more than an accident ..... :shock:

 

[pencero]

These sound like the concerns of short people. I bet I get out walking after any crash under 55. I hate airbags and I sit far from the steering wheel. I have also crashed in a newer car and airbag did NOT deploy like it was supposed to. I count on my seatbelt. I am not impressed sorry guys. The changes to window crumpling is a good point; I'll concede that much. Arguably that's just another outside variable controlled by safety regulators and not an actual part of a vehicle's design either. The point still remains that many modern cars base their safety claims entirely on airbags and have virtually no other safety features. Cough, Mustang, cough.

 

[pencero]

I guess you guys didn't catch on at what I'm really driving at. I was just trying to rag on Mustang drivers. This guy is going to walk away from his disposable sports car virtually unharmed, but in chains and meanwhile the innocent victim's renewable platform car meets it's similar fate. Very unfair crash. Probably would have killed both drivers if not for all the safety stuff that was just mentioned. Anyway I was just looking at the pics of the Mustang like what a POS I would never buy one of those cars off the floor I just don't get what people see in those things. I would say that you guys should re-evaluate rolling up on your own car platform's enthusiast forum and outright admitting your car is 'unsafe'. Who cares if it is unsafe? We all bought these cars so stfu before our insurance agents get on here and put our rates through the roof. I don't know about you but I want my local bmv and insurance agent to think my car is actually is safe as it looks like it is and I don't want to have safety improvements forced on me in the future. I was planning on boxing my frame and getting the blazer brake upgrade because I Want to, but if I had to it would make me kind of pissed off.

 

[pontiacgp]

These sound like the concerns of short people

I'm not short, I'm 6'3" and I boxed, played college hockey and rugby but that air bag is one thing that makes me slow down.....

 

[jetsetw31]

Here goes one for ya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlKWL2vBrI

 

[565bbchevy]

These sound like the concerns of short people. I bet I get out walking after any crash under 55.

I am willing to bet after they remove the steering wheel from your face that you don't.

 

[pontiacgp]

Here goes one for ya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlKWL2vBrI

it has more of a crumple zone than I thought. It looked like the dummy didn't have the shoulder belt on.

 

[pencero]

The seatbelt is everything. Choose a seating position far back into the seat for full support of your back and smacking into the steering wheel should not even be a factor unless you're short... or have short legs. With my seatbelt on properly I can't even hit the steering wheel with my face unless the receiver broke. Some people never reel in the slack to their seatbelt before driving off then when they get into a crash the seatbelt doesn't even do anything. Some people also drive around with missing body bushings and blown shocks with no alignment and missing jounce bars too. Of course an older car isn't going to be as safe when it's old; I suspect many newer designs will not age as gracefully as some of you think. They are not the superior designs they claim to be.