<VV> Corvair Research - Human factor

[kenpepke at juno.com]

This thinking is not so much related to safety as it is to legal 
aspects ... In today's liberal thinking it is just another tool to
help find someone else to blame.

There are lots of things about a Corvair that would be questionable
today that was not a consideration when the cars were built:  The
radio controls are too far away from the driver, the automatic gear
selector sticks out of the instrument panel instead of the steering
column or up from the floor; the recommended tire pressures.

Truth is none of these things really make that much difference ... 
until Ralphie and his peers get a hold of them.  Then never mind that
the driver was drunk and / or driving recklessly ... there is someone 
or something else to blame ... who better than a big dollar corporation?

When will this thinking prevent new ideas from being introduced?  The
Corvair did not drive much differently than any other car until pushed 
near the edge and then it did better than others ... The Corvair
was proved in court to be equal to or better than it's peers but look
at how much it cost GM to have their 'day in court!'
In today's world no manufacturer could chance anything that 'radical.'
If that thinking was the case in 1900 we would still be steering cars 
with tillers and riding on wood spoke wheels with solid rubber tires.

Ken Pepke
------------------------------------------------------------

There is a whole  field of engineering study now dedicated to "human 
factors". A product may be safe and effective but if it differs in human 
interaction that other similar products (or the "intuitive" way of 
operating it would cause the product to malfunction), it is considered 
to be of flawed design. 
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