<VV> Safety

[William Hubbell]

100% agreement!   That was my point all along!!  It is my belief that, while good intentioned, the addition of so many safety features to modern autos has resulted in drivers who are over reliant on these devices and therefore at greater risk for distraction and unable to avoid or correct behavior resulting in accidents. 

I’m not saying that safety features (lap, shoulder harnesses, impact absorbing features, etc. are not useful, but when people get “too comfortable” because of these devices and start taking risks, then the benefits are diminished. 

I know that when I drive my 50 year old cars I’d better be much more alert and engaged in the driving process as I am the main safety device. 

Bill

On Aug 12, 2020, at 10:44 AM, Hugo Miller via VirtualVairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org> wrote:

Depends how you define 'safety'. I suppose in terms of protection in a collision, moern cars offer more in that department. But they are also full of gadgets, gizmos, and other distractions. The lost lethal, in my view, is the fashion for 'touch-screens' in cars. On most cars of the 50's or 60's, you can put your hand on any of the essential controls (lights, wipers etc) by feel alone, because you know where the knobs & switches are located on the dash. On modern cars such as the Tesla, however, everything is controlled by touch-screen - and there are a LOT of functions to control. This necessitates not only taking one's eyes off the road, but re-focussing one's eyes, which takes longer as you get older.
Talking of Teslas, don't foget that Tesla in autonomous mode that "didn't see" a white truck & ploughed right into it, killing its 'driver'. I guess it's a case of "When machines fight back".
And I haven't even mentioned Sat-navs (GPS for Colonial readers).
But by far the biggest safety device is located between the ears of the driver. When I was a kid, we could only afford to run old wrecks that were held together with string and wire (zip-ties weren't invented then) & things like brakes were a luxury. You had to learn how to fix them yourself or walk. If you are brought up on vehicles like this, barely road-legal if at all, then you learn how to drive and not get yourself killed in the process, and by the time you eventually graduate to a 'proper' car you are a master of the art of staying alive on the roads.
Kids today have it too easy - the car does everything for them and protects them from the consequences of their own actions. So they never develop that survival instinct.


>> On 8/10/2020 4:24 AM, William Hubbell via VirtualVairs wrote:
>> If your goal is to make a 50+ year car as safe as a modern car, you’re probably in the wrong hobby.
> lol!
>> 

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