Crash testing old cars vs. new cars

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

@bcsizemo

It’s always interesting that the only test they show is the offset frontal crash.

Good point. I had two cars nearly totaled because of side impact and a rear end collision with an SUV (where bumpers never met because of difference in vehicle height). Fortunately, the side impact was on the passenger side. The second scenario was really a shocker, because the extent of the damage was worse than expected based on the low speed.

[Otherbrother]

I respectfully disagree with a number of your points.

There are absolutely a number of ways to package a truck’s drivetrain such that you don’t need the hood to be 5 feet off the ground, and the current designs have nothing to do with finding space for a V8 on top of an axle. As a mechanical engineer I could delve into some of the packaging details for this but I really don’t need to. Just look at the freaking hoods and terrible forward visibility on the new electric trucks from Ford and Chevy, which have no gas engines up front at all. It was 100% a design choice, not at all driven by misguided safety standards.

And there are still many cars that can tow just about anything short of an enormous 5th wheel trailer. Volvos, Subarus, Mercedes sell wagons that are pretty good and even Chrysler minivans can tow pretty substantial loads. Personally I tow my teardrop trailer around with my Honda Fit.

Undoubtedly there are a few people out there who truly need a powerful truck for towing giant trailers, but they are the small, small minority of truck buyers.

And while I disagree that current rules caused the problem, I do agree that we need to revisit pedestrian safety standards yesterday.. Plenty of countries do a lot better than the US in that regard.

NHTSA Isn't Doing Enough To Protect Us From Giant Trucks

At the heart of the problem is the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the one that results in the star-rating system you hear about on all those car commercials. NCAP does precisely zero assessment related to the safety of a vehicle for those outside the car. It’s all about the people inside the car.

This is not the case in other countries. Since 2016, the European and Japanese NCAP programs have tested pedestrian safety in much the same way they test passenger safety, by slamming the car into stuff with crash test dummies (both child and adult sized, daytime and at night) and seeing what happened. So, too, is there an international standard, established in 2008, to require vehicle bumpers and hoods to have absorption capabilities to limit pedestrian injuries in the event of a crash.

[jaded]

Slide pointed out the silt that shot out of the Bel Air. Could be the thing was fished from a saltwater flood and already corroding at an even more accelerated rate than normal for a Chevy.

But yeah, I totally get you that they’re already rare, and crash testing them certainly won’t increase their numbers.

[knoxblox]

@nixiebunny

That’s backwards. The engine is an air bag for the passengers. Take a look at a newish car that’s been in a front end collision. You will see that the entire contents of the engine compartment act as a shock absorber for the impact, thereby dramatically reducing the stresses on the passenger compartment. This is a significant part of the safety equipment.

Yes, I know. I’m simply wondering if it even came up in meetings.

Of course, in theory it would probably wind up like this:

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

Where were those during my superhuman dodgeball days?!?

[hecep]

@Tickyy

bigger roof posts

This is why (source: consumer reports; Car Rollover 101): A vehicle rollover is among the worst things that can happen to you on the road. Although rollovers occur in only about 3 percent of all serious crashes, they account for about 30 percent of people killed while riding in a passenger vehicle.

[sdmikev]

@nixiebunny

I am one of the few people who drives cars of that vintage as transportation. The video’s main purpose is to scare my wife, who’s extra cognizant of such dangers.
The folks who restore these cars tend to not drive them much. I don’t ‘restore’ so much as ‘maintain’ my old cars. I don’t own a modern car.

Yea, that takes dedication. I do appreciate them. From a distance.
You’ll appreciate one of my neighbor’s cars. Her dad bought it originally in Guam when he was in the military.
The others are also random cars I have photographed while walking the dogs in the neighborhood.

[Doctor_Faustus]

@evadrepus

People in the states can complain about regulations all they want, but look at how these cars for American drivers are designed to basically sacrifice themselves for your safety compared to others

Huh? I don’t quite get what you are trying to say? Are you saying American cars are safer or more heavily regulated than others? Talking about a video featuring a man who explains that it is all down to EU regulations?

[Tickyy]

I’d like a front facing camera in any car/truck I drive. It’s hard in the city to park, and knowing what is inches from you helps. On larger commercial trucks, like cement trucks, front facing cameras should be mandatory.

[Otherbrother]

@Tickyy

On larger commercial trucks, like cement trucks, front facing cameras should be mandatory.

I would say that should depend on the configuration, and cameras may not be the best solution in cases where you can just shift components around. All road vehicles should meet some basic standard on for how much forward visibility they provide, how easily you can see a 3’ tall child or other object that’s a given distance from the front of the vehicle, etc. but some commercial vehicles are already better than many of the private trucks and SUVs they’re selling these days.

Here’s a cement truck with pretty good forward visibility because it’s arranged in a less traditional layout.

And in the Tesla semi truck there’s pretty good forward visibility because there’s a big window and no engine up front.

[Otherbrother]

This is an interesting idea:

Nuro’s new delivery robot will include external airbags for pedestrians

Though I have to wonder what happens to the pedestrian after the airbag deploys.

“Contact with our robot vehicle’s airbag and their subsequent flight through the didn’t injure the pedestrian. It was their unrelated collision with the pavement 40 feet away, for which we assume no liability.”