Re: [AMC-list] Safety Weinie

[Marc Montoni <Freedom@xxxxxxxx>]

tom jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx> said:

>If you want to talk real safety, the thing to do is to start with what race
>> cars get.  A sturdy roll cage, 5-point belt, helmet, etc.  The reason race
>> car drivers often walk way from 150-mph crashes has less to do with fancy
>> technology than it does with old-fashioned stiffening.
>>
>>
>Yeah -- that stuff is plain old put up and shut up -- "I don't want to die!"
>-- and you're right, it involves none of that "passive" stuff like airbags.


Passive restraints are seat belts; active restraints are air bags (something that reacts in a crash to minimize damage to the carbon units in the passenger compartment.

I like the "Cannoli" active restraint in the movie "Demolition Man".  The star character (Stallone) drives the fancy futuristic Saturn looking thing into an immovable object, and the "active restraint" system fills the passenger compartment.  After breaking out of it, Stallone says something like "What happened?  The car just turned into a Cannoli!"


>But keep in mind, race car drivers are strapped into exceedingly customized
>seats and suits and special shoes an in-suit HVAC and all that.


Yep.  But the thread started out about the effectiveness of various safety measures one could add to an older car.  I suspect a roll cage, decent seats to keep occupants in place (as opposed to factory bench seats that allow you to slide anywhere in the car), 5-point belts, and helmets would probably make car travel about as bulletproof as it can reasonably get.


>Passenger
>cars have to assume no one's wearing a seat belt, are sitting on big fluffy
>chairs, kids and dogs and junk in there.


Agreed.

Someone mentioned beer.  I'm wondering how many accidents were due to people spilling drinks and trying to catch or recover the drink.  Ergo, even the five dozen cupholders modern cars come with could probably be considered a "safety feature".  <snicker>....

---------

As an aside, I always thought since driver behavior is the #1 main factor in crashes, maybe the one reform that would actually work to improve safety would be to move the driver all the way forward, to in front of the front bumper.  A plexiglass bubble, or something, with all driver controls.  I think you'd see an immediate end to tailgating, which is the 2nd main cause of crashes (after failure to yield).



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MARC MONTONI
Richmond VA
http://FreeVirginia.blogspot.com/
Freedom.  Responsibility.  www.LP.org 
Cu vi parolas Esperanton?
I'd rather push a Rambler than drive a Toyota.
Visit www.AMCRC.com or www.AMONational.com .
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