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Old 05-09-2009, 01:33 PM   #19 (permalink)
aerohead
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speed

Quote:
Originally Posted by TestDrive View Post
I basically agree, but suspect the solution is more complicated than a single change. In the case of better drivers, the question is what laws/regulations should be enacted to produce them.



Awareness is the crux of the matter, but may be the most difficult change to implement.

The later half of the report had some similar suggestions regarding speed.


Nobody in this thread has mentioned it thus far, but I also find this portion of the report agreeable.
TestDrive,I've worked this last week compiling data from my archive.The task of isolating speed as a single variable with respect to "safety" has been fraught with many challenges.-------------- While speed is a critical factor,it's role is not taken in a universally-referenced datum.There is a lot of room to "cook the books" when using speed or any other variable in discussions of crash safety,and it must be continually considered within a context.------------- You would be interested in "Physics and Automobile Safety Belts," published by U.S.Dept.of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Administration,available from U.S.Govt.Printing Office.Mine is a 1977 printing,$1.90.It's a 73-page pamphlet and has all the Physics used by investigators,both in the lab and field investigations and reconstructions of actual vehicle collisions.------------- The treasure-trove is "International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles",Report,published each year by U.S.DOT and NHTSA.I don't have anything more current than 1986 and it runs to 1,218 pages.------------- Inside the 1986 printing is a study which mirrors the piece shared by Doax: "Car Size and Safety:Results From Analyzing U.S.Accident Data",by Leonard Evans,Transportation Research Dept.,General Motors Research Labs.,9-pages.From the Abstract,in a single-car crash,the unbelted driver of a 900 kg car is about 2.6 times more likely to be killed as is the unbelted of an 1,800 kg car.------- For Two-car crashes,the driver of a 900 kg car crashing into another 900 kg car is about 2.0 times as likely to be seriously or fatally injured as is the driver of an 1,800 kg car.When a 900 kg car and a 1,800 kg car crash head-on,the driver of the 900 kg car is about 14 times as likely to be killed as the driver of the 1,800 kg car.The actual number of drivers killed in small-car crashes is "paradoxically",less than for the large-car crashes when normalized for numbers of cars and driver age.------- The data set included all fatal traffic crashes since Jan. 1,1975.---------------- A 1977 study concluded that cars are not unsafe simply because they were small(light).Small cars had no higher frequency of serious or fatal injury.In California,where 40% of cars are "small" traffic fatalities were down 22% in 1974,and 16% in 1975.-------- In 1985,in the 35-mph crash barrier test,the GM Pontiac Fiero scored the highest crash safety score ever achieved.------ At 2,000 pounds,the Fiero was safer than Cadillac Seville,Volvo 760,Mercury Cougar,Ford LTD,Dodge 600,Ford Thunderbird,Mercedes 300SL,Mercury Marquis, Chrysler LeBaron,Oldsmobile 98,Chevy Impala amd Lincoln Continental.---------- Auto design and safety gear continues to evolve.Seatbelt use remains below 100%(my aunt's physician killed herself in a single-car rollover because she couldn't be bothered wearing her 3-point safety belt).Drunk driving,substance abuse,fatigue,glare,cell-phones,GPS,i-phones,car audio,hair care,cosmetics,etc.remain factors.---------- 60% of collisions in N.Y.City are at "controlled" intersections.Traffic light synchronization isn't even mentioned by "safety" engineers,except for oblique comments about "planning."--------- It's a can of worms.-------- Out of respect to MetroMpg I won't even say what I think about it all.---------- Speed limits are a highly politicized issue.Countless special interest groups are involved.Regulators,lobbyists,American Trial Lawyers,oil and car industry-funded "consumer" interest groups,State treasuries,federal treasury,Pentagon,State Dept.,EPA------- it just goes on and on.Easily a masters thesis or doctoral dissertation.
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