Quote:
Originally Posted by tasdrouille
Don't you have an E30? Which year was it already?
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If you don't like the message, kill the messenger. Typical extremist response. I'm not the one poopooing this article. If you can afford a newer, safer car, buy it. Its far more important than fuel economy. I certainly didn't buy my 91 318i or my 96 volvo 850 wagon for fuel economy but I make the best of what I have. There are plenty of small safe cars being built today. Buying a geo metro purely because it gets 10 more mpg than the average small car built in the last 5 years is insane.
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/databas...abase=V&type=R
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/databas...abase=V&type=R
Quote:
Originally Posted by roflwaffle
I'd say that as long as a driver is cautious and doesn't hit anything as well as minimizes their chances of getting t-boned, they'll probably be much safer in a couple decade old econobox than they would be in if drove like anyone else in a newer car.
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If it all comes down to cautious driving, why have car makers put so much effort into airbags, brakes, ABS, structural rigidity, stability control, seat belt pretensioners, etc in the last 15 years? I absolutely agree that driving habits are extremely important to over all safety. But even the safest driver won't be able to avoid every accident. While amount of driving has increased by every possible metric over the last 15 years, the fatality rate per number of miles driven, total population, number of vehicles registered and number of drivers has decrease dramatically.
FARS Encyclopedia
Are we supposed to believe that drivers today are that much more cautious and all the technological advancements were a waste of time? I don't think so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbjsw10
What about motorcycles, there Bud? 100x more likely to die in a accident.
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I'm not pushing anyone to ride a motorcycle bud. Certainly not to take their kids to school or commute in stop and go traffic every single day. If you have a point to make about motorcycles, make it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob
Could you tell us more about this new high-strength steel? For the last century, anything affordable traded strength for toughness, and Tough is what counts in a crash. It would not be difficult or expensive to leave more carbon in any steel and harden it to four times the regular strength, but it would shatter like a file on impact.
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No problem.
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