Average US fuel economy, getting better but still bad.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by euromodder

In a crash they are deathtraps by any definition.

Using numbers from the post above, in 1960 there were 50 fatalities per billion miles driven. Assuming I might have driven 10,000 miles that year (if I'd had a license back then), that makes my odds of dying in auto crash about 1 in 2000, vs about 1 in 6500 today. Either way, hardly a deathtrap.

Now if we want to do some comparisions, there's plenty of information on the odds of dying from various causes. Here's one The Odds of Dying | LiveScience which gives the odds of dying from heart disease as 1 in 5, from cancer as 1 in 7, but from motor vehicle accidents as 1 in 100. So if you're really concerned about safety, the best course would seem to be to quit worrying about the car. Instead, toss the chips & dip, quit smoking, and get up off the couch and get some exercise :-)

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Using numbers from the post above, in 1960 there were 50 fatalities per billion miles driven. Assuming I might have driven 10,000 miles that year (if I'd had a license back then), that makes my odds of dying in auto crash about 1 in 2000, vs about 1 in 6500 today. Either way, hardly a deathtrap.

It's not really about the odds you might get killed in a car crash.
It's all about your odds surviving a car crash whenever you get involved in one.

The Odds of Dying | LiveScience which gives the odds of dying from heart disease as 1 in 5, from cancer as 1 in 7,

That's because we grow ever older - only to die from conditions that take longer to develop.

We all die, eventually. No way around that.

but from motor vehicle accidents as 1 in 100.

Over here, suicide and traffic accidents are the main causes of death among young people.

Reduce these, and you'll get more people dying of longer-term diseases later on in life.

Instead, toss the chips & dip, quit smoking, and get up off the couch and get some exercise :-)

Smoking keeps away Parkinson's, while getting some exercise might actually kill you because of a heart condition

[Frank Lee]

I thought the odds of dying in a motor vehicle accident were more like 1:1,000,000. (warning: not gonna go look it up again)

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I thought the odds of dying in a motor vehicle accident were more like 1:1,000,000. (warning: not gonna go look it up again)

Depends on how you want to calculate the odds.

2000 transportation fatalities: 41,945
2000 population: 281,421,906

So during the year 2000, 1 in every 6,709 Americans died in a motor accident.
During 2009, 1 in every 11,300 Belgians died in a traffic accident.

Those are the individual odds / year.

[Rusty Marina]

Cars back then could not handle, or brake at all (drum brakes). You had bias ply tires and people did not wear seat belts and even those were options. Very little safety equipment and padded dashes were even optional.
Seems like a comparison of apples and oranges.

[Frank Lee]

My vehicles with drum brakes can put your head into the windshield. What more do you want?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Rusty Marina

Cars back then could not handle...

Depends on the car. Ever driven a '60s-vintage Austin-Healey? Or '50s vintage Sunbeam Alpine or Jaguar?

[Frank Lee]

^ Yeah, those vs the typical "car" today: a ponderous SUV or PU. Don't get me wrong, my F150 rides really nice, but it ain't quick and responsive.

[Rusty Marina]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

My vehicles with drum brakes can put your head into the windshield. What more do you want?

When my old Ford pickups brakes got wet, forget about stopping

[Frank Lee]

Haven't had that happen from rain or puddles. Must have been from fjording the ford?