Do we really need all that safety stuff?

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If I drove a school bus, I wouldn't wear a seatbelt either.

The driver is belted in but the passengers aren't.


https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...20seat%20belts

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Breathing causes Cancer.

Then there's my horrible addiction to Dihydrogen Monoxide. I've tried stopping, but the withdrawal can kill you in days. There aren't any treatments available.

[Xist]

I'm H2O intolerant!

When I learned to drive a school bus, they always emphasized situational awareness (once I joined the Army, I forgot civilian terms), because if we needed to slam on our brakes, we very well might not be able to stop in time. We had a driver suspended because a woman cut him off and slammed on her brakes. He could not stop in time. There were times that a light turned yellow and I left a skid mark going through the intersection. The big trucks that I drove did not have good stopping distance, either.

They always said that school buses are safer without seatbelts, but if the students are properly seated, they will be bouncing off a padded seatback, instead of flying into the steering wheel and windshield. However, accidents involving school buses are not limited to hitting something at the 12 o'clock, or something hitting our six; if something side-swipped us, the passenger would be bouncing off of each other and the opposite side. With the high center of gravity, there were many more possibilities to contemplate.

My district only had "transit-style" buses, where the engine was next to the driver--nice and warm, whether you want it or not. Loud, too. I always thought that I might like a nice and large engine compartment between myself and an equal and opposite force instead of, in my case, a metal dashboard.

[Hersbird]

I don't mind the safety features I just don't have think the government should mandate them. I think the consumer should be allowed to choose their own level of perceived safety.

[Fat Charlie]

They do. That's why we have SUVs, because they're safer.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Altough it seems negligible, seatbelts and airbags do add some weight and, considering airbags and pre-tensioning seatbelts, some complexity that seems a little too much for me. I wouldn't mind if I could have lap-belts in a new car for a lower cost instead of 3-point belts, and considering that American school buses don't have seatbelts but are still deemed the safest terrestrial vehicles in the world would we really need airbags and seatbelts?

"Need"?

How many of those safety devices are found on a typical motorcycle?

[wickydude]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Altough it seems negligible, seatbelts and airbags do add some weight and, considering airbags and pre-tensioning seatbelts, some complexity that seems a little too much for me. I wouldn't mind if I could have lap-belts in a new car for a lower cost instead of 3-point belts, and considering that American school buses don't have seatbelts but are still deemed the safest terrestrial vehicles in the world would we really need airbags and seatbelts?

In which car would you rather be during a crash?
http://youtu.be/d7iYZPp2zYY

[RunningStrong]

TopGear UK had a short, but relevant test on this weeks episode. They wanted to see how fast a common car, the Vauxhall Insignia, would need to be travelling to require the full stopping distance (315 feet) at 70 mph.

The answer? 112 mph. That's a huge increase in Kinetic Energy over 70 mph.

People also seem to neglect that you can't always avoid an accident. You might avoid hitting the stopped car in front, but the person behind might not avoid hitting you!

A 500kg car would stop in far less distance than a 1000kg one, and if you consider that 5 metres of stopping distance is the difference between stopping safely and having a severe accident, it's hard to say that safety technology does anything more than make you feel safe (which probably makes you less safe).

A 500 kg car, with weaker, low-assistance brakes and a smaller contact patch would probably struggle to match a modern 1000 kg car.

And let's not forget, some of these systems do the braking for you. Automatically. My friend believes his Merc's auto-brake actually avoided an almost inevitable accident because it was able to apply the brakes harder and faster than most drivers.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Altough it seems negligible, seatbelts and airbags do add some weight and, considering airbags and pre-tensioning seatbelts, some complexity that seems a little too much for me. I wouldn't mind if I could have lap-belts in a new car for a lower cost instead of 3-point belts, and considering that American school buses don't have seatbelts but are still deemed the safest terrestrial vehicles in the world would we really need airbags and seatbelts?

Do air bags or belt tensioners or or other safety stuff like ABS add all that much weight or complexity these days ? I'm seeing cars getting better MPG, lower emissions and lower deaths all round. These systems are not Rocket Science (or worse, tax code) complex. Removing them would be a very backwards step.

[gone-ot]

Complexity? Yes, all that computer control!
Weight? Yes, but not a huge amount.
Cost? YE$, too damn much!