Side impact the wrecks seem the deadliest?

[Al]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The only problem here is that if I get hit by one of these modern bloated highway cruisers driven by a distracted driver doing something far more important then paying attention that I'll be nothing more than Spam in a smashed can.

Yea..I have a 2001 Nissan Sentra and a 2008. Forester. The 2001 is pretty much not allowed for the wife.



Quote:
Some of these safety devices are making young drivers feel immortal and immune from the laws of physics

I doubty safety features has anything to do with it its the nature of the youth mentality to think they are immortal.

 

[Whitewolf]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
This frontal and side impact stuff is the same with the human skull. Front impacts are well absorbed. Side impacts are deadly.


That's why I said it. A friend of mine died that way, no other injury but a broken neck.

 

[Nate1979]

A little bit about side air bags:


NHTSA also estimates that, in side-impact crashes involving at least one fatality, nearly 60 percent of those killed have suffered brain injuries.


From:
http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/Air+Bags/Side-Impact+Air+Bags

Looks like they first appeared in 1998 but were rare at that time.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Neck injury wasn't much of an issue for me. My whole upper body flung to the side, taking the force off my neck.

 

[Danno]

Interesting piece on B pillar strength.

Subaru's are noted for exceptional B pillar strength.

Still doesn't solve for zero crush space and side motion injuries such as broken necks.

http://firehouseexpo.com/z-pdf/2012/hand...l-Ron-Moore.pdf

 

[InfmousCornholio]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
I was T-Boned by a lifted Chevy K3500 going 50mph in my old Lincoln Mark VIII. What saved me was the design of the body. In that car, I was sitting essentially directly next to the B-pillar (I'm tall), and the doors were 10 inches thick in some sections, and very structural, being a 2-door coupe with very long doors.

Being a unibody coupe, the B-Pillar was very strong as well.

I had small cuts from the glass (driver's window, and moonroof) shattering all over me, but was otherwise uninjured. My neck, knees, and elbows took their turns alternating between feeling fine, stiff, or hurting like an inglorious b###tard for 2 weeks. I was able to remove myself from the car before EMS arrived.

I was downright amazed at how much of an impact that shell took. That car had no side-impact airbags. It was just put together well, like my no-airbag BMW that allowed me to walk away uninjured from an accident that left the transmission rammed into the back seat.


Very very similar here...1986 GERMAN MADE (WVW) Jetta Deluxe, T-bone drivers side by the last year 1990 Chevrolet Caprice Classic going about 35MPH. I was able to jump out the passenger side.

Many people have told me that if I was driving a Honda Civic, I would be dead or maimed.

Car ran and drove, glass bent not broke (??) After being spun around intersection...

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: zach1900
Mine is also an LE, it has ABS and daytime/auto headlamps, maybe it does have side bags? does yours have a decal denoting them? Speaking of that it seems like some 2000-2001 LEs have DRL lights and some do not, I am guessing the ones that have DRL also have automatic headlamps as well?
I have DRLs and ABS as well. I also have a power driver's seat.

I went out and took this picture, it's of the bottom of the driver's seat.

 

[hansj3]

This thread turned dark, and had me rethinking my choice in vehicles unitil I realized that "[censored] I ride a klr (motorcycle)"...

My gf is a paramedic and a firefighter and has seen a lot.... I'm just greatful she let's me ride

 

[zach1900]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: zach1900
Mine is also an LE, it has ABS and daytime/auto headlamps, maybe it does have side bags? does yours have a decal denoting them? Speaking of that it seems like some 2000-2001 LEs have DRL lights and some do not, I am guessing the ones that have DRL also have automatic headlamps as well?
I have DRLs and ABS as well. I also have a power driver's seat.

I went out and took this picture, it's of the bottom of the driver's seat.

Thanks Nick, mine must not have side airbags, though it does have a power seat, bummer:

 

[RhondaHonda]

I would say rollovers are deadliest if you're keeping score.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: hansj3
This thread turned dark, and had me rethinking my choice in vehicles unitil I realized that "[censored] I ride a klr (motorcycle)"...

My gf is a paramedic and a firefighter and has seen a lot.... I'm just greatful she let's me ride


Nobody "let's me ride". I ride...ifsomeone doesn't like it, they are invited to take a flying leap.

 

[Kawiguy454]

...You know it got more deadly once electric windows were added. That chunk of motor/gerabox is deadly. I was in automotive eng for awhile and worked with engineers designing door beams. The best and strongest ones were never used because they weighed too much or interfered with window mechanisms.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: hansj

My gf is a paramedic and a firefighter and has seen a lot.... I'm just greatful she let's me ride

I'm sure she has a plan "B"

 

[NHGUY]

In the 1969 Highway Safety Film "Highways of Agony" a 1958 Plymouth wagon loaded with 8 people ran an intersection and was t-boned by a box truck.The car was then propelled into a guardrail on the opposite side (drivers side).6 killed.The mother and 5 female daughters were killed instantly the 2 boys survived with painful injuries.The passenger side doors,center pillar and rear quarter were removed in the crash.The 2 rows of bench seats were bent in a "U" fashion as the side impact was also absorbed by the seats.The seatbacks broke and were laid flat. Don't think size alone will save you....the 57 Plymouths as well as all Chrysler wagons were the largest offered on the market at the time.GM cars got slightly larger for 58,but still,you couldn't buy bigger,and 6 of 8 were killed.

 

[Lapham3]

The air bags are good, but the belts need to be used as well. It seems around my rural areas lots of folks won't use their belts. I don't understand that

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Don't think size alone will save you....the 57 Plymouths as well as all Chrysler wagons were the largest offered on the market at the time.GM cars got slightly larger for 58,but still,you couldn't buy bigger,and 6 of 8 were killed.

Its amazing that the mentality of the time pretty much ignored the messages that traffic deaths was sending.

Those in positions to effect safety improvements were in la-la land...sad.

I put seat belts in both our vehicles in 1963 (I was 17 at the time)

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Al
Its amazing that the mentality of the time pretty much ignored the messages that traffic deaths was sending.

It was a long, drawn out process. I had the privilege to speak to one of the top experts in the field of automotive safety and collision analysis a number of years ago. He did up a rather nice history of automotive safety technology up until what was then current.

As an aside, he had a pile of education. He had his MD, his law degree, and his PhD in physics, plus the requisite undergrad work.

 

[xfactor9]

Side airbags are very useful, but it depend on the design too. Some cars have curtain side airbags that descend from the ceiling of the vehicle but they don't extend far enough to protect a short driver's head.

On a related note, if you're the first car sitting at a stop light, when it turns green you should check both ways before proceeding. I've saved myself from getting T-boned a couple of times by doing this