Remember that a lot of guidelines were laid down when the average vehicle was rolling on 6.70-15 bias plys and had four wheel drum brakes.
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But remember also that most people have been driving 20 feet off the rear bumper of other cars at 70mph on the highway since the bias ply days and still do. In an emergency, that's the difference between dead and deader.
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While stopping distances and such have decreased, most people don't know, never did, and never will drive within whatever the handling limits of their vehicle are. Most of them don't even understand what a "good handling" car is compared to a "poor handling" car unless you have them drive the two back to back. The only thing better handling and smaller, faster stopping cars have done for the average joe is to help him out when he panics and maybe save his butt with superior performance for a few seconds when it counts - but it has nothing to do with average joe realizing what the car will do.
The average joe counts on his air bags to save his butt these days.
"Road Safety" to cagers is all about their own post-crash survival. -- zk
I agree with that statement 100%. (see, I don't always bust your balls.) I shake my head at people who look at my little 944 and ask me how I can drive such an "unsafe" vehicle when it likely handles and brakes (but accelerate, eh, not so much) orders of magnitude better than whatever they drive. I don't know and don't really care how it would fare in a crash, because I'd rather avoid it altogether.
However, a simple survey of radio, TV, and/or print ads touting the safety features of various new cars will show that passive safety is what is being pushed (and presumably what the majority of consumers are looking for) while only a few manufacturers are touting active safety features, Subaru being one that immediately comes to mind.
> Remember that a lot of >guidelines were laid down when the average vehicle was rolling on >6.70-15 bias plys and had four wheel drum brakes.
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But remember also that most people have been driving 20 feet off the rear bumper of other cars at 70mph on the highway since the bias ply days and still do. In an emergency, that's the difference between dead and deader.
Quoted message said:
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While stopping distances and such have decreased, most people don't know, never did, and never will drive within whatever the handling limits of their vehicle are. Most of them don't even understand what a "good handling" car is compared to a "poor handling" car unless you have them drive the two back to back. The only thing better handling and smaller, faster stopping cars have done for the average joe is to help him out when he panics and maybe save his butt with superior performance for a few seconds when it counts - but it has nothing to do with average joe realizing what the car will do.
Quoted message said:
The average joe counts on his air bags to save his butt these days.
Quoted message said:
"Road Safety" to cagers is all about their own post-crash survival. -- zk
I agree with that statement 100%. (see, I don't always bust your balls.) I shake my head at people who look at my little 944 and ask me how I can drive such an "unsafe" vehicle when it likely handles and brakes (but accelerate, eh, not so much) orders of magnitude better than whatever they drive. I don't know and don't really care how it would fare in a crash, because I'd rather avoid it altogether.
However, a simple survey of radio, TV, and/or print ads touting the safety features of various new cars will show that passive safety is what is being pushed (and presumably what the majority of consumers are looking for) while only a few manufacturers are touting active safety features, Subaru being one that immediately comes to mind.
nate
Forgot to add, the best active safety device is still the nut behind the wheel. I'd feel safer in a clapped out pickup truck with Vic Elford driving than I would with the average DC-area motorist driving a new Volvo. Eyes, ears, reflexes, and most importantly grey matter are the most important safety devices there are - something that a lot of people don't understand.
> N8N <[email hidden]> wrote: >> Remember that a lot of >> guidelines were laid down when the average vehicle was rolling on >> 6.70-15 bias plys and had four wheel drum brakes.
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still me <[email hidden]> wrote: > But remember also that most people have been driving 20 feet off the > rear bumper of other cars at 70mph on the highway since the bias ply > days and still do. In an emergency, that's the difference between dead > and deader. > While stopping distances and such have decreased, most people don't > know, never did, and never will drive within whatever the handling > limits of their vehicle are. Most of them don't even understand what a > "good handling" car is compared to a "poor handling" car unless you > have them drive the two back to back. The only thing better handling > and smaller, faster stopping cars have done for the average joe is to > help him out when he panics and maybe save his butt with superior > performance for a few seconds when it counts - but it has nothing to > do with average joe realizing what the car will do.
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Zoot Katz said:
The average joe counts on his air bags to save his butt these days. "Road Safety" to cagers is all about their own post-crash survival.
N8N said:
Quoted message said:
I agree with that statement 100%. (see, I don't always bust your balls.) I shake my head at people who look at my little 944 and ask me how I can drive such an "unsafe" vehicle when it likely handles and brakes (but accelerate, eh, not so much) orders of magnitude better than whatever they drive. I don't know and don't really care how it would fare in a crash, because I'd rather avoid it altogether. However, a simple survey of radio, TV, and/or print ads touting the safety features of various new cars will show that passive safety is what is being pushed (and presumably what the majority of consumers are looking for) while only a few manufacturers are touting active safety features, Subaru being one that immediately comes to mind.
N8N moreover said:
Forgot to add, the best active safety device is still the nut behind the wheel. I'd feel safer in a clapped out pickup truck with Vic Elford driving than I would with the average DC-area motorist driving a new Volvo. Eyes, ears, reflexes, and most importantly grey matter are the most important safety devices there are - something that a lot of people don't understand.
All my near-misses this year have been by cel-phone-impaired idiots. So far I haven't been killed. Only by dumb luck. -- Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971
