News, Why small cars are getting safer. (convertible, SUV, best)

[John1960]

You don't have to look too far into the past to find a time when automakers didn't see car safety as a "selling point." But over the last 30 years, car safety has become a prime factor in the minds of car buyers.

Why small cars are getting safer - CNN.com

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by John1960

You don't have to look too far into the past to find a time when automakers didn't see car safety as a "selling point." But over the last 30 years, car safety has become a prime factor in the minds of car buyers.

Why small cars are getting safer - CNN.com

I remember when we went looking for a new car in 1979. One of the questions we asked was, "What safety features does this car have?"

We received an amazing number of blank stares.

Bought a Saab.

[okie333]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I remember when we went looking for a new car in 1979. One of the questions we asked was, "What safety features does this car have?"

We received an amazing number of blank stares.

Bought a Saab.

lol isn't it amazing how far things have come in terms of safety in a vehicle?

i think safety back then was 3 point harness and commone sense, lol

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by okie333

lol isn't it amazing how far things have come in terms of safety in a vehicle?

i think safety back then was 3 point harness and commone sense, lol

Yeah, the guy at Saab started telling us about crumple zones, rails that forced the engine away from the passenger compartment, a dash designed to minimize knee injuries, etc. We spent a while getting educated and bought.

We still agree it was the "most fun" car we've owned and absolutely the best highway driver. No one knew how to fix it though. Not even the dealer.

My nephew bought a Thunderbird about a month later and kept giving us grief over what we paid for the Saab. 9 years later he was on his third car and we were still driving the Saab. I saw him at his dad's and asked him whatever happened to the POS Tbird and the car after it. Not a word out of him. I still get a chuckle...

[texdav]

Nine year and three car he must abuse them. As far as safesty I still belei9ebve your better off in a truck or large car. Saw a truck that hit a small car again tomight when the car ran a stop sign they said. Car friver DOA;1/2 ton truck driver ;no injury.

[okie333]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Yeah, the guy at Saab started telling us about crumple zones, rails that forced the engine away from the passenger compartment, a dash designed to minimize knee injuries, etc. We spent a while getting educated and bought.

We still agree it was the "most fun" car we've owned and absolutely the best highway driver. No one knew how to fix it though. Not even the dealer.

My nephew bought a Thunderbird about a month later and kept giving us grief over what we paid for the Saab. 9 years later he was on his third car and we were still driving the Saab. I saw him at his dad's and asked him whatever happened to the POS Tbird and the car after it. Not a word out of him. I still get a chuckle...

wait is this a 79 saab you are refering to with crumple zones, if so i had no idea. i have always heard good things about saabs

[okie333]

Originally Posted by texdav

Nine year and three car he must abuse them. As far as safesty I still belei9ebve your better off in a truck or large car. Saw a truck that hit a small car again tomight when the car ran a stop sign they said. Car friver DOA;1/2 ton truck driver ;no injury.

not putting your statement down, but in my opinion a truck isn't neccisarily safer . I know of a camaro that hit a pickup head on and the result was the three men in the pickup died tragically and the older woman in the camaro lived with minor injuries. The combined speed at impact was 100mph. trucks have a higher center of gravity and in an accident head on can be pretty bad, But i agree bigger cars can be safer, some are deadly, it really depends on the car though, im sure you know.

I DD a short wheelbase suv so im in no way putting trucks of any kind down, just stating the obvious but I love the thing and it has more than proved its worth to me.

[jaguar5822]

Originally Posted by texdav

Nine year and three car he must abuse them. As far as safesty I still belei9ebve your better off in a truck or large car. Saw a truck that hit a small car again tomight when the car ran a stop sign they said. Car friver DOA;1/2 ton truck driver ;no injury.

All safety features equal, the heavier a vehicle is, the safer it is. I would not feel safe whatsoever driving a civic or neon with all the large vehicles here in the US. It might be a different story overseas where a lot of people prefer wagon type vehicles instead of SUV's and trucks.

[jaguar5822]

Originally Posted by okie333

not putting your statement down, but in my opinion a truck isn't neccisarily safer . I know of a camaro that hit a pickup head on and the result was the three men in the pickup died tragically and the older woman in the camaro lived with minor injuries. The combined speed at impact was 100mph. trucks have a higher center of gravity and in an accident head on can be pretty bad, But i agree bigger cars can be safer, some are deadly, it really depends on the car though, im sure you know.

I DD a short wheelbase suv so im in no way putting trucks of any kind down, just stating the obvious but I love the thing and it has more than proved its worth to me.

I had a similar collision, although it was with an accord instead of a truck. The front end of my 95 firebird crumpled flat to the front of the wheels, but the dashboard barely moved maybe a quarter inch at most, the doors still opened in fact, and this was on a convertible. The driver of the Accord was injured, the front passenger was not. All I got was a seatbelt bruise and a sore nose from the airbag. The state purchased my car to use as a drunk driving exhibit for DARE I believe, no, neither of us involved were under the influence lol. On the other hand, I would NOT want to be in a camaro during a side impact, it received pretty crappy ratings for that.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by okie333

wait is this a 79 saab you are refering to with crumple zones, if so i had no idea. i have always heard good things about saabs

Yes, Saab was way ahead of the game on safety. I think it was partially because they were made by aircraft engineers who had that mindset.

1979 was the first year for the 900 series, and they were a nice car. That hatchback held a lot of stuff! One of our friends quipped, "If you own a Saab you can be sure you are the only person on your street that does." Held true for the 16 years we owned it.

Handling, comfort, features, visibility all were above average. Too bad they got so expensive that we couldn't justify another one...