<VV> Seats

[Eric S. Eberhard]

Amen!


At 06:41 PM 8/24/2004, Bill Hubbell wrote:
>Whatever you say, Mr. Keper (I figure if you can drop an "l" from my name, 
>I can do the same to yours).  Buckle yourself into that three point 
>harness and feel safer knowing that the Bozo next to you talking on his 
>cell phone can't possibly penetrate your side-impact air bags.
>
>As for me, I will enjoy my old cars as they were made, and I will drive my 
>new cars just as defensively as I do the older ones.  Human beings weren't 
>made to go 60mph, and we certainly don't fare very well when we go 60 to 
>zero in half a second, and no amount of air bags, dual master cylinders, 
>three point restraints, etc. is going to change that.  Yes, you can always 
>add things that improve the survivability of a crash, but you can never 
>guarantee it, and the idiot drivers out there never seem to realize the 
>latter point, so there will always be fatal accidents as long as there are 
>idiot drivers.
>
>People following too close for conditions/Driving while 
>(Intoxicated/Sleepy/Talking on Phone/Eating/Etc), Driving too fast for 
>conditions/Speeding/Hot Rodding/Etc.
>
>Fact is, there are more drivers on the road now, which also means more 
>stupid drivers.  Also, Driver's training is less intense then it used to 
>be. Your chances of being in an accident are much higher today than they 
>were 40 years ago.
>
>You take a risk every time you get into a car - old or new.  Ralph would 
>have you believe that is unacceptable, and if anything happens to you it 
>must be someone else's fault.  I think otherwise.
>
>Enjoy your 'safety net'.
>
>Bill Hubbell
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "John Kepler" 
><bigjohnohio@worldnet.att.net>
>To: "Bill Hubbell" <whubbell@umich.edu>; "John Miller" 
><jncmiller@mchsi.com>; <virtualvairs@corvair.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 8:12 PM
>Subject: Re: <VV> Seats
>
>
>>.
>>>It is all these people who grew up believing that ol' Ralphie was right
>>when
>>>he said the Corvair and other cars of its generation were inherently
>>unsafe
>>>and needed all this stuff to protect us from ourselves.
>>
>> From ourselves Mr. Hubbel?  Not in this case!  That glass, steel, and
>>concrete are harder than skin, muscle and bone, and the fact that F=1/2 MV^2
>>isn't a political agenda....it's a fact of life!
>>
>>Mr. Hubbel, I've met Mr. Nader up close and personal....spent the better
>>part of 2 hours interviewing him for the newspaper I ran back in the days
>>when we didn't trust anyone over 30!  My reasons for detesting the man are
>>based on a lot more than his impact on Corvairs.  That being said, my
>>contempt for the man doesn't necessary mean he was wrong!  Just remember
>>sir, that my 2100 lb., 110 hp 1966 Corvair Monza has the same miserable
>>drum-brakes that were installed in a 3500 lb. 320 hp Chevelle......those
>>miserable part-time brakes are a PITA in a 'Vair....they convert a Chevelle
>>into a ballistic projectile!  No, while cars of that era have a certain
>>amount of charm and nostalgia in late-middle age.....they were ALL a LOT
>>more hazardous to your health than they could have been!
>>
>>The rest of your statement is in the same logical universe as saying that
>>because Bill Simpson hadn't begun building advanced impact-surviving helmets
>>in 1949, it's unnecessary to wear a helmet when riding a 1949 knucklehead
>>Harley!
>>
>>Fact:  ANY 3-point restraint system works BETTER than a two-point restraint
>>system.....I don't care if it's mounted in a 2004 Ford GT, a 1966 Corvair
>>Monza, or an MTD Lawn Tractor!  Newtonian Physics hasn't changed, and steel
>>and glass was just as hard in 1960 as it is today!  If you can fit a 3-point
>>belt system into a 'Vair, your impact survival chances are significantly
>>improved.
>>
>>FWIW, without anyone EVER saying much about it at the time, the late-model
>>Corvair has some advanced safety features that didn't appear in the rest of
>>the US car fleet for several more years.  It is the first major use of a
>>glued-in windshield...5 years before such things were mandated.  The welded
>>front fenders and bulkheads form significant crush-zones well outside the
>>passenger capsule.  The entire front suspension assembly can deform
>>independent of the rest of the body work  The design of the unibody with the
>>bulk of the structure at the skin of the rocker will improve side impact
>>resistance to near current levels.  The design and engineering safety
>>elements of the car are reflected in the "real world" crash injury numbers
>>for the car.....the little Corvair was a more "survivable" vehicle than it's
>>contemporaries!
>>
>>At least among those I know, being a Libertarian doesn't require one to be
>>completely brain-dead to the realities of engineering and science.
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Eric S. Eberhard
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