Okay, this is a group of auto enthusiasts and generally
better-than-the-average-bear drivers, at least relative to the bulk of
licensed drivers in the US. Has anyone else found the glaring omission of
a couple of key details from the Firestone/Explorer hype? Namely, a) most,
if not all, of the serious injuries and deaths involved people not wearing
seatbelts, and b) that in somewhere approaching 100% of these
well-publicized wrecks, the driver of the vehicle with the bad tire (I'm
not disputing that tires have delaminated, nor am I apportioning any blame
-- I'll leave that for the "experts") has done exactly the WRONG thing --
standing on the brakes and/or sawing somewhat violently and rather randomly
at the steering wheel -- when the tire goes? There are a lot of people on
this list who have posted tales of tire failures during banzai runs to or
from autocrosses, usually involving trailers, and I can't recall anyone
winding up upside-down in the ditch because of a tire failure.
Even the oft-aired tape of the Explorer with outriggers having a tire
delaminate doesn't show the vehicle's driver lose control -- the driver
doesn't do any sudden, jerky control inputs, just backs off the gas and
eases it down to a stop.
One day, in the USA, we'll have another story similar to this one and
someone will actually suggest that maybe teaching drivers to drive better
and requiring periodic skills re-testing for ALL drivers will greatly
improve everyone's odds of getting to their destination intact, and that
suggestion will be taken seriously and become the focal point of the story.
I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen, though. Too
little acceptance of personal responsibility for one's own actions and
safety out there in the big wide world.
Jim Crider
Standard Disclaimer: This one's entirely my opinion and should not in any
way be connected with any opinion or position held by anyone else including
DaimlerChrysler AG.
|