[Healeys] "No, they don't make them like they used to. And that's a good thing:"

[insptwo at msn.com]

I remember, back in the early 50's, people being impaled by the steering
column when the wheel broke away.

Bill

BJ7

> From: ynotink at msn.com
> To: drmasucci at comcast.net; healeys at autox.team.net
> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:06:08 +0000
> Subject: Re: [Healeys] "No, they don't make them like they used to. And
that's a good thing:"
>
> An 80 MPH closing speed means both vehicles were traveling at 40 MPH.
That's
> not all that fast. Colliding with another vehicle instead of an immovable
> object would lessen the impact due to the structural collapse of both
> vehicles. The newer car is stiffer and has structural elements that channel
> the forces away from the passenger compartment. It also had functional air
> bags that absorbed the force of the passenger's body to mitigate injury.
The
> foot injury would likely be caused by collapse of the wheel well/footwell
> structure, which is a common weak point. The rider in the older car
basically
> turns into a projectile and is at the mercy of the designers of the car. In
> the 50s hard surfaces and sharp objects were quite common in automobile
> interiors.
> Take a look at the steering column on your Healey. Now if that's not an
> incentive to drive it responsibly...
> Bill Lawrence