Vintage Morgan rear ends SUV caught on video you can see these old cars do not take impacts well

[Mark Gregory]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7175493/Morgan-driver-smashes-stationary-car-A5-70mph.html

Shocking moment a vintage sports car ploughs into the back of an SUV at 70mph as traffic slows down for a roundabout

• Driver of Morgan car was travelling down the A5 near Telford, in Shropshire 
• He smashed his open-top vehicle into rear of Audi, occupied by two NHS doctors
• One of them, Dr Syd Hasan, 31, said the driver was 'sweaty and pale' and that he said 'something about satnav' and 'looking up too late'
• Vintage car driver was treated at scene for injuries not believed to be serious before being taken to hospital for further assessment 

 

[jackofalltrades70]

Distracted driving consequences. 

[padgett]

Surprised the SUV noticed. OTOH if going to hit something is best to have doctors handy.

[md murray]

knocked his little morgan hat clean off

[Restorer32]

In 1967 I was hit head on in an accident. I was driving my Bug Eyed Sprite. Other driver, a wanted felon on the run in a stolen car,  was driving a full size Chevy. As luck would have it my family Doctor was in the next car behind me and stopped to help. At least that Morgan driver realized what was happening and locked up the brakes,  even if it was a bit late.

[CHuDWah]

I wouldn't know a vintage Morgan if it bit me, but comments under the article say it was a 2018.

 

Quote

the driver was 'responsive initially' but then became 'sweaty and pale'

 

Probably when the reality hit.  Dad had a serious accident but fortunately was not injured.  He drove the damaged vehicle home and calmly told us about the incident.  Mom exclaimed, "You could have been killed!"  He said that's when it hit him - he nearly collapsed.

[Matt Harwood]

Not that it makes much difference, but that was a fairly late-model Morgan not a vintage one. Same construction as ancient Morgans, but considerably faster. I don't know if they're required to include any updated crash protection. Nevertheless, someone wasn't paying attention, and that's by far your #1 safety device on the road in any old car.

[1935Packard]

12 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

Not that it makes much difference, but that was a fairly late-model Morgan not a vintage one. Same construction as ancient Morgans, but considerably faster. I don't know if they're required to include any updated crash protection. Nevertheless, someone wasn't paying attention, and that's by far your #1 safety device on the road in any old car.

 

I wondered about the crash protection, too.  Googling around suggests that new cars can't be sold without the usual crash protection, although manufacturers can get around that by selling the cars without engines so that technically they are not yet cars at all.  That seems to be what happens if you want to order a new Morgan in the U.S.    Also, there is a recent law, the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015, that will let companies sell a small number of vintage-style cars in the U.S. without satisfying modern safety standards.  But that wil only happen when NHTSA gets its act together, and it sounds like they haven't passed the regulations to let it happen.

 

UPDATE:  Good story on this issue here, focused on the Morgan:   https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/08/14/some-assembly-required-new-morgan-sports-cars-are-coming-to-america/

Edited June 25, 2019 by 1935Packard (see edit history)