Antique car safety..need some help!

[Steve Moskowitz]

John Evans, an AACA member, has a very sincere concern about safety issues surrounding the use of antique cars for show and touring. He would like to work on an article for our magazine but would like help, suggestions, etc. Please contact him directly at JEEnergyAmerica@aol.com This is an interesting and timely topic and I hope many of you will get involved. Thanks in advance.

[HarryJ]

Steve.....First, I think safety is No. 1. In the last ten years safety has improved vastly on automobiles over the previous 100 years. With the advent of air bags, shoulder harnesses, and crumple zones automobile accidents even at high speed has become survivable. In 1997 I collided with another car at over 60mph; the air bag deployed and my shoulder harness kept me in place. I was not injured in the slightest. The automobiles we so dearly enjoy are deadly even in very low speed accidents. Today's roads with today's drivers are a serious safety challange to cars of the past. We are forced to drive faster just to keep up with traffic and to prevent being run down by other drivers, even on back streets and roads. I feel this safety discussion should also be open to comment on this forum. Even though seat belts were not original equipment on autos built prior to the early sixties, they do save lives; and should be seriously considered for retro fit on early cars. I would like to hear others comments on this forum.

[Guest Albert]

I have been driving a 54 Packard for a while now, and quit a few people think this old car is a lot safer, Till I tell them about all the safety problems with a car of this age. The Hard steel dash that would surely make a nice dent in ones forehead if not crack it open. Or the Safety glass that is used in the windshield, how it de laminates and leaves shards of glass like the side glass, unlike the "New" safety glass that breaks into a million small cubes.

Now in the old days we did not have air bags to keep us from smashing our chest against the steering wheel. The steering column would instead impale us, as most do not collapse in a front collision.

Doors would Spring open, NO side impact beams in the doors, Single braking system, lack of seatbelts, maybe get some of the Traffic accident stats from the 40, 50, 60?s and see how they rate with today?s cars,

what would really be interesting to know was the type of injures sustained in some of the early accidents, and the cause of death, i.e. being ejected, impaled , head injuries.

[rgshafto]

No doubt about the fact that old cars are generally quite unsafe compared with new models. There is not a whole lot to be done about the basic engineering/design limitations they come with. Just seeing out of my 3-window coupe is a huge challenge, and steering, braking, etc. are very marginal. Seat belts and halogen lights are two modifications I have made to my cars that offer some safety improvement. I also replaced the original ball and socket steering linkage with bolt together parts.

The more uncontrollable issues are my inability (or unwillingness) to drive at current speeds, hence to keep up with traffic, and my visibility to other drivers. Even with halogen bulbs, my tail lights are small and dim by comparison to new cars. On a rainy night ? such as on my drive to the Bennington VT show last fall ? I'm very vulnerable to someone rear ending me. Nor do many people know what hand signals mean anymore. A turn signal conversion kit would help there, but that's one modification I haven't wanted to make. I do try to pull over to let other cars pass, but that is not always practical either, and can even create a hazard.

I cope by trying to stay to the backroads ? fortunately we still have them in northern New England ? and trying to limit my driving to good weather and daylight hours. The latter is not always possible though, which is when I feel most vulnerable, especially with vacuum wipers and no defroster (RainX and FogX help a lot with that issue).

Finally, keeping the car in top mechanical condition is also a must. Good tires, brakes, etc. are essential.

Fortunately, I've driven my coupe 40 years this month without even a fender bender, but I did have some hairy moments when first learning to drive with it. Fortunately there weren't as many cars on the road then.

BTW, I don't show my cars for points, but find it interesting that if I did, I would lose pts for having halogen bulbs. Since these are a big safety improvement, both for seeing and being seen, perhaps AACA should reconsider this deduction?

[6219_Rules]

My first inclination is to dismiss safety (for myself) as an issue but in fact, it is important. My '47 is safe as far as the car goes but were it involved in an accident, anyone inside would have a far greater chance in being seriously hurt. My '56 will be a lot better but not safer than modern cars...or even my 1977 Eldorado with its collapsable bumpers and fillers, seat harnesses, collapsing steering column etc.

Still, I was involved in a very serious accident in 1997 in a modern (1996) Dodge 2500 diesel with seat belts and air bag. I was nearly killed, and in fact, was irrepairably damaged so by 2000 I was incapable of working. The air bag almost ended my life as it saved me. The seat belts did their job and when present I religiously wear them.

In July of 2003 I was rearended while turning into a side street by a drunk teenager travelling 50 mph (or better). I was driving my 1969 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe...a survivor with my Mom in the back seat and Dad in the passenger seat. We were spun 360 degrees and car totalled but no one was hurt. Mom wasn't sure what had happened. Dad hit his knee (he is 6'6") ...I took the greater proportion of the force. We were wearing our lap belts. Ironically the size, weight and generally strong build of the car protected us. It would have been different in a side impact certainly.

What most people fail to understand is that no matter what speed you are traveling, you are not safe. There are more protections to be sure but the foremost protection is each of us and our driving habits. People are killed everyday in accidents inspite of the safety devices. Were I to continue driving the '47, and certainly with the '56, I will make sure the lights all work and can be seen. Seat belts are a good precaution. Proper and continuing maintenance on brakes and tires should ALWAYS be done. But we should ALL review driving rules for our state. Know what the Right of Way is and drive both defensively as well as politely. Think of the other guy first.

Pay attention and follow the rules. Its hard to do! We live in an incredibly fast paced world with very busy lives. We all have a lot on our minds. But, since I can remember,whether playing cars or driving as an adult, it has always been clear that driving is our first responsibily.

Besides its fun! I love driving. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Twitch]

The oldest car I own was recently purchased. It is not as safe as my 96 El Dorado or any modern car. Anyone that believes a lot of metal surrounding them is safe is wrong. I've used 3 point seat belts since the mid 60s beginning with my 63 Volvo 122S. I have purchased lap belts for the Packard and will install as soon as weather permits.

I know that no club deducts points for seat belts if that is a concern for anyone. Other updates must be looked at on a case by case basis. If you are going to regularly drive an old car it should be as safe as possible. If that means modern split brake master cylinder and brighter lights so be it. If anyone wants totally, totally old time original I believe they should think about trailering their car if they feel unsafe in it.

Driving speeds around town are somewhat less in the Packard but not a crawl either- 45MPH where posted. The same a--holes that go wizzing around and cut you off would be doing it no matter what you were driving. Acceleration is more sedate, akin to a 2 ton truck.

I've toyed with the idea of putting a non-permanent third brake light in the window like new cars have with lots of brightness but not yet. I decided I will not drive in the rain. I've got a heater/defroster but the wipers are the vacuum type= slow and quaint, but so were the ones on my 57 Olds I had in the mid 1960s.

My 73 Camaro and 65 Nova both can and have been repaired more easily than unibody type designs. One can strip off sheetmetal and front clips and rebuild older cars. It's impossible on the new stuff.

Hagerty insurance had a questionaire about older car safety recently that asked lots of leading questions about what is more safe in your classic over your modern car. For my part it's nothing.

I'm not going to fret and go crazy though for 100 or 200 miles a month of driving.