I think it’s fair to say that people everywhere are losing trust – trust in the media, in our partisan and corrupted politics, in scientists, experts and even in capitalism itself. According to the Edelman Corporation, which runs an annual ‘Trust Barometer‘ based on the views of people in 28 countries, only one in five feels that the current system is working for them, and the one thing that unites people worldwide is an urgent desire for change.
Something is not right! But while it can be tempting the throw the baby out with the bathwater and do something extreme (like electing dishonest and buffoonish leaders, for example), it is worth remembering that in many ways the system does work, and it has raised the living standards of billions around the world.
Image credits: uzumaki2810
Take this story, posted on the subreddit r/MurderedByWords, for example.
After someone posted a photo of a modern car, crumpled and in pieces after having crashed into a sturdy, seemingly undamaged older model, one Tumblr user lamented the passing of good old American steel in modern car manufacturing. Apparently, fiberglass is to blame.
Not to be outdone, this lactating left-winger went all the way and stated that the modern-day phenomenon of fragile, crumpling cars is just another symptom of the failure of capitalism. This is the logical conclusion to any problem these days, isn’t it?
No.
Happily, someone with a better understanding of the issue entered the scene and put the misguided Marxist firmly in their place. Safety advancements in automobile technology have come along massively in recent years, and are getting better still thanks to research and investment.
Post: busted. Experts like these are handy resources to have, aren’t they? Perhaps if we had more trust in experts and scientists in general, we would all be in a better place right now!
What do you think? Has a good car safety design ever saved your life? Do you believe in the concept of planned obsolescence? Is capitalism to blame for everything? Let us know in the comments below!
Here’s how people reacted to the exchange
I work since 15 years in car development. I worked for Daimler, Ford, BMW and Audi. This is one of the main aspects I also always advocate for. There is a reason why modern cars don't look so "cool" like old cars. We have modern safety regulations. Sharp edges will harm pedestrians. That's why they are illegal. We need space for airbags. That's why A-Pillars are much wider then at old cars. And we have areas that should deform to take the major force of an impact. That's why it looks sometimes like we build cardhouses. But it is working as intended. It cost a lot of lives to learn enough to build modern cars. Don't make this lives wasted and do also your part. Keep a modest speed, keep a modest distance to the car in front of you and use your seatbelt :)
Thanks for this. I often tell people that the reason not to speed isn't about how fast you can DRIVE, it's how fast you can STOP.
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I’m reminded of World War I. The British Army upgraded from cloth caps to metal helmets but saw more head injuries than before. They couldn’t figure out why until someone realized those extra injuries would have been deaths earlier.
Having been in an accident that pretty much took the front end off my car I can say that I am grateful to modern cars for their safety features. Car was a write off but I was not injured.
Me too. I've totalled two cars in my lifetime - the first time I was in a 1990 Chevy sports car. I'm very tiny so I was fine but could have been very injured. The second time I was in a 2004 Mitsubishi SUV. The front end basically imploded but I had not a bruise or a scratch on me.
Load More Replies...
Nostalgia for the past is a common human delusion. The good old days weren't. We have an old sumerian tablet from ca. 3000 BC, some of the earliest writing known, saying that nowdays the young don't care for the gods, rulers are corrupt, etc., etc. - unlike in the good old days.
I think this phenomenon is linked to the "grass is always greener on the other side" kind of thinking. I believe, if we had a time machine, we'd be disappointed at how little difference there is between our environmental mood and theirs. The "good old days" look good just because of PR and happy childhoods.
Load More Replies...
Yup. It's true that older cars will survive in some crashes that newer ones won't. The cars will. The passengers won't. Nowadays, we are aware that the cars can be replaced, but the people can't.
It’s simple thinking like that that gets people being like it the world is getting hotter then how is it snowing smartass?!
One thing that wasn’t mentioned about new cars is that, in addition to the reinforced passenger are and the car body designed to absorb an impact, they’re also equipped with airbags, which will provide a backup to seatbelts as well as an extra cushion for the driver and passengers. Remember, seatbelts were only introduced in the 1960s, when they were merely lap belts. Shoulder belts came along in the 1980s, and mandatory seat belt use didn’t go into effect until the 1990s—-or later in some states. In an older car, regardless of how much of a “tank” it was, if there was enough of the right kind of force during an impact, without a seat belt or airbag you risked being thrown around the interior like a pinball, crushed by the steering column, or thrown through the jagged glass of the windshield—-which was not made of shatterproof safety glass (which Ralph Nader advocated for back in the mid-1960s, in addition to installing seatbelts as standard equipment, and other safety features).
this is absolutely true, as the manager of a trauma center I know that all data on every single trauma is entered into a national database which is used to engineer better products to prevent serious injury or death. That is why cars are built with breakaway engine mounts so that the engine drops to the ground in a front end collision - yes it may still intrude into the passenger compartment but it will break legs instead of crushing the chest and abdomen in a fatal way. That is also where airbags and side curtain airbags came from - looking at the data of how people die. There is a reason why cars are built the way they are now and that seatbelts are required by law - to protect people in a crash - as long as you stay in the car, fatalities are low.
Love old cars, they looked cool and had style. But 50,000 miles was high milage, they rusted out from underneath you, and tires were good for about 10 miles. Not to mention plugs and points that had to be replaced every time you went around the block. Oh yeah, carburetors with all those adjustments that nobody understood.
There is also special steel made only for the crumple zones, I wrote about it in my studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWIP_steel Twinning-Induced Plasticity steel becomes stronger during deformation, thanks to which it absorbs the impact energy very well and is used on the crumple zones of the car.
Modern cars last long too if you (and everyone else) ride responsibly and adhere to the safety rules (regular vehicle maintenance included), so what's the big deal? If you're in an accident, your car is gonna break regardless of when it was built, and all that will matter is who survived and who got injured.
Exacly. Modern cars are built to break up on (serious) impact to protect the passangers, while old cars were often death traps. For that matter, new technology means today's Mazda is more convenient and luxurious car to drive than a 1970s Rolce Royce. Of course the same is true in many cases such as, for example, each of us having a smartphone that would seem like literal magic or science fiction in the 1970s.
But you know that, even if it survived the crash intact, there would be other stresses that you can’t see. Things like crack(s) in the engine block, damage to the gas tank, a bent frame, or something else that could get worse over time and result in another, potentially fatal, accident down the road.
Load More Replies...
The guy named Guy (pun NOT intended, and I mean the account name), and the picture he posted - three of those people were from the White Rabbit Project! Completely random thought.
But in America, cars are more valued than people so I understand where this guy was coming from. The almighty dollar rules all, and all he can think about is his car and his wallet. THAT we can thank capitalism for.
The one thing that was better about older cars was they usually didn't have a 16in wide spot in the car blocking your view. So, you're more likely to get into an accident in a newer car for that reason. But you're more likely to survive the accident in the newer car. Not sure which one is better on the balance, but probably the newer cars still are. But something has to be done about the walls blocking the view in the newer cars. I almost hit a pedestrian in my work parking ramp every 1-2 months because of it, no matter how careful I try to be.
Soooooooo ... I'm the only one wondering if people actually use the word "gobsmacked?" ... OK ...
The back end of that '59 Bel Air looks like it's just so danged PERTURBED, dag nabbit!
Usually the front part will be squishy to absorb the impact, the sides and rear will have stronger build to protect the passengers.
That is not correct. Only the inner part of the cabin ist reinforced. The complete front AND rear end are only there to take the force and get deformed. Also the outer part of the doors has a frame for deformation. But obviously you do not have enough space to be as protected against side impacts as against front or rear ones. Cars don't get hit only from the front ;)
Load More Replies...
It’s as bad as someone seeing an article about cars crumpling and getting offended. Find a safe space and cry
Load More Replies... I work since 15 years in car development. I worked for Daimler, Ford, BMW and Audi. This is one of the main aspects I also always advocate for. There is a reason why modern cars don't look so "cool" like old cars. We have modern safety regulations. Sharp edges will harm pedestrians. That's why they are illegal. We need space for airbags. That's why A-Pillars are much wider then at old cars. And we have areas that should deform to take the major force of an impact. That's why it looks sometimes like we build cardhouses. But it is working as intended. It cost a lot of lives to learn enough to build modern cars. Don't make this lives wasted and do also your part. Keep a modest speed, keep a modest distance to the car in front of you and use your seatbelt :)
Thanks for this. I often tell people that the reason not to speed isn't about how fast you can DRIVE, it's how fast you can STOP.
Load More Replies... I’m reminded of World War I. The British Army upgraded from cloth caps to metal helmets but saw more head injuries than before. They couldn’t figure out why until someone realized those extra injuries would have been deaths earlier.
Having been in an accident that pretty much took the front end off my car I can say that I am grateful to modern cars for their safety features. Car was a write off but I was not injured.
Me too. I've totalled two cars in my lifetime - the first time I was in a 1990 Chevy sports car. I'm very tiny so I was fine but could have been very injured. The second time I was in a 2004 Mitsubishi SUV. The front end basically imploded but I had not a bruise or a scratch on me.
Load More Replies... Nostalgia for the past is a common human delusion. The good old days weren't. We have an old sumerian tablet from ca. 3000 BC, some of the earliest writing known, saying that nowdays the young don't care for the gods, rulers are corrupt, etc., etc. - unlike in the good old days.
I think this phenomenon is linked to the "grass is always greener on the other side" kind of thinking. I believe, if we had a time machine, we'd be disappointed at how little difference there is between our environmental mood and theirs. The "good old days" look good just because of PR and happy childhoods.
Load More Replies... Yup. It's true that older cars will survive in some crashes that newer ones won't. The cars will. The passengers won't. Nowadays, we are aware that the cars can be replaced, but the people can't.
It’s simple thinking like that that gets people being like it the world is getting hotter then how is it snowing smartass?!
One thing that wasn’t mentioned about new cars is that, in addition to the reinforced passenger are and the car body designed to absorb an impact, they’re also equipped with airbags, which will provide a backup to seatbelts as well as an extra cushion for the driver and passengers. Remember, seatbelts were only introduced in the 1960s, when they were merely lap belts. Shoulder belts came along in the 1980s, and mandatory seat belt use didn’t go into effect until the 1990s—-or later in some states. In an older car, regardless of how much of a “tank” it was, if there was enough of the right kind of force during an impact, without a seat belt or airbag you risked being thrown around the interior like a pinball, crushed by the steering column, or thrown through the jagged glass of the windshield—-which was not made of shatterproof safety glass (which Ralph Nader advocated for back in the mid-1960s, in addition to installing seatbelts as standard equipment, and other safety features).
this is absolutely true, as the manager of a trauma center I know that all data on every single trauma is entered into a national database which is used to engineer better products to prevent serious injury or death. That is why cars are built with breakaway engine mounts so that the engine drops to the ground in a front end collision - yes it may still intrude into the passenger compartment but it will break legs instead of crushing the chest and abdomen in a fatal way. That is also where airbags and side curtain airbags came from - looking at the data of how people die. There is a reason why cars are built the way they are now and that seatbelts are required by law - to protect people in a crash - as long as you stay in the car, fatalities are low.
Love old cars, they looked cool and had style. But 50,000 miles was high milage, they rusted out from underneath you, and tires were good for about 10 miles. Not to mention plugs and points that had to be replaced every time you went around the block. Oh yeah, carburetors with all those adjustments that nobody understood.
There is also special steel made only for the crumple zones, I wrote about it in my studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWIP_steel Twinning-Induced Plasticity steel becomes stronger during deformation, thanks to which it absorbs the impact energy very well and is used on the crumple zones of the car.
Modern cars last long too if you (and everyone else) ride responsibly and adhere to the safety rules (regular vehicle maintenance included), so what's the big deal? If you're in an accident, your car is gonna break regardless of when it was built, and all that will matter is who survived and who got injured.
Exacly. Modern cars are built to break up on (serious) impact to protect the passangers, while old cars were often death traps. For that matter, new technology means today's Mazda is more convenient and luxurious car to drive than a 1970s Rolce Royce. Of course the same is true in many cases such as, for example, each of us having a smartphone that would seem like literal magic or science fiction in the 1970s.
But you know that, even if it survived the crash intact, there would be other stresses that you can’t see. Things like crack(s) in the engine block, damage to the gas tank, a bent frame, or something else that could get worse over time and result in another, potentially fatal, accident down the road.
Load More Replies... The guy named Guy (pun NOT intended, and I mean the account name), and the picture he posted - three of those people were from the White Rabbit Project! Completely random thought.
But in America, cars are more valued than people so I understand where this guy was coming from. The almighty dollar rules all, and all he can think about is his car and his wallet. THAT we can thank capitalism for.
The one thing that was better about older cars was they usually didn't have a 16in wide spot in the car blocking your view. So, you're more likely to get into an accident in a newer car for that reason. But you're more likely to survive the accident in the newer car. Not sure which one is better on the balance, but probably the newer cars still are. But something has to be done about the walls blocking the view in the newer cars. I almost hit a pedestrian in my work parking ramp every 1-2 months because of it, no matter how careful I try to be.
Soooooooo ... I'm the only one wondering if people actually use the word "gobsmacked?" ... OK ...
The back end of that '59 Bel Air looks like it's just so danged PERTURBED, dag nabbit!
Usually the front part will be squishy to absorb the impact, the sides and rear will have stronger build to protect the passengers.
That is not correct. Only the inner part of the cabin ist reinforced. The complete front AND rear end are only there to take the force and get deformed. Also the outer part of the doors has a frame for deformation. But obviously you do not have enough space to be as protected against side impacts as against front or rear ones. Cars don't get hit only from the front ;)
Load More Replies... It’s as bad as someone seeing an article about cars crumpling and getting offended. Find a safe space and cry
Load More Replies...
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