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My argument was not that cars are more safe for the driver (they aren’t), but OP said that by me driving a 70s truck, others are less safe… a pedestrian getting

My argument was not that cars are more safe for the driver (they aren’t), but OP said that by me driving a 70s truck, others are less safe… a pedestrian getting hit by a 3000 pound object going 40 is going to die regardless of the crumple zones, and a sedan getting plowed into by a truck, modern and huge, or old and huge, is still just getting plowed into by a truck. By driving an old car, the only person I am endangering more is myself and my passengers.

stevenwliao 3y ago
Driving an old vehicle makes others less safe. The risk of collision decreases with safety features like ABS. The 70s truck doesn't have these safety features.
mschuster91 3y ago
> a pedestrian getting hit by a 3000 pound object going 40 is going to die regardless of the crumple zones That depends on the design as well. A flat "sports"/sedan style car just levers a pedestrian with the hood - the legs will be broken, yes, but in most cases the pedestrian survives. A SUV or particularly American "truck" style cars in contrast just smashes the pedestrian's whole body to a pulp - see e.g. [1] for a visual. On top of that, modern cars have a ton of automated systems doing stuff like pedestrian detection visually indicating pedestrians and bicyclists in the dead spot(s) and automated brake assistants, not to mention ABS/ESP assisting the driver in emergency braking to not lose control. An old car does not have these features and thus has a higher chance of the driver injuring others on the road. > and a sedan getting plowed into by a truck, modern and huge, or old and huge, is still just getting plowed into by a truck. A modern car/SUV absorbs a significant portion of the crash energy in its own body, additionally so does the other vehicle. An old car does not. [1] https://smartgrowthamerica.org/bigger-vehicles-are-directly-resulting-in-more-deaths-of-people-walking/ https://smartgrowthamerica.org/bigger-vehicles-are-directly-...

stevenwliao 3y ago

Driving an old vehicle makes others less safe. The risk of collision decreases with safety features like ABS. The 70s truck doesn't have these safety features.

mschuster91 3y ago

> a pedestrian getting hit by a 3000 pound object going 40 is going to die regardless of the crumple zones That depends on the design as well. A flat "sports"/sedan style car just levers a pedestrian with the hood - the legs will be broken, yes, but in most cases the pedestrian survives. A SUV or particularly American "truck" style cars in contrast just smashes the pedestrian's whole body to a pulp - see e.g. [1] for a visual. On top of that, modern cars have a ton of automated systems doing stuff like pedestrian detection visually indicating pedestrians and bicyclists in the dead spot(s) and automated brake assistants, not to mention ABS/ESP assisting the driver in emergency braking to not lose control. An old car does not have these features and thus has a higher chance of the driver injuring others on the road. > and a sedan getting plowed into by a truck, modern and huge, or old and huge, is still just getting plowed into by a truck. A modern car/SUV absorbs a significant portion of the crash energy in its own body, additionally so does the other vehicle. An old car does not. [1] https://smartgrowthamerica.org/bigger-vehicles-are-directly-resulting-in-more-deaths-of-people-walking/ https://smartgrowthamerica.org/bigger-vehicles-are-directly-...