I like to poke fun qat the Corvair, but as the narrator in the video says, the Corvair made a lot of other cars since then safer, because it forced automakers to think that way. By the mid-60s there were some 50,000 highway deaths per year, or roughly 5.5 deaths per million miles driven. Before the abuse of smart phones while driving, traffic deaths got down to about 32,000/year, and slightly over 1 death per million miles. Much of the decrease has to do with improved roads, but also much higher safety standards for cars.
The trend is now ticking back up because of idiots who talk and text while driving, though hopefully the adoption of self- and assisted-driving cars will reverse this.
I also like to poke fun at the Corvair because it was the car comedian Ernie Kovaxs was driving at the time of his death (his was the station wagon model). Of course, he was quite likely speeding on the still-wet pavement, driving with one hand (the other holding a cigar), and he was making exactly the kind of turn Nader wrote about in his book.
Strangely, I remember the news of this almost like it was yesterday. That and the NBC TV news report of Walt Disney's death. Some things never leave you.
Long time Forum Amigos! erco's alive and well, but I've been MIA for a decent reason. I'm actually working on the Corvair after it was laid up for 22 years! I've been busy at work too, and when I get home it's all Corvair now. Have been thru suspension, brakes, electrical, now engine. I had hoped to drive it this year but I may have to settle for getting the engine started at midnight on New Years eve... no mufflers! I miss you guys and fun projects but I'm spending my free hours at https://www.corvairforum.com/ . I will return here, but I gotta drive this car... turning 62 soon and it ain't getting any easier to crawl under that car!
I've been working at a leisurely pace up until now, it was just a Covid project. Google maps busted me in Dec 2020, rebuilding my starter on my driveway "workbench".
Comments
The trend is now ticking back up because of idiots who talk and text while driving, though hopefully the adoption of self- and assisted-driving cars will reverse this.
Strangely, I remember the news of this almost like it was yesterday. That and the NBC TV news report of Walt Disney's death. Some things never leave you.
Long time Forum Amigos! erco's alive and well, but I've been MIA for a decent reason. I'm actually working on the Corvair after it was laid up for 22 years! I've been busy at work too, and when I get home it's all Corvair now. Have been thru suspension, brakes, electrical, now engine. I had hoped to drive it this year but I may have to settle for getting the engine started at midnight on New Years eve... no mufflers! I miss you guys and fun projects but I'm spending my free hours at https://www.corvairforum.com/ . I will return here, but I gotta drive this car... turning 62 soon and it ain't getting any easier to crawl under that car!
Crawling under is the easy part. Getting back up after you roll or crawl back out is another matter entirely!
-Phil
+1*10^6
And those hard floors just seem to get harder...
I can just recommend to buy a car lift. Did three years ago and love it.
You can get a 7000 pounds two post lift for around $2000 delivered.
Mike
I've been working at a leisurely pace up until now, it was just a Covid project. Google maps busted me in Dec 2020, rebuilding my starter on my driveway "workbench".