How safe are these classic VWs...?

A photo is worth a thousand words:

Another thousand:

I "feel " safer driving my beetle (then in my honda) because I drive slower, stay alert, give myself lots of room behind the car in front of me, stay calm, don't take chances, smile and try to be happy. I figure I can cut my risks markedly by avoiding the avoidable accidents. I accept that I'm probably a goner in an unavoidable accident.

There's a lot of dead people who bought Ford Explorers thinking they would safe in them. A false sense of security is a dangerous thing. I read somewhere that as cars have become safer with better handling and braking and airbags, people have compensated by driving faster, tailgating, talking on cell phones and so on--in effect managing their risk and keeping it about the same as it was before all these improvements were introduced.

Think how much safer driving would be if every car had, instead of airbags, poisoned tipped spikes on the dash and steering wheel. Not many speeders in that alternate universe!

Ted--

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 20:29:29 -0500, "ilambert" scribbled this interesting note:

My Dad was a Dallas police officer for twenty three years, from 1960 to 1983. He mentioned to me once a scene he witnessed...

"I don't know what year car it was, but it was a Beetle, probably a late fifties or early sixties model. It had been in a front end collision and the gas tank ruptured. There was nothing we could do to save the fellow inside-when we got there it was fully engulfed and he was still screaming."

I'm retelling the story here, but I got all the important points absolutely correct. Sometimes I hate it when he sees fit to tell yet another story from when he worked for the department. I'm certain there are many he would rather forget...

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

BTDT. Got hit from car emerging from side road, it hit rear quarter, shoved in about 6 inches, swung back end round, then sideways rolled over twice & onto wheels. One cut finger, one shagged bug. Stereo kept playing. Also rear window smashes, front one just fell out.

James

we do prevent "accidents" by very visible. driving with headlights on and even decorating the front with strips of day-glo tape. next best thing to a flashing red lite. On the motorcycle I am always ready to flash the hi-beam if i think someone doesn't see me. better than the horn. I also assume people don't see me. My "bike" instincts saved the Ghia cab. from an encounter at least once. bike riders have no illusion of being safe behind some steel barrier. be paranoid. they may be looking to kill and say they didn't see you. It was an accident.

g adds. MONEY , what a concept

]

when on my bike i assume half the drivers don't see me and the other half are aiming for me...makes you pay more attention and has saved by butt from sliding on the pavement many times.....it does carry over into your day to day driving of a cage too...

Yeah. It's been 12+ years since I really did any bike riding but to this day I look over my shoulders when I want to check my lanes before turning, etc. I never use the side mirror(s) when I'm driving a car.

Yes you have to drive like that. My 2CV makes my Super Beetle feel like a tank so I try to always check with my mirrors and by turning my head before making any sudden movements and you have to be aware. I don't know that it helps any but I put H4s on my Beetle for extra illumination (the 2CV being German spec already has those) plus I try to ensure that I have good brakes. I had the front discs and the rear drums replaced on my 2CV and I am currently making my Beetle have 4 wheel disc brakes.

well i do use my mirrors...but just to keep up with those around me....at any given point i usually know exactly where everyone near me is...make an "escape route" possible when *stuff* happens.....the mirror watching comes from driving worktrucks with no view out the back....the wanting to know exactly where all the morons, er, um, i mean other drivers are at all times comes from the motorcycle riding...

i love the four wheel discs on my bug...great braking and on the plus side, no more brake adjustments..

On the subject of motorcycles... I dropped my street bike last week.

*blush* I took off to go to work and got about 1/2 mile from home when I realized I'd forgotten to fasten the straps on the right saddle-bag. I pulled onto a side road that was on a slight incline and put the kickstand down without even shutting off the engine. Got off of the bike and started to fasten the straps when I noticed the bike slowly sliding forwards. Oh crap! It was moving so slowly that I just finished fastening the first strap and started on the second one. I got halfway through getting it fastened when the kickstand got pushed far enough back that the bike dropped VERY SLOWLY over onto the left side. It was cushioned by the saddle-bag. Enlisting the Strength Of Kong (tm), I quickly put the bike upright and examined it for damage. The ONLY "damage" at all was a very light scuffing on the saddle-bag. The saddle-bags stick out so far that they are like cushions for the bike. I licked my finger and rubbed the scuff mark quickly... Voila! Scuff mark gone! Whoo hoo! Wow, I need to get offroad to come up with some *good* stories. :-/

"Stupid people are funny." - me

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The ONLY "damage" at all was a very light scuffing on the

you are lucky i knocked mine over and it cost me over a hundred bucks for a new mirror and turn signal...with "sport" type bikes with fairings you can almost bank on buying a mirror when you drop them or knock them over...

Yeah. I remember a few of years ago when a neighbor of mine with one of those crotch rockets kept zipping around the neighborhood until I politely approached him in the street. He got so mad at me when I politely told him what I thought about him and his bike and explained to him what would happen if he kept riding it at more than double the posted speed limit in the neighborhood that he revved up his bike and dumped the clutch, lost control and SMASHED his bike up really badly on the street in front of me. Being the nice guy that I am, I attempted to lighten up the situation by laughing about the whole thing very LOUDLY so he could hear me over the scraping sounds of his bike as it spun itself in a circle while grinding off the fairing. My laughing only seemed to anger him more. Gosh, some people are so hard to understand. I never saw him speed in the neighborhood again after that, so I guess he must have just been having a bad day and later laughed about the whole thing and realized I was right after all. He must have finally admitted to himself that he was wrong all along. Some people can do that. :-) I'm just glad I could help him out.

"Stupid people are funny." - me

"Ted" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

They should have bought Volvos. Volvo drivers are invincible.