I recently finished reading Ralph Nader's book, Unsafe at Any Speed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed). A book written in 1965, Nader explored the hazards and the "designed-in dangers of the American Automobile". Up until that point, automobiles were virtually unregulated and at that time, the acccidents and fatalities that were caused by them, were largely blamed, by the automobile manufacturers, on the driver.
Nader first begins with the poorly designed Chevy Corvair (known for its over-steering characteristics), then discusses the second-collision (the collision between the driver and components of the interior of the vehicle after the initial collision with an object outside the vehicle). One example of a second-collision was with the driver and the steering column, as their were some cases where the driver was decapitated during an accident when the solid column was pushed into the driving compartment and into the driver. Eventually a collapsible steering column, widely used today, was designed to prevent this type of accidents.
This well-researched book delved into the resistance by the automobile manufacuters to increase the safety aspects of their product. Nader gives insight to how the culture encouraged the resistance. It wasn't just Big Auto (although the vast majority was), but the insurance companies, the media and the goverment that were complicit in this resistance as well. Initially, insurance companies did not insure cars according to their designed safety aspects (i.e., a Ford Mustang because of its high powered engine would have a higher insurance premium than my Hyundai Elantra). The media (e.g., Car and Driver, Reader's Digest, etc.) wouldn't dare publish anything negative as it would possibly adversely affect their advertisements, which were paid for mostly by the auto companies. The government, although there were hearings on the safety aspects of the automobile, did not overtly reveal the dangers and fatalities associated with the automobile to the motoring public.
Ultimately, Nader's book gave impetus for the federal government to create the Department of Tranportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which I am currently a contractor for.
Nader first begins with the poorly designed Chevy Corvair (known for its over-steering characteristics), then discusses the second-collision (the collision between the driver and components of the interior of the vehicle after the initial collision with an object outside the vehicle). One example of a second-collision was with the driver and the steering column, as their were some cases where the driver was decapitated during an accident when the solid column was pushed into the driving compartment and into the driver. Eventually a collapsible steering column, widely used today, was designed to prevent this type of accidents.
This well-researched book delved into the resistance by the automobile manufacuters to increase the safety aspects of their product. Nader gives insight to how the culture encouraged the resistance. It wasn't just Big Auto (although the vast majority was), but the insurance companies, the media and the goverment that were complicit in this resistance as well. Initially, insurance companies did not insure cars according to their designed safety aspects (i.e., a Ford Mustang because of its high powered engine would have a higher insurance premium than my Hyundai Elantra). The media (e.g., Car and Driver, Reader's Digest, etc.) wouldn't dare publish anything negative as it would possibly adversely affect their advertisements, which were paid for mostly by the auto companies. The government, although there were hearings on the safety aspects of the automobile, did not overtly reveal the dangers and fatalities associated with the automobile to the motoring public.
Ultimately, Nader's book gave impetus for the federal government to create the Department of Tranportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which I am currently a contractor for.
Recently, Mr. Nader has written an editorial reflecting on NHTSA's past and potential.
http://www.nader.org/template.php?/archives/551-NHTSAs-Past-and-Potential.html
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