Must See: Nasty Wreck, It's a Miracle the Driver is Alive (1 Viewer)

[half k cruiser]

I'm not sure what your inferring by only driving body on frame vehicles. Personally I prefer them too, but that's just because of off road use and what not. Yes these trucks do hold up well under impact, however, I will readily admit that there are plenty of small passenger cars on the road today that would have survived that crash better than a land cruiser. Body on frame is great, but its definitely not the be all end all in safe vehicle design.

 

[artech]

Not inferring anything. Just stating my personal preference based on 32 years of cutting folks out of wrecks. My wife got her Sequoia totaled by a E-450 work van last summer, nobody went to the hospital, everyone walked away. Sure there are good cars out there, Subarus in particular seem to hold up well in crashes and are tough to cut on. Don't really care. I drive trucks because they make me feel safer, and in my own experience seem to be safer.

I drive Toyotas because they give good service and because I once saw a little 1989 hilux type pickup total a full size 1994 chevy 1500 in an offset frontal crash. The 1500 left parts in the road and departed on a flatbed. We helped bend some sheetmetal off the front tire on the 'yota and the guy drove it home.

Again, YMMV, but my mind's made up. Seen thousands of crashes over the years, too many to feel any other way about it. Swing by any Fire Station at shift change and check how many of the old guys are driving full size trucks. Infer from that what you will, maybe it's purely psychological, but that's my preference as well.

 

[LINUS]

As a defensive object (situations I can't control, just a rolling object on streets) I feel safest in an 80, it's the corners & speed/wet/whatever (all things I can control) - where we all need to just exercise judgement.



I got mine 12 years ago & my ultra-negative, type-A Father (now) sees my 80 as the wisest vehicle investment I made (And he HATED it when I 1st got it / for the 1st couple years.

He's gone through 4 Chev/GMC trucks in the time I've hade mine, and he only changes down 3~4 yrs when he hits mileage he's uncomfortable with in his V8's

He did try a GMC Jimmy fullsize that was a nightmare, and it had high 40's on it when bought - he swapped motor, t-case, RR axle, all due to wear - and it never towed anything except his Wooldridge boat slightly smaller than my 20' one. I think he had it a max of 3 yrs.

I'm 42, and expect it might loose the lift (if I'm too old to make the 'hop') but I should still be driving when I turn 62

 

[Biggreener]

I had to Google YMMV....

 

[hoser]

Saw this study on driver fatality rates with regard to type, age, weight and size of vehicle. What I read from it... a 3500 lb, 2007-10 passenger vehicle is safer than a 5000 lb, 1997-00 SUV. But if you look at newish passenger vehicles vs newish SUV's, the SUV still comes out ahead. The most significant advancement for SUV safety in the past 15 years, reducing roll over risk has been Electronic Stability Control (i.e. VSC).

Obviously, a lot of the details can be argued. There is a ton of data in the 2nd link that you can break down by State, type of vehicle, time of day, day of week, etc.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/overview-of-fatality-facts

 

[half k cruiser]

^ Thats a pretty simple but true way of looking at it. The newer the car or SUV, the better off you are going to be. The safety systems used in the newer stuff are simply amazing. That and 15 year old sheet metal is no match for boron alloyed steel.

Swing by any Fire Station at shift change and check how many of the old guys are driving full size trucks. Infer from that what you will, maybe it's purely psychological, but that's my preference as well.

^ I'm well aware of what the old guys are driving. You and I work for the same circus brother, just different clowns !

 

[JCruse]

I'm reminded of Top Gear dropping two different cars on their roofs and how one smashed flat and the other remained 90% intact (a Saab). My other car is a VW (an Audi actually) that has the highest crash ratings in it's class, and that makes me feel rather safe, but no one tests rollovers. Maybe they should. At least those vehicles with higher center of gravity.

 

[powermad]

In training class they always show Volvo trucks crash tests. All kinds of stuff, rollovers, head on etc.
Pretty amazing how much damage they can take and the door still opens.
Large drums of concrete dropped into the doors and pillars and windshield. Tech walks over and opens the door. Same with the roll overs.
In head on crashes the engine and trans break away and go under the rig, pretty cool in slow motion.

 

[Alex79]

Yes an 80 will roll much easier than a low car, but you'd be amazed how easy it is to roll any vehicle once a ditch or any obstacle is introduced.
I can't count how many roll overs there were this winter every time it snowed around rush hour. Even witnessed one and was shocked how easy the car tipped as soon as it hit the ditch at an angle, not even a steep ditch either.

Or a gate.
Like this one

 

[musthave]

I've cited it before, in the years the 80 were built, the IIHS safety ratings for the 80 were among the highest in the auto industry for the years it was built. There is no denying big steel cages for safety.

So, for 1997, where can we find the IIHS safety rating for the 80? Been looking since you posted this.

 

[half k cruiser]

but no one tests rollovers. Maybe they should. At least those vehicles with higher center of gravity.

The 35mph offset crash ( the industry standard ) is actually relevant to rollovers as well. The same systems and design that allow the passenger compartments to survive a head on collision will work in a rollover as well. Thats why its not uncommon to see newer vehicles that have rolled and still have there glass intact and operable doors.

 

[artech]

The newer cars have the old ones beat hands down when it comes to occupant safety, no doubt about that. Used to be with the 60's and 70's cars if the front bumper was touching the front wheels it was probably going to be a fatal accident. Now you can roll up on a job where you can't even tell what color the car used to be let alone the model and the driver only has a bloody nose from the airbag. Unbelievable, really. Saw a Saturn sedan take out a heating oil truck in an offset frontal once. Combined speed at impact was around 80 mph. Oil truck had the whole front axle knocked out from under it, hit the ditch, and power lines came down on top of it. The wrecker had to pull it out in pieces, but the truck driver walked away. We could still open three doors by hand on the Saturn, but the driver broke both legs and had pretty severe injuries.

It really is truly impressive what the newer cars can take in a crash, but outside of jackknifing a semi, it has been my experience that the bigger the rig in the accident the less injury the driver takes. Saw a loaded UPS truck take a Peterbuilt head on once, not pretty at all, but the semi driver walked away uninjured and the poor UPS guy was killed instantly. Combined speed was about 50 mph. Seen a few dump trucks roll over, all those guys walked away. Saw a cement truck hit head on by a 4-Runner, found the Toyota motor 110 feet away from the crash location. Combined speed was over 90 mph. Cement truck driver walked away. Had a minivan running from the cops hit a big Dodge head on, the pickup driver had even had a recent heart transplant but was still OK, the minivan guy was killed. Combined speed around 100 mph. In every significant crash I ever saw between a full size truck and a car, the injuries in the truck were less severe. Just like in any fight, a good big guy can take a good little guy nearly every time. Now, I have never yet seen a new/old high speed smashup between, say, a Smartcar and a 1950's Dodge Power Wagon or Ford F1 pickup, but that would certainly be interesting...

 

[Golgo13]

I can't find a link right now, but there is a great slowmo video of a 2005? Chevy Malibu vs a 1955? Chevy sedan.
The '55 sedan and occupant were absolutely demolished. The Malibu and occupant were OK by comparison.

 

[mot]

A JDM like mine ..... the outcome would certainly have been more dire...

I don't believe there's much difference between the JDM and US/N. American 80's.

Both lacked airbags until '95.

The only "possible" difference might be whether the earlier ('90-'92, or would it be -'94?) JDM might not have had a reinforcement bar thingy in the doors, for side protection.

 

[B Point]

What I was referring to was where the driver is sitting in a JDM rig.

 

[mot]

I see.

 

[Grim Reaper]

I can't find a link right now, but there is a great slowmo video of a 2005? Chevy Malibu vs a 1955? Chevy sedan.
The '55 sedan and occupant were absolutely demolished. The Malibu and occupant were OK by comparison.

This one?


Looked for a 80 and can't find it, found 70,s, 40's, 100's but not 80's

 

[musthave]

I'd like to see the 1997 80 with ARB on the front, crash into the 2009 Malibu, same crash speed, location, etc.

I feel like the sheer mass, plus the ARB would have a devastating effect on the Malibu, and that the 80 driver would walk away if he weren't a dummy.

After reading this post and doing some research, I did see somewhere on IIHS that Mass will "generally" fair better over lack there of. I got to believe that all the safety features in a Malibu are much better than the 80, but the mass, the MASS!

 

[Hornd]

Was just going to post the same video and somebody already did above of the 1959 vs 2009.
Vehicles have come a long way, and the Frame on Body notion is a fallacy.

 

[Grim Reaper]

I'd like to see the 1997 80 with ARB on the front, crash into the 2009 Malibu, same crash speed, location, etc.

I feel like the sheer mass, plus the ARB would have a devastating effect on the Malibu, and that the 80 driver would walk away if he weren't a dummy.

After reading this post and doing some research, I did see somewhere on IIHS that Mass will "generally" fair better over lack there of. I got to believe that all the safety features in a Malibu are much better than the 80, but the mass, the MASS!

While looking around for a 80 series crash test I ran across a thread here where a ammeter managed it hit a crane and it wasn't pretty.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/unstoppable-80-meets-immovable-object.43775/