News on U.S. government agencies, U.S. politics, companies doing business with U.S. federal government. Read U.S. national and local news. This site is not affiliated with United States Government.
(USGovernment-News.Com, November 15, 2013 ) Since the first automobile was produced, motor vehicles have come a long way in their development of safety features. More so, many modern day safety features are taken for granted and may not even be recognized as a safety feature by most. A head rest for example was patented in 1923, while the National Highway Transportation Association did not require it in passenger vehicles until 1969 following dozens of spine injuries caused by whiplash.
Today, most automobile interior safety devices were implemented following thousands of injuries. The following includes the most dangerous car interiors of all-time:
1.) 1905 Darracq 200HP: Wetting speed records in Europe with no bodywork, the 1905 Darracq 200HP offered passengers open chairs on a naked chassis. These automobiles were designed with the passenger seat slighting behind the driver enabling the passenger to grab the driver’s shoulders during corners to prevent them from being thrown from the vehicle.
2.) 1908 Fort Model T: The 1908 Ford Model T featured a flat windscreen which would literally cut the vehicle occupants apart during the event of a collision. During World War I laminated glass was used in gas-mask goggles, and was later adapted into Ford vehicles in the late 1930’s, dubbing it indestructo Glass.”
3.) 1922 Renault 40CV: The 1922 Renault 40CV offered the driver limited vision as it had many large blind spots. As a result, they would offer the rear-view mirror, however this did little to assist the driver causing several accidents to occur.
4.) 1930 Model J Duesenberg: These vehicles offered under-built A-pillars which were considered a safety feature as they offered drivers increased peripheral vision. Unfortunately, in the event of a rollover collision these pillars would collapse directly onto the driver.
5.) 1953 Mercury Monterey: These vehicles were loaded with pointy objects and steering wheel hubs which could impale the driver in the event of a collision. Many vehicles of this era also had a steering box which was located in front of the front axle which would be forced towards a driver when an accident occurred.
6.) 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing: This classic car was produced prior to the debut of headrest, which caused many troubles to the drivers who chose to have the optional leather suitcase add-on. This suitcase was located directly behind the driver and passenger and could be strapped in. Unfortunately, when occupants forgot to strap this suitcase in, and were rear-ended, it was known to strike its occupants in the back of the head.
7.) 1955 Ford F-100: This era of vehicles lacked head restraints, which alone caused thousands of cases of whiplash injuries. Of course, in the 1955 Ford F-100 the rear window was located directly behind the heads of the passenger and driver. In the event of a collision, the occupant’s heads were known to crash through this window.
8.) 1956 Dodge Custom Royal: This vehicle was recognized for offering retracting in-dash record players. These vehicles allowed for 45-rpm records to play, while these records would play through a song in a matter of minutes, causing drivers to frequently change records. Furthermore, any small bump would cause the record to skip. This record player seemed to cause as many distracted driving accidents as texting and driving accidents today.
9.) 1961 Lincoln Continental: The term suicide doors came from this vehicle as many did not possess locking doors. Occupants would use a latch by pressing downward to open the vehicle, while this handle often served as an armrest to occupants as well. Unfortunately for occupants not wearing a seat-belt; this latch would cause many occupants to fall out of the vehicle if too much pressure was applied to this latch.
10.) 1985 Yugo: The 1985 Yugo was marketed as a small, fuel efficient vehicle, however it would literally rattle itself to pieces. As if this weren’t enough, it often had many electrical shortages which would occasionally lead to fires in the cockpit.
If you have been driving any vehicle that has had a recall, or any known problems, it is advised to drive with extreme caution or take the vehicle to the dealership to replace the recalled part. If you have any questions in regards to dangerous vehicles; we welcome you to contact us at www.injury-lawyer-arizona.com today.
About Phillips Law Group
As a well-respected name in personal injury law, Phillips Law Group works with injury and accident victims to deliver justice to the parties that caused their harm. With the necessary resources to craft technically informed, robust cases, the experienced litigators of Phillips Law Group have the knowledge and passion to help their clients achieve successful verdicts and settlements from their offices in Phoenix, Arizona, San Diego, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information or a free, confidential case review, visit injury-lawyer-arizona.com or call 1-800-706-3000 today.
We are pleased to offer you this exciting, new, and entirely free professional resource. Visit our Free Industry resource center today to browse our selection of 600+ complimentary Industry magazines, white papers, webinars, podcasts, and more. Get popular titles including:
