The boomer myth that cars built back in the day are safer

[Buddy]

body on frame cars don't exist anymore, everything's unibody...

Thank you. The jury rules in favor of Buddy & Associates

 

[5n0man]

That said, the thought has always come from the body of the car, actual steel vs the carbon make up or whatever they have today. I saw a photo of an actual accident between an old school truck and a modern sedan once and the truck didn't have a scratch. The sedan on the otherhand was crushed.

The FRAMES on modern cars are head and shoulders above that bullshyt back in the day, which is probably what we're seeing in the photo. Put a classic body over a modern frame and I'm sure it's a different story

New cars are made to crush during an accident. You can't just stick a new frame in an old car body and expect modern safety performance.


Newer cars crumple to absorb the force of the crash, an older car's body might not receive as much damage, but any passengers will be fukked up from the whiplash.

 

[sanityovar8ted]

As a person who does auto body repair occasionally I would say yes and no. Cars back in the day don't have the safety features the modern cars have but modern cars aren't made with the same materials old cars were. Cars back in the day were made with much heavier metal and new cars r dayum near made of material that can be heated and manipulated back in to shape to make repairs easier and cheaper.

 

[Canada Goose]

I def heard from old heads that older cars are tougher than new ones.


A few years back a early 2000s SUV crashed into my house and the tow truck driver said how tough that SUV was compared to newer vehicles I just assumed the old heads were right and maybe car manufacturers made cars weaker to improve fuel economy or something


Yall never heard "old stuff was made to last" or something along those lines? Old heads say this regularly about old cars.

 

[Buddy]

New cars are made to crush during an accident. You can't just stick a new frame in an old car body and expect modern safety performance.


Newer cars crumple to absorb the force of the crash, an older car's body might not receive as much damage, but any passengers will be fukked up from the whiplash.

My point was about the materials and car composition then vs now. People are taking the materials into account when they say that, not the composition. I think you have a point on the whiplash though.

 

[Elim Garak]

So you’ve never heard conservative cacs say this? Full of shyt

Nope I just explained what people say and why. I've never heard anyone say they were safer.

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

I've definitely heard people say bullshyt about, "Cars today are basically made of plastic, I don't trust them in an accident at all." It's a common enough myth that people spend a lot of energy refuting it online.

Are older cars safer (and stronger) than newer cars? | en | Yalla Deals

235 | en | I saw a classic car on the road while driving to work today, which reminded me of a common myth that many people still hold on to in the mo

yalla.deals

I saw a classic car on the road while driving to work today, which reminded me of a common myth that many people still hold on to in the motoring world:

"Older cars are stronger and more durable than newer cars, especially in crashes."

Are Older Cars Safer Than Newer Cars? | Eli's Collision Repair

Are older cars safer than newer cars? The Institute for Highway Safety staged a crash test between a 2009 Chevy Malibu and a 1959 Bel Air. Click to see what happened!

elisautobody.com

There seems to be a misconception that older, larger cars are rock solid. Therefore, older/larger cars must be safer for passengers. You might be tempted to think that in the event of an accident (especially with a smaller more modern car) the driver in the older vehicle would be less likely to get hurt, whereas the driver of the newer car would get crushed, right?

In fact, the opposite is actually true.

Are New Cars Safer than Old Cars? | T3 Atlanta | Auto Repair in Atlanta, GA

Have you ever wondered, "Are new cars safer than old cars?" Let's settle the debate. Today, we discuss why newer isn't always better.

www.t3atlanta.com

However, there are a lot of people claim that older cars are safer for the following reasons:

1. Older cars were bigger
2. Older cars were fully made out of metal.
3. Older cars were made of stronger metal.

Let’s discuss each one.

Are old cars safe? | Archived News | Open Road | The NRMA

Do you think old cars are safe? The NRMA takes a closer look.

www.mynrma.com.au

It’s one of the most persistent myths in motoring: old cars are as solid as rocks and can crush new cars like beer cans.

Why do people think old cars are safer than new cars?

Answer (1 of 11): Thanks Liam for the A2A. Here’s my opine on the subject. I suspect what gives folks who are familiar with vintage cars …and I’m talking US-made cars of the 1960’s and 70’s …a sense of safety was their size, ample weight and heavy gauge steel body panels. The cars were huge …ev...

www.quora.com

Are Older Cars Safer? Data Disputes This Claim - Motor Review

Are newer vehicles safer than older vehicles? Some people don't think so. We take a look at the data to determine which is true and which is safer.

motorreview.com

Never in life have I heard an old head say this past 2010……. But since it’s discussed on the internet it must be a pervasive thought in society…..

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

As a person who does auto body repair occasionally I would say yes and no. Cars back in the day don't have the safety features the modern cars have but modern cars aren't made with the same materials old cars were

That’s all I ever heard… Metal>>>>>>Plastic…but didn’t make them safer

 

[JayGatsby]

This doesn't make sense lol

If someone says " cars back then we're more safe "

Why would you test that theory with a car car collision with a car of today , when a car of today wasn't around back then ....

 

[5n0man]

My point was about the materials and car composition then vs now. People are taking the materials into account when they say that, not the composition. I think you have a point on the whiplash though.

If we're strictly talking about materials then yeah older car bodies were built with higher quality materials.

The underlying narrative when people say that is that car manufacturers are just too cheap to build cars with the same materials. The truth is that the cheaper materials causes less injuries from accidents.

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

I def heard from old heads that older cars are tougher than new ones

Older cars weren’t as fragile as current day cars…..that’s a fact…. But nobody in their 60s or 70s is going to say they feel safer in their 1970 Chevelle SS than they do their 2022 Lexus IS. At least nobody in their right mind.

 

[Canada Goose]

Older cars weren’t as fragile as current day cars…..that’s a fact…. But nobody in their 60s or 70s is going to say they feel safer in their 1970 Chevelle SS than they do their 2022 Lexus IS. At least nobody in their right mind.

Only way I could see older cars being superior to the new stuff is mechanically.... because old cars aren't as computerized as the new ones are.

 

[sanityovar8ted]

That’s all I ever heard… Metal>>>>>>Plastic…but didn’t make them safer

Tbh I would hafta do the research n compare the data on fatalities between the two

 

[jilla82]

people generally say the cars were made better and then bring up how the door sounds when you close it

some Coli cats have a continuous 24/7 pretend convo in their head with a old white man where they debate topics

 

[JayGatsby]

Older cars weren’t as fragile as current day cars…..that’s a fact…. But nobody in their 60s or 70s is going to say they feel safer in their 1970 Chevelle SS than they do their 2022 Lexus IS. At least nobody in their right mind.

In 1970 they might lol

All I'm saying is to have a collision between two cars from different generations doesn't make sense

Too much variables get in the way

The speed of each car at the time of collision

The weight difference

What gear box was used

We could go on lol