Date:         Tue, 2 May 1995 15:01:04 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         David Schwarze <schwarze@superc.nosc.mil>
Subject:      Re: VW bus safety (was: back from the dead)

Steve Maher writes:
> 
> >We've always felt that the 'Bricks' were just about the safest
> >form of transportation, aside from Suburbans and 18-wheelers.
> 
> I hate to differ with you on my favorite vehicle in the whole,
> wide world. But I have heard from more than one source, that the
> VW buses (especially the pre-80 ones) are the most dangerous
> vehicles on the road.

I hate to differ with you, but I disagree.  :)  I think we have 
discussed this on the list before.  If I recall, VW busses have about
an average record in front end collisions.  My guess as to why they
are not as bad as they might seem are:

1.  They are much higher off the ground - the frame is thick down there.
    It would take a tall car or truck to hit a bus in that thin 
    sheet metal area you refer to.

2.  They aren't driven as fast or as wildly as other cars.  Of course,
    this doesn't account for the idiots driving the other cars, but it
    does affect the statistics.

Also, I spend a LOT of time in the junkyards (as you all well know) and
I don't think I have ever seen a bus that was smashed in so badly in
the front that the occupants would have died.  I must confess that I did
see one where the driver probably would have had both legs amputated,
but that was just one out of hundreds of wrecked busses, many that
were front end collisions.

> This is partly because their slow acceleration, and ability to block
> the view ahead of them from other drivers, causes other drivers to 
> occasionally do stupid things that result in crashes. 

It doesn't "cause" other drivers to do anything.  Other drivers do it
because they aren't being careful.  Saying that slow busses cause people
to do stupid things is like saying putting cigarettes in stores causes
people to smoke.  It doesn't, but they do it anyway.  :)

-David

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David Schwarze                     '73 VW Safare Custom Camper  (Da Boat)
SAIC Comsystems, San Diego Calif.  '73 Capri GT 2800            (Da Beast)
e-mail:  schwarze@nosc.mil         '87 Mustang Lx 5.0           (Da Sleeper)
http://papaya.nosc.mil/~schwarze   '93 Weber WG-50              (Da Piano)
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