Date:         Tue, 2 May 95 14:45:27 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         smaher@ball.com (Steve Maher)
Subject:      VW bus safety (was: back from the dead)

On May 2, Cetin Seren wrote:

>We've always felt that the 'Bricks' were just about the safest
>form of transportation, aside from Suburbans and 18-wheelers.

>Dan Houg writes:
 >> Hi y'all- 
 >> I've been pretty quiet lately... i work under somewhat the
 >> same atmosphere as Thom.  However, i need some consolation... our
 >> "new" 87 Westy just got pasted yesterday by an old man that didn't
 >> see it (TITAN RED mind you).  After he smacked into the middle of the
 >> drivers side his wife jumped out and said "he just ran right into,
 >> didn't he.  i try to watch for him but he didn't stop"  My wife, who
 >> was driving, and our 3 year old son are unhurt and safe so it
 >> could've been much worse.


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.

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. So they get
hit a lot. This is a minor point, not the main one, and not directly
the buses' fault in any case.

The main point is, if you are in a front-end collision in these older
buses, you and your front-seat passenger are toast. Older buses have
the worst fatality and serious-injury rates of any vehicle in front-
end collisions. It's easy to see why-- there's nothing between you and 
that oncoming Chevy, except _thin_ sheet metal.

Even the older mid-engine American vans weren't this bad. I know-- I
made the acquaintance of a 3/4-ton Pickup truck going 50 mph when I 
was turning left in a 1963 Ford Falcon van. The van was totalled, but 
I came away with no injuries, as did the other driver. If I'd been driving
my VW bus, I might not be here writing this now. Note that Dan Houg's
'87 Westy was hit in the side-- fortunately.

I love my '71, and won't stop driving it, even with the above hanging
over me. On the plus side, I would guess that far fewer buses go zooming
around at high speeds, tearing around corners, and generally getting 
crazy on the road, than most other cars; because they simply can't do 
those things very well. Except the few that are heavily modified. Getting
crazy is generally reserved for the back seats in campgrounds, where the
bus excels ;)  So, this is a point in its favor.

Transporters forever! But hold the rose-colored glasses.

Steve Maher             smaher@ball.com        '71 VW Transporter
                                               '66 Mustang Coupevertible