Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1998 23:19:32 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <dhaynes57@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <dhaynes57@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Subject:      Re: This is why I drive a Vanagon
Comments: To: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>, Vanagon@VANAGON.COM

Assuming that things happened as you say, the Volvo did what it was designed
to do.  That is, the crumple zones crumpled and absorbed the energy stored
in your moving Vanagon.  Many people that die in car accidents do not die
from actually being crushed or cut.  They die from the impact with things
that are no longer moving such as dashboards, windshields, and steering
wheels, or they die from their internal organs getting displaced while their
bodies stop suddenly.  If the Volvo did not collapse, then those occupants
probably would have had whiplash, and your legs would have been crushed.  I
saw a Vanagon the hit a telephone pole supposedly at 30 or 40 mph once.  The
right front seat was bent from the dashboard hitting it.  If the seat was
occupied, the person would have been leg less.  Most modern cars are design
to to be sacrificial now.  This is probably the reason we no longer have the
Vanagon.  There just wasn't enough room or mass up front for the crumple
zones.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Monday, April 06, 1998 12:39 AM
Subject: This is why I drive a Vanagon


>    On friday on the way home from work I was in
>a big hurry. I was following alot of fast moving
>traffic thru a light, when for no reason the old
>lady in front of me in a Volvo 740 decided to
>stop. At that time I was looking the change lanes
>and didn't see this until it was to late. Well I
>push the cheap little Volve into the intersection
>about 50  feet. Cruched the car from the bumper to
>the back window. There was about 30 feet on skid
>marks from my vanagon before and after the impact!
>It felt like I hit nothing more than a sand bag.
>the car had to be towed away. When the police
>got there they had a hard time believing what had
>happened, because there was no visible damage to
>my Vanagon at all. After words at home I found the
>bumper end to be cracked. Man is this thing a tank!
>That or Volvos are complete trash. I'm glad I didn't
>have air bags. I would have set them off.
>
>            Eric                   86-VW4x4
>            vw4x4@fyi.net          72-240z
>            Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler
>