Date:         Tue, 18 May 1999 06:26:58 -0700
Reply-To:     "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Re: Rude Comments about Vanagons on the Web
In-Reply-To:  <002001bea0d5$17c4bc40$19b8e7cd@pavilion>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Out of about 100 vans, my local junkyard has several rollovers.
They are not a pretty sight and prompt "Drive safely" when viewed.
Many other vans just have a side pushed in and it looks
like the passengers probably came out OK.

Next door 19 year old neighbor was passenger in a '70 bus driven by her
boyfriend, who hit a curb, rolling the van. Without a seat belt secured,
she got tossed out and sustained fatal head injuries.

In fall '97, Mercedes delayed the intro of it's narrower wheel base, quite
upright "small car" A class, because it didn't pass the Norwegian elk
test:  drive down the road at 60 km/hr, then swerve to avoid an elk that
jumps out on the road.  There were a lot of jokes about the car.  It
passed with changed the tires and the suspension. Selling a lot of these
$25K small cars, but they're probablly still much more susceptible to
rollover than the other Mercedes.

Thought:  Drive carefully in any vehicle.

Cheers, Tom Neal