by "WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
Published 09/30/2017 at 12:49
by "WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
Published 09/30/2017 at 12:49
Tags: roadmaster
; Safety Third
; Safety
STARS: 1
On the way home just now, we passed an old Buick- I believe it was a 1956 Roadmaster sedan - driving on a 35 mph speed limit road. Beautiful car - grey and white two tone, and today is a gorgeous day for it here in Chicago.
In the front was mom and dad, and in the back seat was a girl of about 4 or 5, bouncing around, standing on the floor and leaning over the back of the front seat to talk to her parents.
I’m sure she was enjoying the ride in the old car, and probably happy to be free. And to be fair, that was normal when I was a kid growing up. But in this day and age, it seems crazy.
As someone who loves old cars, I’d love to have an old car - but I don’t think I’d ever take my son for a ride, which would suck big time. But they’re just not safe, especially with out so much as a lap belt in the back (you’d be very lucky to have lap belts in the front of that car, forget the back).
For those of you with truly old cars and kids, how do you handle it?
"dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford" (dtg11)
09/30/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 1
It certainly is a nice day in Chicago (well, Bourbonnais, but close enough). Great day for a drive/cruise, not too hot and not too cold.
"farscythe - makin da cawfee!" (farscythe)
09/30/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 1
well personally i handle it by driving along carefully and going lalalalalalala it will never happen to me
well i did when i had my panda.... but yeah.. safety wise you cant justify an old car.. you just have to not crash
so i guess my cocky ass is confident enough to risk my family and myself that way.... wow that sounds bad
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:15, STARS: 1
It is perfect! 65 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky!
"StoneCold" (StoneCold)
09/30/2017 at 13:16, STARS: 2
My dad and I have made modifications to the Mustangs to hopefully make them stronger, or at least heavier. 1/2" inch steel welded to the rockers to kinda make a box frame to strengthen the Unibody on the ‘66 convertible; all the modifications made to the front end to protect the engine on the ‘70 are still in place, but we beefed up the under carriage also. Still no replacement for crumple zones, but this is our hobby. You can also hit your head skiing or drown while fishing.
Edit: Would I drive it on 53/355 or 90? Absolutely not. They would disintegrate at 70-80mph impact.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
09/30/2017 at 13:17, STARS: 3
I remember always climbing over the seats with my brothers in our k-car caravan. We’d lay in the back and play card games on long drives. And in my dad’s rusty Scout II? Shit. That back seat was like a bouncy house.
A different time, that was. A different time...
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:18, STARS: 1
Ha - yeah, the thing is, nothing in life is without risk. It’s all in how you manage it.
And you don’t drive these cars the anne way you would a new car, either. I’d worry about the other idiots on the road hitting me - and I’ve been accident free for over 30 years.
"farscythe - makin da cawfee!" (farscythe)
09/30/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 2
never crashed a car yet... cept for that one time i ran over my own fence coz i forgot to stop......but theres very little you can do about others
in old cars its basically bike rules... head on a swivel and everyone is trying to kill you
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:27, STARS: 1
You can also hit your head skiing or drown while fishing.
Exactly this. Nothing in life is risk free. But it’s all in how you manage it. You’ve beefed up the cars a bit, which helps.
Part of it is a minimum age, I think, too - at least in my head. I’m thinking about this because I have a 1 year old, and want an old car - so I’m thinking about how I will manage it.
And yeah, forget the expressways around here.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 0
Very different. The first car my mom had when we were kids was a 1963 Nova. No belts at all. After that, a 1970 Nova that had front belts only and we rode in the back. Even later, I don’t think my parents were insistent on us buckling up in the car.
I’ve owned 2 cars without belts, and several more without rear belts.
But a lot of people did die on the roads then, too.
"TomServo (Resides on the Satellite of Love)" (mk7silkblue)
09/30/2017 at 13:35, STARS: 1
I wouldn’t put kids in one, nor would my dad have let me get in one. I like the classics, and I’m looking at maybe picking up an E30 someday, but I just can’t shake the thought of safety. I’ll stick to my airbag and crumple zone equipped Golf.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:37, STARS: 1
Yeah, bike rules is how I’m thinking about it, too.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:41, STARS: 0
Ha - an E30 is the equivalent of a new S Class compared to a 56 Buick.
I hear you, part of me is less worried because I’ve owned old cars (even wrecked one without seat belts ) and survived.
"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
09/30/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 1
Times have changed and what was normal in the past (no belts, no bags, racism, misogyny, slavery, mob rule......) is no longer acceptable. The world was different. Traffic wasn’t so bad and “insurance” was not as pervasive in society.
That said, it’s a throwback and driving it is an event. I can see this being totally OK on a slow parade, but not so sure about travelling at modern speeds on congested roads.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 0
All very true. Times have changed, we are not going back, and I sure as hell don’t want to go back. And clearly in this instance, the drive was an event.
But my inclination when I get an old car is that my son isn’t riding in it until he’s old enough (10? 12?) to sit in front and wear a lap belt - which I’d add if necessary. And even then, it would only be at low speeds.
Letting a 5 year old roam free at 35 mph in a 60 year old car is well beyond what I would allow.
The guy was driving carefully, as these cars require, but it so happens that he turned left at an uncontrolled intersection where I’ve seen quite a few accidents over the last 5 years (it’s 1 block from my house).
"Saab wagon is best wagon-now with less Saab" (saabwagon)
09/30/2017 at 13:53, STARS: 2
Although I don’t have an old car (or kid), I personally believe in updating certain aspects of older cars to keep them safe.
For example, regardless of whatever car I eventually buy, I’m rigging up an aftermarket backup camera on it.
As for something like the Buick, it’s not too difficult to install a shoulder belt as far as I know.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 14:02, STARS: 1
You can definitely add belts to an old car. Lap belts were optional, so those are easy adds. Shoulder belts can be anchored to many but not all (nowhere to mount on a convertible for example, and you’d have to mount to the roof on a 4 door hardtop).
And even for those who are hard core originalists, judges generally make an exception for seat belts, so they can be driven.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
09/30/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 2
Just like most incidents on the road, it’s not so much that I worry about my driving, but the other person doing something stupid and hitting me, or hitting someone into me. That’s more my concern, so you are correct in your concern, and I can relate to your feelings regarding the kids.
My wife’s Aunt lives three doors down and thought it would be cute for my 16MO to ride in the front seat “driving” the car with her. I didn’t see it until they were on the street heading to her house. I lost my shit on her and my MIL who was there and let her do it.
Same reasoning, not that she will do anything stupid, but that some asshole will come flying down our street and smack her car. That’d be a bad day. So I was pretty pissed and explained all that, and she understood and felt bad about it. But screw that, just because we got away with stupid stuff, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give our kids the benefits of the advancements in safety.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 16:19, STARS: 1
Yep - I’ve driven the last 33 years without an accident, so I don’t worry too much about myself, but you never know when you’ll be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I’d go apeshit if someone did what your wife’s aunt did with my 13 month old. In a car with airbags, any accident would have bad consequences.
And it’s easy to forget that many many people were killed in those old cars. The statistics were terrible, and have improved by leaps and bounds with newer technology.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/30/2017 at 19:12, STARS: 1
Most of us will (hopefully) be sharing tales with heavy survivorship bias - just because I have fond childhood memories of cruising around my grandpa’s old MGB with no seat belts doesn’t mean that it was safe. He definitely never took us on the highway in it, just around the block, but I’m not entirely sure if that was due to mechanical limitations or parental rules.
Anywho, Travis and I have solved this conundrum for ourselves by not having children.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 0
Well, it’s too late for me on the children front! :)
"yamahog" (yamahog)
09/30/2017 at 19:19, STARS: 1
ah... in that case you’ll just have to make sure any old car you get has a full roll cage and child-size harnesses!
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
09/30/2017 at 23:08, STARS: 0
I’m leaning toward not letting him ride along until he’s quite a bit older - I’m partial to convertibles and cars that have no business on a track. :)
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
10/11/2017 at 10:26, STARS: 0
I have had my kids in my ‘61 Ford pickup, but I added seat belts and also used their car seat. So, their seat is anchored to the floor with the lap belt, not a lot unlike the way it’s held down via “Latch” system in my car, then they have the benefit of the 5-point harness of the car seat. My kids are 3 and 5.
Do I do this every day? Not at all. But the occasional drive? Sure.