Most significant automotive development

[Lukas]

2948 people killed on the road in 1972 in Austria. In 2013, "only" 453 people were killed the same way.

 

To me, the most important and most significant automotive developement.

 

 

I know you will not agree...

 

... because all new cars are shit.

[cort16]

I have to agree if you've got a family you want to put them into something that's safe. The manufacturers cottoned onto this and have built very heavy, very safe cars but only because this is what people want. I think some of it is over kill but the basics of ABS, side protection and front airbags is a good thing.

My daily driver has recently went (because my BMW is broken) from a 2012 Mercedes C220 AMG diesel Coupe to 1977 Ford Cortina with no vented discs, no enertia seat belts, no power steering, 1 speed wipers that don't self park and no heaters. while it does the basics of being a car pretty well (it moves me around). I'm definetely going to upgrade the brakes and seatbelts as even in full working order they're shit.

[Negative Creep]

2948 people killed on the road in 1972 in Austria. In 2013, "only" 453 people were killed the same way.

 

To me, the most important and most significant automotive developement.

 

 

... because all new cars are shit.

 

 

Not just down to car safety though - you have to consider improved medical knowledge, response times, road layouts etc

[forddeliveryboy]

The modern safety equipment! Not needed most of the time, if you are lucky never, but good that it´s there! You walk away from a head-on-crash at 64 km/h nowadays when you would have been killed in a 1980s car at 50km/h.

 

I know you will not agree, but that´s what I think.

 

No, you're correct. But as Junkman says, people generally avoid head-ons. In which case what matters are the ability of a car to swerve rapidly and without losing control, the quality and condition of the tyres and how alert the driver is. The driver is left out of the equation, today. Feedback to a driver is almost nil, beyond the view through a distant screen.

 

Modern cars are over-weight, since manufacturers have realised that it's easier to pander to what the buying pubic thinks it wants, rather than giving them the best efforts of their engineers as some once did. Overweight cars do not swerve as well as lighter ones, in general. Modern cars do not hold driver attention especially at A-road speeds. Poor visibility causes a significant percentage of road deaths - cars have gone backwards in this respect.

 

For me, safe cars were Saab 99s and all pre-Pug Citroens. BMWs and faster PSA stuff is at the opposite end of the spectrum and has been for a long time, mostly lethal if you ever dare take the slightest handling risk or press on when conditions are variable.

[Bren]

Rover SD1 central locking.

 

Uses less electrical power than other cars because at most it only ever works on three doors.

[Bren]

The ford ka.

 

The worlds first true "eco" car in that from the moment of purchase it is doing its best to return to its constituent elements - saves on scrappage because at the end of its life you simply brush it into your flower beds.

[dugong]

the dancing robot in the Citroen C4 advert.

[forddeliveryboy]

Metalled highways.

 

Nah, metalled (including roller) bearings. Although I admit, the two do suit each other.

[barefoot]

Have we done central locking?

That really is a usefull little function.

[Junkman]

the dancing robot in the Citroen C4 advert.

 

Didn't Honda have one of those, too?