Comments on: Light trucks, SUVs need car-like bumpers say safety researchers

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:35:37 +0000

There’s only so much you can do until your truck is nothing but a sissy truck. This petition is ridiculous. No matter how “compatible” you make these bumpers, if there’s a drunk driver behind the wheel no amount of “compatibility” will save you. If you gotta die, so be it.

By: Jazz

Jazz — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:56:51 +0000

The interesting part of this piece is that the change is not for safety but to decrease damages. In laymans terms money.
The Insurance companies are trying to decrease the amount that they have to pay out for damage to a car from a truck or SUV. They don’t give a damn if the person is hurt or not.

By: DialM4Speed

DialM4Speed — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:19:34 +0000

Here’s another idiot load. How do they propose manufacturers do this? Lower trucks/suvs?? Raise cars?? Stupid!

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:28:47 +0000

So, basically, they would lower the front and rear clearance of trucks? Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of a truck? My trucks go off the road and over rocks and stuff, because that’s what they are meant to do. Making the bumpers meet the car bumpers means that I no longer can go over the rocks and tree stumps without getting stuck.

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:20:24 +0000

How do you make a SUV crash compatible with a small car? Simple! Get it off the road!

By: SickofGarbageMotors

SickofGarbageMotors — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:05:47 +0000

Honda, Volvo and the Germans have already been working on this for years, making thier trucks and SUV’s “crash compatable” with cars.

By: olds307

olds307 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:02:02 +0000

My car was built when they still had 5MPH standards

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:10:17 +0000

I don’t know why they’re bothering. There is far more expensive technology out there that they can mandate in the form of electronic camera aided warning systems to help those unfortunate souls who simply have no idea where the front or back of their car is. Either that or just attach a half dozen or so Nerf balls at either end of your vehicle.

By: global_lightning

global_lightning — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:51:59 +0000

This is ironic given many people buy SUVs thinking they’re safer. They errouneously equate mass with protection. From a physics perspective, adding mass only increases the forces which must be dissapated in a collision. Much more imporant is a structure which can redirect and control the forces of impact.

By: howsmydriving

howsmydriving — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:40:03 +0000

If the Insurance Institute had more lobbying clout than the auto manufacturers, we wouldn’t have the modern shit bumpers that crumple like a paper bag.