In a couple of recent shows callers have been recommended to buy a secondhand Volvo as they are believed to be safe cars. This video clip shows an older Volvo being crashed into a tiny modern Renault. http://www…BDyeWofcLY
The result may surprise you.
An old Volvo is safer than another OLD car of the same era. However, all cars are much safer now, and an old Volvo is no match for a well engineered smaller new car.
Try searching their videos for their SUV-small car crash video, and prepare to be shocked
Do you mean “are old Volvo’s really as safe as some people say they are”? I certainly don’t think they were built as poorly as a “new Pinto” was, but if you hit something just right at a high enough speed you can still get hurt in “an old Volvo”.
Are you asking if old Volvos deserve to be called “safe cars”?
Are you saying “look at this, a Volvo got smashed up”?
Sure they are. I don’t remember where I saw it but I think you can let an elephant sit on top of your vVlvo and it won’t collapse…any other car would crush like a beer can. However, on a Volvo, it won’t even scratch the paint.
Actually, Volvo got caught cheating on that kind of demonstration. They reinforced the roofs to prevent collapse.
Old Volvos are NOT safe, compared to modern cars. The boys (C&C) are way off in their constant recommendation of old used Volvos to people wanting a ‘safe’ car.
That video’s a great demonstration of why…and that’s not even as old as the ‘old’ Volvo most folks think of as safe, the 240.
Absolutely. You can’t get hurt in a vehicle that won’t leave the driveway.
Frankly my money is on a good driver in any car vs a poor driver in the safest of cars.
Not to mention the relative rarity of vehicle accidents involving being crushed by a lounging elephant. . .
The driver is certainly the most important safety feature.
Now where did you come up with such a logical response, I have seen no studies to verify your conclusion, so your conclusion will not be admitted anywhere except the court of common sense.
Numerous traffic accident studies show that 85% of all accidents and fataliites are due to AVOIDABLE DRIVER ERROR! The other 15 % divide into road and weather conditions (acts of God) and a significant percentage of vehicle neglect (avoidable) by the driver or owner, such as worn brakes, defective suspension. A very tiny percentage is poor or unsafe vehicle design.
Poor vehicle DESIGN was very prominent in the 50s and early 60s. Since that time vehicles have been made incredibly more safe, but driver skills and behaviour has seen vitually no improvement.
A few weeks ago, a lady wanted to buy the safest car so she could go out out in a snowstorm, believing that the design could compensate for her lack of bad weather driving skils.
Waterboy, whether your post is tongue-in-cheek or not, we constantly have to remind posters that when it comes to safety, good judgement and taking some defensive and winter driving course beats any AWD feature, or “safe” design.