I see it coming.... a new non-profit organization:
SpOADD
Spitfire
Owners
Against
Drunk
Drivers
:-) :-)
Reid
'79 Spitfire (original owner)
-----Original Message-----
From: Nolan Penney [mailto:npenney@mde.state.md.us]
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 12:34 PM
To: Laura.G@141.com
Cc: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Re: Safety inspection?
>>> Laura Gharazeddine <Laura.G@141.com> 07/14 3:18 PM >>>
>The lesson? When there are drunks on the road, there's no safe driving
technique that'll save you from them.
There are quite a number of techniques that can help save you from drunks.
1, observe your surroundings and notice the drivers that appear drunk.
2, avoid them. Pull off the road and let them pass, take a different exit,
etc. If they aren't near you, they can't hit you.
3, use your nimbleness to avoid the accident. Duck dart and weave, just
like in boxing.
There are several others, but I think you get the drift. No, I'm not saying
getting hit is your fault, but most times, the hit could have been prevented
in some way by you.
>A little British steel and a full frame goes a pretty good way against
plastic door panels and the cheap and fast >construction of many of todays
bigger cars.
No, they don't. First, British auto steel wasn't good steel. Second, a
frame does a lousy job in a wreck compared to monicoe construction. That's
why it's used in many applications, in part. It's light, it's strong.
Frames work great when they're a cage around you, like a NASCAR roll cage or
a Volvo, not when it's lying below you like a pickup truck or a Spitfire.
In that case, the energy isn't absorbed well. That's why people died in
those old tanks of the 50's with the car looking good after the wreck, and
they live today with a car that looks thoroughly squashed.
>not many cars have a fighting chance, do they? (There have been a couple of
horrific accidents in So. Cal in the >past couple of days-involving SUVs)
Mostly because the SUV has a bumper height above most vehicles, and because
it has a frame. The SUV frame fails to absorb energy, so the impacted
vehicle must. That energy is imparted high on the impacted vehicle, above
it's energy absorbing members. A Spitfire is extremely low, in an impact
another vehicle will tend to climb it, just like I said.
>People who are nervous drivers (For whatever reason) tend to make more
mistakes and _cause_ accidents.
A major complaint and problem with SUV drivers is their confidence in their
invulnerability. This has also been noted with Volvo drivers. Those that
have no fear drive most dangerously. Those that well understand their
danger drive the best. That's why old fart bikers don't ride like kids on
crotch rockets.
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