any - in harms way | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sat 24 Jun 2017 19:16

any - in harms way - gordonbennet

I worked today...somone's got to keep the country going while you lot are whooping it up doing whatever you fancy :-)

Anyway, there i am leaving Wednesbury early afternoon following a Pug 308 out of the town towards the M6, and from my higher seat in the lorry i can see the backs of two heels and the soles of two small feet on the top of the passenger side dash.

As i pulled alongside at the traffic lights all became apparent, youngster probably about 9/11 years lying on his belly on the reclined seat with his back arched like a banana.

You'll be pleased to know he did have his seat belt fastened, the daigonal wasn't touching his body mind.

I just wondered what would have caused the more catastrophc injuries had they been involved in an accident, would our young friend-come missile going through the window from launch position have done more damage than the airbag bending him in two the wrong way?

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Sat 24 Jun 2017 19:23

any - in harms way - craig-pd130

It is sobering to see that sort of thing these days. but then again when we were kids, we used to sit in the boot of my mate's dad's Cortina estate quite happily, or squeeze 6 into another mate's mum's Mini 1275 ...

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Sat 24 Jun 2017 19:27

any - in harms way - badbusdriver

To be honest, the fact that the youngster had his seat belt on would have done little or nothing in an accident. Inexcusable of the parent/responsible adult driving though. If I were you, and had a dash cam, I'd be inclined to send footage to the police.

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Sat 24 Jun 2017 19:59

any - in harms way - JohnX

It will be difficult to guess which would cause more damage to his spine, the effect of the airbag snapping it in half or an ineffectual seatbeat causing him to be propelled out ouf the car through the window and then suffering a crush injury in the event of a sudden crash.

Either way,I suspect there will not be much left to salvage,a sobering thought,but then here the fault is not necessarily the 11 year old's ,it would be that of the parent/adult driving the car.

In years gone by, something like this would have been a subject of a Social services enquiry, but now with stretched resources, I doubt anything will come out of it.

Edited by JohnX on 24/06/2017 at 20:00

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Sat 24 Jun 2017 21:01

any - in harms way - daveyjp

My blood runs cold when I see passengers with feet on the dash. A 20mph hit will probably see their legs ripped from their pelvis.

Last week I saw a passenger with both feet out of the passenger window! Door frames make very effective guillotines!

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 11:12

any - in harms way - argybargy

Its incredible to think that with all those decades of hammering home the message about safety in cars, there are still so many boneheads out there who take chances, particularly where children are concerned, and probably get away with it most of the time.

I used to ride a pushbike to work. All that came to an end when an old Corsa with a woman at the wheel (men can be just as bad, no sexism here) and a child literally rolling around on the back seat took an immediate left after passing me and almost caused me to part company with the bike and perform an involuntary triple salchow over the roof of her car. She was gone in a cloud of dust and burning rubber before I could even muster enough composure to shout "Do you Mind?"

I stopped riding my bike to work after that, and I'm convinced that there's a definite link between the tendency to indulge in rank bad driving and the adoption of a cavalier attitude to passenger safety.

Edited by argybargy on 25/06/2017 at 11:17

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 11:27

any - in harms way - John F

In the early 60s I remember going to a schools camp in North Wales where we were ferried about in the load bay of a pick-up, four to a side - I think it was a Land Rover. It was fun in the open, and anyway the boys in the passenger seat often had their knees fondled (boys wore shorts back then). No harm done, but the road death rate was double today's for far less traffic.

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 12:32

any - in harms way - gordonbennet

As chidren back in the good/bad old days things were different, times have moved on a lot, not suggesting children should be wrapped in cotton wool far from it, but a bit of perspective is called for, how the lad was positioned the seatbelt and airbag was more likely to be the instruments of his death or permanent disablement rather than his saviour.

A camera is fitted but would not have seen the view from the n/s window looking down, the ns rear facing lens is too low set on my vehicle too, we as drivers have no access to the camera apart from the red button to save an incident, which i usually only press in case of serious issue.

ie when a suicidal overtake has caused an oncoming vehicle to swerve and take to the verge, had one of those Friday, i too had to take to the grass verge to avert a disaster when white van man decided overtaking on a two way road at peak time approaching the brow of a hill was a good idea, i press the button to save the footage in such circs in case anyone contacts my company (either complaint or witness request), our vehicles are boldy and uniquely coloured and all telephone contact numbers are highly visible, you would not confuse one of ours with another company.

the reason i save incidents like that is that many years ago i was summoned to the office to explain why i'd smashed the mirror off a car on Kew bridge and driven off...the time of day stated i knew i couldn't possible have been there due to our delivery schedules so asked for my destination that day...Grimethorpe...why said office bod hadn't the nous to check the daily planner before plastering his face in egg i have no idea.

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 16:18

any - in harms way - Andrew-T

In the early 60s I remember going to a schools camp in North Wales where we were ferried about in the load bay of a pick-up, four to a side -

Reminds me of a walking-group holiday we had in Crete about 20 years ago. We waited for the local bus at an informal stop, and watched it sail past as though the driver wasn't looking. Whereupon the group leader enrolled a local with a large Transit-type vehicle, who put about 10 loose chairs from the village church in the back, and we set off, watching the road surface go by through holes in the floor.

A few days later we went on another trip in the back of a cattle lorry ....

Those were (maybe still are) the days ....

Edited by Andrew-T on 25/06/2017 at 16:20

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 19:45

any - in harms way - galileo

Living in the country till in my teens and playing football/cricket with farmers's sons, quite often rode sitting on Ferguson tractor mudguards, not uncomfortable but would horrify H & S today.

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Sun 25 Jun 2017 19:45

any - in harms way - RobJP

In the early 60s I remember going to a schools camp in North Wales where we were ferried about in the load bay of a pick-up, four to a side -

Reminds me of a walking-group holiday we had in Crete about 20 years ago. We waited for the local bus at an informal stop, and watched it sail past as though the driver wasn't looking. Whereupon the group leader enrolled a local with a large Transit-type vehicle, who put about 10 loose chairs from the village church in the back, and we set off, watching the road surface go by through holes in the floor.

A few days later we went on another trip in the back of a cattle lorry ....

Those were (maybe still are) the days ....

Definitely still are the days in Malta - Gozo particularly. A couple of years we were on a diving trip out there. 6 people in a Suzuki Jimny (though it is called something else there, can't remember the name), along with about 250kg of dive gear !

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 18:44

any - in harms way - Broomhall

I think you see a lot of passengers with feet on the dash whilst texting with knees up which makes you think what might happen if the airbag goes off

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 01:09

any - in harm's way - Avant

Ah well - if others are going to confess, then so should I. As an only child in the 1950s I was able to sit between my parents in the front of their Austin A40 with its steering-column gearchange - and, horror of horrors as we would see it now, sometimes on a fine day I would stand on the seat and enjoy the breeze with my head sticking out of the sunroof.

I always feel nostalgic thinking about those 1950s Austins - my father's A40 Devon and my own first-ever car, a 14-year-old A50 Cambridge. They were so much better with their OHV engines, independent front suspension, and 4-speed gearbox than their side-valve, 3-speed, won't-start-in-the-morning competitors from Ford and Vauxhall. Hillmans had 4 speeds but were invariably underpowered.

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 07:57

any - in harm's way - badbusdriver

Growing up in the Shetland Islands back in the late 70's-early 80's, my Dad would sometimes get a loan of a work pick up, which, depending on exactly when this was, would have been either a Subaru or a Peugeot 504. If we visited our relatives in the next village about 5 miles away, me and my brother would be sitting in the back (no canopy) facing backwards, backs against the bulkhead. Me on a large floor cushion, my brother on a beanbag. We thought it was brilliant fun at the time!.

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 08:18

any - in harm's way - sandy56

As a child we went out regualrly in my dads Borgward Isabelle estate, all five of us children crammed onto the rear seat, sometime, with one with my mum, and all without seat belts.

Those were different days

Edited by sandy56 on 26/06/2017 at 08:18

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 13:11

any - in harm's way - corax

This is the way to travel, and hang the safety!

media.senscritique.com/media/000010546310/960/Slow...g

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 21:16

any - in harm's way - Bromptonaut

As a child we went out regualrly in my dads Borgward Isabelle estate, all five of us children crammed onto the rear seat, sometime, with one with my mum, and all without seat belts.

Those were different days

We did schoolrun with 5 kids and driver in various cars c64/5-68/9. Four in back seat, biggest kid or driver's son/daughter in front. Rear belts were a thing of future. Some cars had no belts at all.

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 21:52

any - in harm's way - RichT54

Back in the early 60s my Dad bought a Ford Thames van (based on the Anglia) and us four children had to lie in the back on cushions and blankets. The three youngest of us thought it was great fun, but our older sister was not at all impressed. I'm not sure it was legal even back then.

The only bad incident in it that I remember was travelling back on a dark and rainy winter's evening when suddenly the windscreen was shattered. Not being laminated it turned into an opaque mass of cracks and my Dad had to punch a hole in it in order to be able to see out. The remainder of the journey with wind and rain lashing through the hole was rather scary!

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 13:42

any - in harm's way - Tester

Yes! My Dad had an Austin A70 Hampshire with the sliding steel sunroof in the sixties, and my brother and I did the very same thing, standing on the front bench seat and imagining ourselves to be tank commanders or whatever. Tremendous fun, especially when going over a humpback bridge at whatever high speed we could persuade Dad to coax out of the thing ... probably about 40 mph!

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 17:17

any - in harm's way - Broomhall

I remember as part of a sports team in the 1970s being put in the back of a transit with deckchairs to sit in.

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 19:44

any - in harm's way - badbusdriver

One of the most stupid things I've seen in recent times was a couple of years ago. I was driving down town and noticed a wheel chair on the road next to an open car door. As I got closer, what was actually happening became apparent. On the right hand side of the road up ahead of me, a bloke who had been going in the same direction as me, parked on the 'wrong' side of the road. He was then trying to get a disabled passenger out on to the wheel chair in the middle of the road!?. Rather than go round the block so he could park with the passenger door opening on to the pavement. Sometimes I really wonder about people?.

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Mon 26 Jun 2017 23:40

any - in harm's way - JohnX

This thread reminded me of one of the most crazy a***d videos I had seen, going back a few years and I had to do a bit of youtube surfing in the comfort and safety of my arm chair to get to it.

Note this video has nowt to do with cars and is to do with "Train surfing".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DngYtvf2LhQ

Crazy fwits!!!

Edited by JohnX on 27/06/2017 at 00:05

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