Remember the good old days when cars had meaningful bumpers? The repair costs for even a 2- or 3-mph parking lot ding is much higher than in the days when the feds required bumpers that withstood 5-mph impacts.
A few years ago Jason Torchinsky (2018) went as far as to argue that “the bumper, as it once was known, is effectively gone.” This has resulted in a rich irony. Due to the old federal standards, the bumpers on a late-70s Honda Civic “are tougher than anything on your huge SUV.”
How did it come to this? Check out “Hemmings highlights late-70s attack against U.S. bumper regulations.”
NOTES:
This is an updated story originally posted May 15, 2015.
Also see ‘NHTSA and automakers drag their feet on pedestrian safety’
RE:SOURCES
- Torchinsky, Jason; 2018. “Reminder: Cars Don’t Have Bumpers Anymore and That Sucks.” Jalopnik. Posted November 25; accessed August 30, 2020.
“Random Shots” is a regular feature that captures sublime and ridiculous moments in American automobile culture.
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