Indie Auto
header-advert
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction
    • Editor’s Notes
    • Story Ideas Bank
    • Why All The Data?
    • Fake Stuff
    • About Those Photos
    • Talk Legal To Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Our Features
    • Ad Nauseam
    • Bird Chatter
    • Calendar
    • Current Events
    • Data Dives
    • Design Notes
    • Drive-By Musings
    • Fake Designs
    • Gallery
    • Histories
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Media Analysis
    • Multimedia
    • Our Sponsors
    • Photo Essays
    • Quotes
    • Random Shots
    • Satire
  • Look It Up
    • In Auto Paedia
    • By author
    • By automaker or brand
    • By time period
    • By topic
    • By vehicle type
  • Readings
    • General Reference
    • Specific Brands & Automakers
    • Auto Culture, Policy & Business Strategy
    • Bibliography
    • Where To Buy Your Books
    • Recently-Posted Readings
  • Links
    • Bibliography of Links
  • Contact
    • Emails & Newsletter
    • Rejected Comments
  • Donate
HomeAuto safety

Auto safety

1999 Volkswagen Cabrio commercial
Multimedia

What’s been lost as car drivers have become more insulated from outside

August 26, 2025 Steve 8

(EXPANDED FROM 5/21/2024) A drive through a lovely rural area in Oregon reminded me of a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial from decades ago. The spot did an unusually good job of showing the sensuousness of driving. […]

Railroad crossing through dirty window in C major
Drive-By Musings

Why does the U.S. have a far higher traffic-death rate than France?

July 16, 2025 Steve 6

In the late-1970s the U.S. and France had roughly similar traffic-death rates. However, in recent years the two countries have diverged to such as degree that by 2021 French people were three times less likely […]

2025 Chevrolet Silverado
Media Analysis

Automotive News does a poor job of assessing U.S. traffic death growth

April 10, 2025 Steve 0

In celebration of its 100-year anniversary, Automotive News has been running a series of news articles that “honor our legacy by connecting topics of today with our historical coverage as we look ahead to the […]

1969 Ford Club Wagon
Quotes

How Ford responded to safety issues with the original Econoline van

March 15, 2025 Steve 5

Indie Auto reader James E. Duvall recently commented about how the Falcon-based Econoline van and truck had such a front-end weight bias that they could flip on their front end under intense braking unless there […]

Photo Essay

Automotive deaths: Where are our memorials?

March 9, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 7/31/2020) I have driven past the above-shown memorial for so many years that I was surprised to see it gone last summer, presumably because of a road-improvement project. While making this stretch of […]

Quotes

Remembering the dark side of 1960-70s American ‘muscle cars’

February 15, 2025 Steve 4

“Don’t want to rain on the parade of a nice article, but reading about Duster 340’s always makes me sad. Back in 1970 a close friend skrimped and saved all his money from summer and […]

1965 Chevrolet Corvair
Media Analysis

Why hasn’t Consumer Guide Automotive fixed a discredited anti-Nader rant?

February 4, 2025 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 11/1/2019) One way auto history websites can squeeze more profits from their content is to endlessly repost stories. That’s not a bad thing if the information is accurate, but it strikes me as […]

Like many newer cars, the Ford Escape has a skimpy bumper
Random Shots

Bumpers are almost useless on newer automobiles

January 19, 2025 Steve 0

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 […]

Random Shots

Would you prefer an agile car or a tank?

January 11, 2025 Steve 8

Jerry P. Hirshberg, Nissan’s retired president of North American design, once stated that when “Europeans think about safety, they think about a light, agile car” — much like the one pictured on the left. However, the […]

Thurston roadside at night
Quotes

Observing the ‘frictional violence of speed’

January 10, 2025 Steve 0

“As anyone who has broken down on the motorway will know, to stand at the side, waiting for rescue, is a revelation. Nothing better conveys the frictional violence of speed. Whatever impression you may get […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 4 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 5
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 15
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

Recent Comments

  • Philco Ford on 1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
  • Zachary Morecraft on 2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
  • Scampman on 1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
  • Don on 2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
  • Steve on 1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
  • Scampman on 1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
  • Don on 1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
  • stewdi on Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
  • Randerson on Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
  • Steve on Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
  • Randerson on Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
  • Steve on 1950-51 Studebaker was ‘pinnacle of postwar styling’ that could have saved automaker
  • stewdi on 1950-51 Studebaker was ‘pinnacle of postwar styling’ that could have saved automaker
  • Steve on Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
  • Lori H. on Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash

Archives

Categories

Tags

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s American Motors Auto culture Auto history media Auto media Automotive News Automotive Views Business strategies Chevrolet Compact cars Curbside Classic Design Design excesses Dodge Electric vehicles Engineering Fake advertising Ford Ford Motor Co. Full-sized cars General Motors Journalism standards Luxury cars Management culture Marketing Mid-sized cars Parody Patrick R. Foster Plymouth Premium-priced cars Public policies Rambler Reader comments Richard M. Langworth Stellantis Studebaker
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
Search
Archives
Categories
Help keep the lights on
Quinault at night

Copyright © 2022 Olympia, Earth Media, LLC | All rights reserved