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HomeAuto safety

Auto safety

Satire

Auto blinders (or peepers): How they improve the human condition

December 19, 2024 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 5/26/2021) Automotive blinders, also known as auto peepers, are the narrowing of windows between the C- and D-pillars of vehicles. This design feature blocks a driver’s rearward vision, which assists in human population […]

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
Links

Motor Trend’s predictions in late-1964 were decidedly hit and miss

October 2, 2024 Steve 7

Motor Trend’s November 1964 issue predicted a few things that didn’t happen. They included: Of these two items, a sporty Pontiac sounded more plausible — and perhaps reflected an effort by the likes of John […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Protect your children with this important new car safety feature

July 24, 2024 Steve 0
Freeway traffic
Current Events

Road rage is on the increase — and some states are worse that others

April 22, 2024 Steve 3

Today as I was merging onto Interstate 5, a Jeep Cherokee honked while roaring around me into the fast lane. I had been doing the speed limit through an interchange that is regularly tracked by […]

Links

The question of whether size matters when it comes to auto safety has a long history

January 24, 2024 Steve 2

The argument that big vehicles are safer than small ones has been floating around since imports first made inroads in the U.S. during the late-1950s. For example, in 1958 Road & Track magazine quoted the […]

Media Analysis

Car and Driver endorsing Dan Gurney for prez showed auto media’s insularity

September 3, 2023 Steve 4

Journalist Bruce McCall (2002) once called Detroit a “self-isolated world” that “matches that of any West Virginia hollow for insularity.” I was reminded of his quip when reading Car and Driver magazine’s endorsement of Dan […]

1967 Cadillac Eldorado
Quotes

Car and Driver scolds Cadillac for 1967 Eldorado’s ‘unsafe’ brakes

May 25, 2023 Steve 3

“(T)he standard brakes on Cadillac’s spiffy new Eldorado are a treacherous, unsafe Achilles heel on an otherwise pleasant luxury vehicle. Even though the Eldorado is nearly identical to the Toronado in technical detail, we had […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Prix
Quotes

Postwar U.S. auto industry was ‘largely complacent’ until forced to change

May 17, 2023 Steve 5

“The hubris of its executives related to consumer needs, an obsession with big cars, garish designs coming from its studios, the neglect of safety and air pollution matters, and rising prices all played into the […]

Media Analysis

Road & Track magazine’s 1972 Nader attack was disingenuous propaganda

April 24, 2023 Steve 2

(EXPANDED FROM 10/30/2020) When Road & Track decided to go after Ralph Nader in 1972, the magazine took unusual measures. Even before an “evaluation” of a Nader report hit the newsstands, Road & Track held […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Green Car Outspoken gives Chevy Bolt a big award

October 27, 2022 Steve 0

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 »
  • 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
    Is David Kiley right that Ford should replace Lincoln with a new brand?
    September 2, 2026 16
  • 1972 Buick Skylark Custom grille
    1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era
    September 1, 2026 5
  • 1959 Ford Thunderbird
    1959 Ford Thunderbird was a gimmicky but hugely important car
    August 26, 2026 11
  • Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers
    August 21, 2026 21
  • 1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building
    AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness
    August 19, 2026 2
  • 1980 Ford Thunderbird and 1956 model
    Ford’s design talent in the 1970s wasn’t enough to halt a dramatic slide in sales
    August 14, 2026 13
  • 1973 Buick Riviera
    Why wasn’t the 1971 ‘boat-tail’ Buick Riviera shrunk to compact size?
    August 14, 2026 24
  • 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
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