Don't know if this is true or not

[Utah DeLorean]

I found this on the internet the other day ago.
http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-cars-that-were-just-too-dangerous-to-drive.html/6/?ref=OB

I never found my car too dangerous to drive. Sure there is some in there that should be on that list, but I never found a DeLorean to be dangerous.
What do you all think?

[mr_maxime]

I work in the crash test industry and while the Delorean is not the safest car I doubt its anywhere near the top 10. There are multiple emerging markets that do not require airbags at least side ones with much more treacherous driving conditions.

Most cars tend to look pretty crushed after a test anyways. I wouldn't take any advice from that site when it comes to car safety.

[ssaleen]

Who cares!! Lol
I don't drive cars because they are safe of not.
I drive them if they look good, which are usually the unsafe ones.
I guess if I die in one, I guess I died happy, and make the news!!!! :nana2:

[AugustneverEnds]

Question: What do all cars have in common?
Answer: They all are projectiles that can kill occupants.

Question: Will you stop driving now?
My Answer: Hell no!!!

what a dumbass article anyways

[sdg3205]

Never ever has the safety of the Dmc ever been a discussion here or elsewhere. Because anything we run into will win. The author of this article is a moron. Even 35 years ago safety was not an issue with the car. It's another guy with a grudge and a keyboard.

What we DO know is that we have quite a few people here that walked away from accidents in a DElorean. What we don't have (as far as I know) is anyone we know here or elsewhere who died in a Dmc accident. Those numbers speak volumes to whatever safety exists in a Dmc.

[Utah DeLorean]

I work in the crash test industry and while the Delorean is not the safest car I doubt its anywhere near the top 10. There are multiple emerging markets that do not require airbags at least side ones with much more treacherous driving conditions.

Most cars tend to look pretty crushed after a test anyways. I wouldn't take any advice from that site when it comes to car safety.

LOL My golf had airbags that would come out of everywhere, but my truck (which is 2 years newer 2002 vs 2000 VW golf) only has two air bags... but I find my truck to be much safer.... Recently I had a lady rear end me... She hit me so hard that she was taken to the hospital with complaints about her chest hurting and I barely felt it. It also helps that it's a 3/4 ton truck with a 8 foot bed I guess..
I think that one car that should have gotten on that list is that DAMN smart car! Your not getting better gas mileage with it! and if something bigger then a VW golf hit you in it I think that you would be lucky to even survive (even if it had X amount of air bags or even that tech from Demolition man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyhkBU1yaw))

[Shep]

Not having read the article, I will say this: I chose my daily driver for its safety. I chose my DeLorean for its class.

Some of you may remember my thread on this, but after my accident where I was sitting still and was rear-ended at 55 MPH, I learned safety is a huge factor in allowed me to walk away from the scene with only minor cuts and bruises. If I'm going to have a car that isn't about class, it's going to be about safety. My two cents.

[Jonathan]

what a dumbass article anyways


The author of this article is a moron. Even 35 years ago safety was not an issue with the car. It's another guy with a grudge and a keyboard.

Agreed.

What I was wondering was when did a bunch of photos with a short paragraph description underneath each became an ARTICLE? Some of my FB photo albums have that. I guess I'm a journalist now too! Giddyup! lol

[dustybarn]

LOL My golf had airbags that would come out of everywhere, but my truck (which is 2 years newer 2002 vs 2000 VW golf) only has two air bags... but I find my truck to be much safer.... Recently I had a lady rear end me... She hit me so hard that she was taken to the hospital with complaints about her chest hurting and I barely felt it. It also helps that it's a 3/4 ton truck with a 8 foot bed I guess..
I think that one car that should have gotten on that list is that DAMN smart car! Your not getting better gas mileage with it! and if something bigger then a VW golf hit you in it I think that you would be lucky to even survive (even if it had X amount of air bags or even that tech from Demolition man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyhkBU1yaw))

Surprisingly, the Smart is pretty crashworthy. The unibody shell is unusually stiff, and the design deliberately uses the tires and suspension as crush zones. The high seating position and location of the passengers with respect to the stiff door sills also helps in side impacts. They were doing their homework.

The article is just plain stupid. I'd never heard crashworthiness criticism leveled at either the D or the Fiero before. Sure, today's cars are much safer, but technology marches on.

[Dangermouse]

Agreed.

What I was wondering was when did a bunch of photos with a short paragraph description underneath each became an ARTICLE? Some of my FB photo albums have that. I guess I'm a journalist now too! Giddyup! lol

You aren't a modern journalist Jonathan. You made all your points in one well thought out sentence. That won't do at all.

What you should have done is titled it "10 things I was wondering about articles" and then spread them out over 10 pages containing 10% photograph, 10% childs ramblings and 80% clickable advertizing

Pulitizer prize on the way :tongue_stick:

[OverlandMan]

LOL My golf had airbags that would come out of everywhere, but my truck (which is 2 years newer 2002 vs 2000 VW golf) only has two air bags... but I find my truck to be much safer.... Recently I had a lady rear end me... She hit me so hard that she was taken to the hospital with complaints about her chest hurting and I barely felt it. It also helps that it's a 3/4 ton truck with a 8 foot bed I guess..
I think that one car that should have gotten on that list is that DAMN smart car! Your not getting better gas mileage with it! and if something bigger then a VW golf hit you in it I think that you would be lucky to even survive (even if it had X amount of air bags or even that tech from Demolition man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyhkBU1yaw))

I knew someone who was killed in a SmartCar accident. I would agree in that it's not a top safety choice.

Beyond that, the article talked about the car looking like a crushed can. If I recall, that was sorta the idea. The fiberglass underbody was the rigid component, specifically the passenger compartment. The crash tests showed this area to be intact after impact while the rest did its job to absorb the crash.

As for the rollover concerns, I think I'll take my chances. The car is low and wide and rollover probability is very low especially under normal driving conditions.

I got a chuckle out of the Porsche 911 making the list too.

[Totally 80s]

Has there ever been a documented roll over of a Delorean? I'm looking for one single time it has happened on city streets (not on a test track).

[Dangermouse]

I recall DMCMW Dave, or possibly Rich W mentioning one, one time, where the car hit a guard-rail and flipped/rolled over.

edit - he went off the interstate into a grass verge

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?9564-How-fast-do-you-have-to-go-in-order-to-flip-the-car&highlight=rollover


http://dmcnews.com/Techsection/rollover.html

[Jonathan]

You aren't a modern journalist Jonathan. You made all your points in one well thought out sentence. That won't do at all.

What you should have done is titled it "10 things I was wondering about articles" and then spread them out over 10 pages containing 10% photograph, 10% childs ramblings and 80% clickable advertizing

Pulitizer prize on the way :tongue_stick:

Haha, good point. And the clickable advertising needs to have lots of those kinda creepy ones that are basically all the things you saw in the last dozen or so websites visited.

... one thing about safety and old cars, or new ones for that matter... I'd be more concerned about driving cars with old worn out or cracking tires and bad brakes and lights that don't work than I would realistically about the original design safety. If I'm worried about anything related to driving around town in the DeLorean, it's not my car, it's buddy in the old POS that should have been taken off the road years ago from neglect.

Now, if he can't stop coming into an intersection and T-bones me or something, then I'll be happy with my raised door sills/gullwing safety design. Assuming his vehicle's bumper isn't at the height of my window, 'cause then I'll be wearing his foglights right in my chin and we won't have to worry too much about door sill protection.

EDIT: Good call Dermot, I was just looking for that "not TABs related" write-up Dave did years ago.

[DMCMW Dave]

[QUOTE
EDIT: Good call Dermot, I was just looking for that "not TABs related" write-up Dave did years ago.[/QUOTE]

I scrapped out that car YEARS later and the TABs were fine. It was strictly a "lost control in the rain" accident. The driver was uninjured, but everything on the car was bent or broken. There were even burn holes in the stainless where the car scrubbed down the road upside down.

[Ryan King]

In my 10 years of Ownership, I have not once heard of someone dying in a DeLorean.

[sdg3205]

There is an urban story around Vancouver I have heard on several occasions from different people about a guy driving his Delorean into the Fraser river and drowning. This would have been 15-20 years ago IIRC. Not the cars fault. Wish I knew more about the situation.

[Andrew]

All the safety equipment and "advancements" can't take the place of defensive driving and reasonable precautions. How many times do we hear stories of people getting killed via ejection accidents because they didn't fasten their seatbelt, despite the fact that seatbelts have been mandated in every new car for roughly the past 50 years! Furthermore how many people are injured or killed due to texting, drinking or plain driving like a nut in cars with airbags, crumple zones, and onboard communication systems etc.

With all of that said, none of my 5 cars has an airbag, including my daily driver. Even if I were ever to purchase a car with an airbag, I wouldn't bet my life on it working. Every time I get on the road I buckle my seatbelt, leave the phone in my pocket and pay attention. Remember, defensive driving is all about expecting the other jerk to do something stupid ;-)

[mr_maxime]

Airbags tend to function very well except for the obvious takata recall. Safety ratings differ between cars and impact type as well. There was also a safety standard update in recent years so most older cars cannot be compared to new ones via the star rating system. You also have to take into consideration that safety tests are conducted usually under 50mph and in a controlled system. Real accidents hardly ever recreate what we do in a crash test. Probably too much info but airbags tend to work well for the crashes they are designed for.

[Shep]

Airbags tend to function very well except for the obvious takata recall. Safety ratings differ between cars and impact type as well. There was also a safety standard update in recent years so most older cars cannot be compared to new ones via the star rating system. You also have to take into consideration that safety tests are conducted usually under 50mph and in a controlled system. Real accidents hardly ever recreate what we do in a crash test. Probably too much info but airbags tend to work well for the crashes they are designed for.Wholeheartedly agree with this. After all, defensive driving and reasonable precautions mean squat when an accident is someone else's fault (ask me how I know...)

[Timebender]

I was rear ended while driving my dad's 1976 280Z, by a new driver who just got their license that day, at 45 MPH. I was stopped on a 4 lane street waiting to turn into our driveway when she came over the hill, and barely braked before slamming into the rear end. I had a habit of checking the mirror as people would normally come flying over the hill. When I saw the car coming and it got close, I braced for impact by pressing my back and head against the seat and headrest (to avoid whiplash) and took my foot off the brake at the last second to absorb some of the energy.
I got out unscathed, but the steering wheel was very bent where I had been pushing on it. Eventually we got the car fixed too. No airbags, or anti-lock brakes or crumple zones.

It's all about what kind of driver you are. I've seen people taken away in ambulances that were driving very nice modern cars. And now you have more features like lane departure warnings, look ahead for slowing, etc. which I think only make today's drivers more lazy as they're relying more on tech and less on true driving skills.