Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Nice Ford press

I saw that piece on CNN over the weekend. Tragic what happened to the people involved...but I thought it was preposterous to put the burden or fixing the issue on the backs of the auto manufacturers. They were talking about requiring auto manufacturers to design their cars so that at least one door would be guaranteed to open in a high speed (I don't remember exactly how fast, but I think it was over 60mph!) rear impact. Does anyone know how much it would cost for R&D alone?

We're talking about a small percentage of all accidents and a smaller percentage where the door doesn't open and an even smaller percentage where the fuel tank is ruptured.

How 'bout improving Emergency Services ability to remove a victim from an automobile? Better cutting tools...
How 'bout training Police Officers (who this seems, from the report, to happen to fairly frequently) on how to bust out a window and climb out?
How 'bout designing the front windshield to detach in a rear impact crash in excess of a certain mph?

All those options would be a lot easier to do than redesign every new car in the country...and just as effective.

Just my $.02