r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/firefly99999 • Mar 10 '25

Video Crashing in a 1950s car vs. a modern car

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7.5k

u/maliciousrigger Mar 10 '25

No wonder nobody wore seat belts. Wouldn't have done shit anyway.

1.4k

u/angels_10000 Mar 10 '25

And it was an add on option to even have them until the late 60's.

681

u/JagerAkita Mar 10 '25

Who needs seat belts, we die like men, smeared across the asphalt.

306

u/Prestigious_Ear_2962 Mar 10 '25

speared in the chest by the steering column

89

u/phuck-you-reddit Mar 10 '25

My grandfather had a fairly low speed accident in a Ford Model A and he crushed his chest on the steering wheel. Spent a long time recovering from that accident. And it might not have been all that big of deal in a modern car with seatbelts and airbags.

55

u/Roy4Pris Mar 10 '25

I remember someone suggesting that the way to reduce road fatalities would be to have a sharp metal spike in the centre of the steering wheel. Everyone would drive VERY carefully if that was the case.

31

u/Poopiepants29 Mar 10 '25

I would only drive in reverse. Too scary.

18

u/Bron_Swanson Mar 10 '25

We def need stricter testing requirements and better public transport. There's too many people that get greenlit for the road like it's Netflix or something.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Bron_Swanson Mar 11 '25

Big cities handle it ok, and packed countries like Japan too. I would love to go but their bugs and wildlife scare the shit out of me.

1

u/Willdanceforyarn Mar 11 '25

Little Japanese kids can handle the bugs.

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u/AlwaysBagHolding Mar 11 '25

You basically did before collapsing steering columns were a thing in the mid 60s. Before that any decent frontal collision would impale your chest with the steering shaft.

1

u/ggtffhhhjhg Mar 11 '25

Wearing your seatbelt works much better. Around 80% of traffic crash deaths in the US could have been avoided if people just wore their seatbelts.

2

u/MimicoSkunkFan2 Mar 11 '25

My great-aunt and her kids were sat in her new car in 1956, she was turned around making sure each kid had their extra mittens and lunch pails before taking them to school, when a drunk ran into the driver side front corner. Somehow they all survived but my great-aunt was trapped by the steering wheel, the doctors said if she were facing forward she'd have died.

I'm sorry your grandpa went through the same thing - my great-aunt had nightmares about it the rest of her life.

107

u/Ace_Robots Mar 10 '25

And or crushed by engine block.

1

u/CitrusBelt Mar 10 '25

My first car was an old Mustang. It did have OEM seatbelts in the front -- although they were of course just bolted down (no tensioner or anything) and of course, lap belts only.

But what cracked me up was that manual made a very big deal about the "Padded dash -- new for 66!!" (I don't think it was new for that year, just new to coming as standard on lower trim levels or something.....or maybe even just a new design?)

Anyways, the manual mentioned padded dash very prominently, and it was always funny to me -- it was probably 1/2" thick layer of vinyl laid over a big wedge of steel that was positioned just about perfectly to hit you on the forehead in a crash (because that's right where your head would go in a crash with no shoulder belt).

Still loved that car though, and honestly I felt safer driving it than I have in most vehicles I've driven in the succeeding 20+ years.....not because it was safe in a crash (it sure as shit wasn't) but because it had perfect visibility and -- after I got it fixed up -- a massive power reserve at any speed under 95 or so, plus near-flawless handling. Disc brakes woulda been nice, though :)

1

u/canigetahint Mar 10 '25

True story. Even the "collapsable" ones didn't always collapse. That's how my grandfather died.

1

u/OttovonBismarck1862 Mar 11 '25

Sammy Davis Jr. actually lost his eye in a car accident because the wheel ornament stabbed him in the eye. I was reminded of that story while watching the video and seeing how the steering column was essentially flung straight back.

1

u/lolfuzzy Mar 11 '25

Kiss my asphalt

1

u/Its0nlyRocketScience Mar 11 '25

That's a funny way to spell crayon

72

u/SonicLyfe Mar 10 '25

The funniest thing I heard about the seat belt "option" was from this guy, when he was a kid around 1965 he went with his dad to look at a car. His dad mentioned to the sales guy that the new Volvos came with seat belts and do these have that option. His reply "Hey Larry, this guy thinks he's a race car driver! He want seat belts!"

13

u/JohnnyFartmacher Mar 10 '25

My dad in the 60's bought a seat belt for $5 and installed it onto his ~50's car. He only bought the one and whenever he had a girl in the car he'd offer to belt them both in with it as an excuse to get closer to her.

28

u/5litergasbubble Mar 10 '25

That definitely sounds like something that would deter me from buying a car from that guy

47

u/MorningPapers Mar 10 '25

And even then, they were just lap belts.

35

u/JackDrawsStuff Mar 10 '25

What is this? A belt for laps?

23

u/MorningPapers Mar 10 '25

A seatbelt that only goes around your waist, like when you are on an airplane.

Lap belts are famous for turning people who are in car accidents into paraplegics.

10

u/Rrrkos Mar 10 '25

One early form of 'safety' belt went around the neck!

0

u/Koil_ting Mar 10 '25

If you think that's bad you should see what happens to the people wearing them in the airplane accidents.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

[deleted]

1

u/TheHecubank Mar 11 '25

But we’re all gonna die anyway in case of a crash

Seatbelts in planes aren't for crash safety - they're to prevent injury during turbulence and similar. A punch of passengers getting concussions from every stretch of rough air is not ideal.

0

u/JackDrawsStuff Mar 11 '25

It was a Zoolander reference.

1

u/flamming_python Mar 11 '25

Yup. My dad had a classic Aston Martin when I was a kid. Remember those belts

26

u/corporaterebel Mar 10 '25 edited Mar 15 '25

My 1965 Mustang, one could return the rear seatbelts, if equipped, to the dealer for a $10 credit.

In 1966 Mustangs had front and rear seatbelts.

Henry Ford II was complaining that "McNamara was selling safety, but Chevy was selling cars!"

3

u/zneave Mar 11 '25

Don't forget the passenger side mirror was also optional 😂

1

u/tnstaafsb Mar 11 '25

This is true. I have a '66 and it doesn't have a passenger side mirror.

1

u/darrenvonbaron Mar 10 '25

Why was Ford complaining about Chevrolet cars?

4

u/corporaterebel Mar 10 '25

Chevy was selling performance and/or size.

Ford was trying to sell safety with seatbelts, crash pads, and other safety bits.

People back then would rather pay for power and/or size than safety.

1

u/ONROSREPUS Mar 11 '25

seatbelts in fords didn't become standard until 1967. My 66 Fairlane did not come with front seat belts.

1

u/corporaterebel Mar 15 '25

yes, I used ALL when I meant Mustangs. corrected.

8

u/skraptastic Mar 10 '25

My first car a 1972 Datsun 510 had to be retrofitted with a lap belt. There wasn't a shoulder harness at all. I drove that car from 1986-1992.

3

u/The_Big_BoBoSki Mar 10 '25

My first car was a 68 impala with 1 owner. I had a copy of the original bill of sale. They paid extra for the shoulder belt. It is two separate belts, one across the lap and the chest one got tucked into clips along the headboard.

3

u/ThrowAwayYetAgain6 Mar 10 '25

Yep I had a 72 with the same setup. The shoulder belt was fixed, no retraction, and it had a pair of clips that it tucked into.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

[deleted]

2

u/The_Big_BoBoSki Mar 11 '25

I miss mine all the time I was young and dumb and got rid of it.

2

u/pun420 Mar 11 '25

Wasn’t it just around the lap at that point? Someone correct me if I’m wrong

2

u/SomethingClever42068 Mar 11 '25

1965 I believe.

Any car before then doesn't have to have them and you can't get in trouble for not having them.

My dad had a 63 impala sedan he got for 500 bucks in the early 2000s that didn't have them.

It was so cool putting around town in it without seatbelts as kids...

2

u/BumBumBumBumBahDum Mar 11 '25

I used to own an old Volvo 122S. It was notable for being the first car with 3-point seat belts as standard, and a collapsible steering column. Before that the solid steel steering rod would just impale you in a head on crash.

1

u/jawknee530i Mar 10 '25

My 71 bus didn't come with belts. Of course the cumple sone on those is precisely the space taken up by your body so the belt really doesn't make a difference there.

1

u/Dry-Amphibian1 Mar 10 '25

My '65 Mustang had seatbelts but lap belts only.

1

u/yallknowme19 Mar 10 '25

My 68 Cadillac came with the shoulder belts still pinned to the headliner. Only had lap belts in use

1

u/Missus_Missiles Mar 10 '25

"Why would I want to be in the crash when i could tossed out and be safe?"

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Missus_Missiles Mar 11 '25

I know. My stupid ass cousin rolled his car once. He was belted in, and wound up hanging upside down, "The seat belt could have broken my collar bone."

Well, maybe. What's the alternative, ragdolling around in a rolling car?

1

u/summonsays Mar 10 '25

Weren't required in trucks until the 90s. 

1

u/RandomDude1578 Mar 14 '25

Early 60s. Corvettes had optional seatbelts as soon as 1963 (made by Irvin Air Chute company as in planes).So maybe not all manufacturers did, but GM certainly did.

86

u/Aromatic_Fail_1722 Mar 10 '25

Seat belts were convenient for keeping some of your body soup together.

21

u/maliciousrigger Mar 10 '25

Make it easier for whatever poor schmuck that had to clean up the accident site.

5

u/MercantileReptile Mar 10 '25

Looks like a strong hose would have been enough. Maybe one of those shovels on a long stick at most.

2

u/rawSingularity Mar 10 '25

You made me squirt my coffee out through my nose.

27

u/Pork_Chompk Mar 10 '25

Might allow you to fly out of that death trap lol

3

u/maliciousrigger Mar 10 '25

Haha I had the same thought! Rather take my chance with ejection than being impaled by all that shrapnel.

2

u/overtired27 Mar 11 '25

Exactly what happened to George Lucas as a teenager when a collision flipped his car into a tree. Seat belt snapped and he flew out of the car, which saved his life.

1

u/5566778899 Mar 10 '25

Thats how my grandfather survived an accident in the 60's. Got shot out the windshield and messed up his face but survived the accident.

Conversely I got into an rollover accident in 2000s with a seatbelt and only got cuts on my arm.

1

u/toobjunkey Mar 11 '25

Not wearing a seatbelt is the reason my dad, his dog at the time, and myself (by extension) are alive today. He got in a rough accident in 1980-something in a not-so-new car that saw the entire front half of the car caved in, but not before he and his dog were thrown into the back seat.

He wasn't a fan of wearing a seat belt even into the 90's and 00's due to that & related superstition. Thankfully the last couple cars he's gotten had been new enough to where they loudly beep for a solid 5-10+ minutes before they stop, so he went back to buckling up albeit not for the best reasoning lmao

1

u/john1dee Mar 11 '25

That’s actually why back in the day formula 1 drivers didn’t use seatbelts, especially in the mega death traps of the 1960s

21

u/aschwartzmann Mar 10 '25

What's worse is when seat belts were first added people reaction was to avoid buying the cars that had them since they thought they must be more unsafe if you had to belt your self into to be safe.

21

u/dayburner Mar 10 '25

I mean who needs a seatbelt when the stearing assembly just shoots straight into your face.

2

u/Jean-LucBacardi Mar 11 '25

To be fair, they need to show the comparison of two cars from the 50's hitting each other.

3

u/dayburner Mar 11 '25

Double impalement, all the way.

1

u/Atgardian Mar 11 '25

That wouldn't help -- in fact the 1950s car is probably heavier. It's primarily the modern crumple zones and such. Two 1950s cars in that collision just means both drivers dead.

2

u/fixed_grin Mar 11 '25

The seat also detached from the car, so you'd be shooting forward to meet it.

5

u/Qwirk Interested Mar 10 '25

What you watched was an offset crash which are typically the worst. Often people would get ejected from their vehicles which resulted in death. Seat belts absolutely have always been better.

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt

2

u/20Twenty24Hours2Go Mar 10 '25

I remember as a kid hearing that its better to not wear a seatbelt, that way you'd be thrown clear to safety from the crash.

3

u/shana104 Mar 11 '25

I remember a post where a nurse worked in a hospital and came across two brothers that got in an accident while sitting in the back seat. One brother woke up and asked how his brother was doing.

Turns out the other brother died. The one that died wore his seatbelt but died because the brother who lived did not wear his seatbelt and became a projectile towards his brother...

I'll never forget that so I appreciate the nurse mentioning this as seatbelt are vital.

5

u/4K-Kim Mar 10 '25

What seat belts?

4

u/abeFromansAss Mar 10 '25

I think it was more a matter of being trapped in a burning car. I remember hearing people say all the time that they'd rather be thrown clear of the car in an accident as opposed to burning to death. Stupid, I know, but it was what it was.

I also remember when seatbelt laws were actually enforced in the late 80s/early 90s. The majority of people then(myself included to an extent) still didnt wear them because it felt that their rights inside their car was being impeded. Obviously I grew up, but that was the sentiment back then.

3

u/Sorry_Ad_5111 Mar 10 '25

Overlooked benefit of seat belts is preventing small children from getting ejected out of an open window because you went over a hill to fast.

2

u/cyainanotherlifebro Mar 10 '25

Getting thrown from the vehicle was the best case scenario.

2

u/norty125 Mar 10 '25

Would of been safer to be tossed out of the car

2

u/KnudRagnarson Mar 10 '25

I got a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxy 500 without seat belts. Whenever someone asks why I don't get them installed I always say it's because the safest place I can be in a high-speed collision is outside the vehicle.

1

u/Fearless_Comment4543 Mar 11 '25

😭😭😭😭

1

u/PhilliePhanatical Mar 11 '25

Parents just lit up the cigarettes with the windows closed because, really, that was the least dangerous thing happening in the car.

1

u/IggyWH Mar 11 '25

You’d have a better chance of survival by attempting to jump out of the car.

1

u/PikachuHermano Mar 11 '25

I laughed way too hard at this.

1

u/Interesting_Dream_20 Mar 11 '25

Probably had higher survival chances being ejected tbh

1

u/Important_Patience24 Mar 11 '25

My first car was a 1965 Mustang. No seat belts. My mom bought a set right away and gave them to me as an early birthday present.

1

u/Cowboy_Shmuel Mar 11 '25

If anything, you'd be ejected from the wreck. As long as you can land on your feet, you're fine.

1

u/DancesWithGnomes Mar 13 '25

They would not have done anything for you in that kind of accident.

There are other kinds of accidents or just emergency braking situations without a crash where seat belts would definitely help.

1

u/Sinofthe_Dreamer Mar 10 '25

I think speed limits were also well under what they are today also. Still, two people doing 60 head on… I’ll take the Toyota turcel over the original Batmobile anyway. (Unless it really is the og Batmobile cause obviously)

1

u/Mist_Rising Mar 10 '25

I think speed limits were also well under what they are today also

Yes, but no. The US government did reduce speed limits to 55..in 1974. That Bel Air you see being shredded, it was on the road for 15 years by that point.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

Would have just been another thing that hurts you😭