New Volvo vs. Bambi

[Tin]

After witnessing this at about 2am on the way home from the beach I will not be purchasing a Volvo, ever.

We are behind a guy driving a new white Volvo (don't know the model), who had to have been drunk because he was all over both lanes. The woman and I were keeping our distance in her Toyota doing about 50 when I saw the Volvo's brake lights and a deer fly over the car at us. I swerve and miss the deer and now begin avoiding remnants of the Volvo.

We both pull over, the guy driving the Volvo just misses a pole in the process. Goes to get out of the car, stumbles, gets back in and flies away. I don't think he could have gotten too far because there was nothing left to his front end. Hopefully the cops got him.

I'm still in shock how the front end of the Volvo seemed to just explode and the deer didn't.  

[fourbizz]

Thats why they are so safe.

All of the energy is absorbed by the car, and not transferred to the driver.

Thats why all the 5,000 lb cars of the sixties were so dangerous. Sure, you can get in a front end collision at 35 and barely have a dent in your steel bumper, but the steering column has driven through your chest, lol.

[Tin]

Got ya. Never thought about it, just amazed at the damage...

Check your pm's.

[Bassn Blvd]

I have my wife and son in a Volvo SX90 suv.   Have you ever hit a 200 pound+ object doing 60mph and drive away?  I assume that's what the guy was  going since you were doing 50 and staying a ways behind him.

Aside from the car being a very safe car, it was probably the booze that helped him from not getting too hurt.  Your muscles relax when intoxicated and don't tense up when you crash.  A lot of drunk drivers survive crashes where as the sober one he hits die.

[=Matt 5.0=]

I drove my '73 F100 through a telephone pole at 70 mph when I was 19. Truck was still running when I finally came to a rest in the woods. Good times, good times.

Oh, and the '73 only had a lap belt, no shoulder belt.   :o

[Quitlimpin]

Best thread title EVER!

[SirSnookalot]

Fourbizz and Bassn have it right. Cars today are designed to collapse, absorb energy and hopefully leave the cockpit intact.

I miss the styling of the 60-70's but cars today are much better. Safer by far and twice the mileage. Volvo has always been on the forefront of safety. I hear people complaining about the cost of fuel but this is the reality. In the 60's we paid between 30-40 per gal and the average car cost $3000 or so and most people earned $150-175 a week. Use a multiple of 10 for today's economy, average pay maybe 1000-1500 a week gas 3 bucks but we get 20 mph instead of 10 or less and that $3000 car probably costs around 30k. You will find that in the 60's we paid about 5-6% of our income for gas, and today it works out to about 2.5% of our gross income for gas.

Anyone remember gas wars at 12.9 per gal? ( 1961)