The CarCynic's Award-Winning 
How did the CarCynic's Father know about the GM Ignition Switch Issue 45 Years Ago?
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45 Years ago, Cars didn't have Air Bags. American Cars didn't even have shoulder harnesses, and many Americans didn't wear the lap belt. It would be 10 years until the first NHTSB crash tests, and 15 years until the first US Seat Belt laws. The term "Blood Alcohol Level" didn't exist outside of a few medical research committees, and a "Breathalyser" would have been science fiction.
The Carcynic wasn't tall enough to see out a car windshield, and child car seats were largely unheard of. But in my Dad's smelly old Volvo, buckling up was mandatory -- No complaints, no questions, no discussions. So when one day my Father started a safety lecture even before we fastened our seat belts, I remembered it. It was 10 years before I would even get a "Learners Permit", but something compelled him that day to warn me about adding unnecessary objects (weight) to my future keychain. Perhaps another reason why I remember it was that I was just about eye-level with the ignition switch.
carcynic on 06.07.14 @ 01:02 AM EST Read More...