Back in Sept. I got hit ....T-Bone right in my drivers door by a driver that was under the influence and going fast. If it had not been for my side air bags in my new car, I would not be posting here now. So, everyone asks me: 1) Why drive a car that's not as safe as a new one. 2) Aren't I scared to drive a Fiero in today's crazy driver world?
I'm sure others here have been asked these type of ?'s before.
What do you say to this type of questions ?
[This message has been edited by robert1234 (edited 11-10-2016).]
I guess the question is, "What are the chances of that happening? What are the chances of that happening again?"
I've heard of at least one Fiero being hit broadside. The driver was seriously injured - mostly hip injuries - but lived to post, here, about it. (His words... "I got a door shoved up my ass." ...or something to that effect.)
The other question is, "Are you going to live in fear of what 'might' happen?"
BTW... the car that hit the Fiero was a Volvo station wagon, IIRC.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 11-10-2016).]
I drove my first 30yrs before air bags, or anti-lock brakes. If the first 30 haven't killed me, Hell what's another 30. I did have a few serious accidents in those first 30, including a 70mph rollover and being ejected in a VW bug.
I drove my first 30yrs before air bags, or anti-lock brakes. If the first 30 haven't killed me, Hell what's another 30. I did have a few serious accidents in those first 30, including a 70mph rollover and being ejected in a VW bug.
I suppose it varies per locale, wether you're in the city, out in the boonies, or somewhere in between. I am personally fond of older cars, I prefer driving them much more than the new-fangled gadget-riddled cars of today. The fiero in particular, is an experience of it's own, with manual steering and compact size. Just pulling out onto the road, I immediately realized that my attention to driving would need to be enhanced, the first time I drove one.
I hope for the drivers around me to realize that this is something of an unusual car, being seldom seen anymore, and instilling that "oh god I would hate to scratch that, my premiums would skyrocket!" Reaction that I used to get when I saw something sporty and old or exotic.
I personally drive my cars a bit farther behind the car in front of me, than I see most people doing. I make sure to utilize turn signals and ample braking distance, never letting my driving reflect how much of a hurry my mind may ever be in.
I wear my seatbelt even if I just stopped and bought a sandwich to eat in the car.
I don't even come close to taking chances with left hand turns, I will sit through multiple cycles at the same red light if I must.
The extra distance between me and the car ahead also allows me to read the driver behind me when braking. I have two GT's and I cringe at the thought of looking once more for tail lights online.
I actively pay attention to traffic flowing in the opposite direction. I've seen enough YouTube crash compilations to warrant the necessity.
I wave others ahead at 4 way stop signs. I don't mind sitting intact when it's obvious that others are impatient with rolling stops. I often prolong my braking to see that opposing drivers will stop first and grant them the right of way.
The list goes on. I love my Fieros and I'm glad they don't have airbags or ABS.
All in all, deer scare me the most. I live in the city and frequent the country. I drive both cars daily. I'm 33 years old, waiting for the rest of my generation to catch up in mentality.
Driving old tech gives me pleasure, so even it's more risky, so be it. No point in living life if you need to be bubble-wrapped all the time.
That said, a Fiero is still "good enough" I would say, as long as you always buckle up. I wouldn't own a T-top Fiero though; seems like a major compromise in the cage surrounding the occupants.
I don't really trust airbags anyway, since my body deviates from the standard crash test dummy... an airbag can do more harm than good.
Hulki said in one of the videos that the fiero is the strongest/safest non air bag car that GM made.
This is true....The Fiero is built like a tank...I was T-boned by a guy doing 30....The door pushed in 1/2".....
And added bit of info....The "Unsafe at any speed" Corvair was tested in the early 70s by the NHTSA against the current crop of cars and came out better than the new ones- This included handling....And they tested the first gen(1960-64) with the swing axles! (Ralphy Nader never had a license, and never drove a car...So he is fully qualified as an.....IDIOT!)
I call Fieros one of the safest US made cars there are. Its almost to the point of having a race car cage surrounding the occupants. I know a couple of large junkyard owners and they both say its hard to crush a Fiero compared to other cars. I prefer older cars myself to new ones. I do enjoy driving newer hi-tech, but its a different experience to an old one. Safety is never one of my concerns whatever I get into. Im one of those that say when its your time, its your time. The most serious accident I was in off track was in a 1970 Lincoln Mark III. Another car ran me into the median wall at 70mph, spun it around and hit a highway overpass concrete abutment and a steel guardrail, destroying the car from end to end. The hood went thru the windshield and over the back seat. It had no airbags, I didnt wear the seatbelts and it dont have any protective beams in the sides. I opened the door and got out without a scratch. What protected me was good size and a mass of american steel...no plastic or Styrofoam parts there.
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 11-11-2016).]
I was talking to a gentleman about a decade ago who worked with a rural ambulance service for 40 years. He told me that back in the late 60s they would come up to an accident scene and the cars did not look too bad off, but there were many times serious injuries and fatalities. In the 2000's they would come up to an accident scene and think oh my god, these folks will be dead....as the cars look like a bomb went off. But the occupants many times are in very good condition. He is an absolute first hand believer in the engineering in todays vehicles that allow the car bodies to absorb the energy (not the driver) AND the airbags to slow the time if decelaration/accleraton on the occupant which greatly reduces the G forces and blunt force trauma on the body. The whole thing leads me to wonder. How the HELL is did the SMART car get approved for sale in the U.S. It may have a strong small body, but where are the crumple zones....
I was talking to a gentleman about a decade ago who worked with a rural ambulance service for 40 years. He told me that back in the late 60s they would come up to an accident scene and the cars did not look too bad off, but there were many times serious injuries and fatalities. In the 2000's they would come up to an accident scene and think oh my god, these folks will be dead....as the cars look like a bomb went off. But the occupants many times are in very good condition. He is an absolute first hand believer in the engineering in todays vehicles that allow the car bodies to absorb the energy (not the driver) AND the airbags to slow the time if decelaration/accleraton on the occupant which greatly reduces the G forces and blunt force trauma on the body. The whole thing leads me to wonder. How the HELL is did the SMART car get approved for sale in the U.S. It may have a strong small body, but where are the crumple zones....
If you drive like an idiot, no car is safe in an accident. I have driven my Fieros for more than 250,000 miles and haven't had any accidents. But I drive like an old man (I'll be 70 my next birthday) and have managed to stay out of trouble. I grew up in the era of no seat belts, no padded dash, no anti lock brakes, no air bags, bias belted tires, no cruise control etc.
[This message has been edited by Old Lar (edited 11-11-2016).]
Back in 2009 the NHTSA took a new Malibu and a 1959 Bel Air and crashed them together, offset head-on.....The malibu cut thru the Bel air like a knife thru butter...There is a video still on line.....Crush zones are a real safety boon...I'm not so enamored of the exploding bags.....But I have always worn my seatbelt....
I have seen Fieros that have rolled sideways down hills,been ran over by 18 wheelers and trains and jumped gulleys and the p assengerswalked away. So, don't say the Fiero is unsafe. It was second only to Volvo in crash tests.
Only serious accident I ever had was in a Fiero GT back in the late 80's. Had just gotten a new Pioneer CD player and was jacking with it, ran a light a t-boned a Honda Accord. Front was trashed but from inside the Fiero, no visible damage other than a cracked windshield. Walked away with nothing other than a seat belt bruise and a jammed finger (it was on the CD player at the time, LOL) It wasn't until then that I learned how well they had done in the crash tests.
You could always find safer cars so if that is the main concern and to avoid the odd occurrence, never drive a convertible and buy a truck. I enjoy driving my Fiero and consider it reasonably safe but no car is completely accident proof. Would you feel safer in a fiberglass Corvette?
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Mine is not car related , but I will tell this one that happened to me once. I ride sport bikes. Once when riding to work one morning I got stopped by an army officer.( I worked on an active military base were they ran PT every morning) When ask by said officer " Are you trying to kill yourself ? " I answered " Yes sir, I get out of bed and go to work everyday. " His lower jaw hit the ground and he could not say another word. I rode off without incident . I still ride when the weather is good and drive my Fiero when its not.
I will take the skeletal frame for overall driver survival. The Fiero was the second safest vehicle sold in America from 1984 to 1988, bested by the Volvo 740DL station wagon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...c_Fiero#Crash_Safety
Not quite impact absorption but still like a cage. Add real roll cage. Side impact is a worry still.
[This message has been edited by Australian (edited 11-12-2016).]
I just tell people my Fiero is safer than their new car.
5 Star crash rating, the best rating you can get. New cars ONLY achieve this with airbags. BTW that is with your seatbelt ON, with it off it drops to 2 stars as with most cars.
The only car that beat it out was a Volvo (prob why you lost when you got hit by one )
When you look at the side impact beams on a Fiero there are HUGE, other cars have a tiny tube across the door and thats it. A Fiero is one of the safest cars on the road.