Since we’re having a bit of a bicycle theme today, here’s a film made by the AAA regarding a perpetually problematic subject: bicycle safety. Even if the theme isn’t of interest to you, the cars from 1975 might be. It was shot in the San Francisco area, so there’s a pretty healthy mix of imports as well as big (and small) domestics. Update: The whole 25 minutes are now here.
Hat tip to Aaron W.
Why is it that in every safety video cars are always to blame for the accidents that occur? I thought that it was the driver behind the wheel who was responsible for what the car does.
Back then before autonomous cars, it was a commonly held belief that every car moving on the street has a driver that’s actually controlling it.
Well stated. You beat me to it.
With bikes and pedestrians, bigness doesn’t matter. All four-wheeled vehicles are equally deadly in terms of weight and inertia. A smartfortwo will squash you just as completely as a ’71 Lincoln.
What matters is VISION. A driver in a low flat ’70s car can see a walker or bike, while a driver in a big new SUV or supercab pickup can’t see a walker or bike. The entire pedestrian is below his hood.
+1…. never mind some are texting, fiddling with GPS, or etc.
I seem to recall in the early ’60’s, us young elementary children were taught to ride against traffic so we could see and react if a car was going to hit us, along with using the side walk whenever possible and when crossing the street, walk your bike in a crosswalk. Apparently this was quite controversial around this time.
In Portland I have encountered bike riders who travel in the center of the road to disallow passing with a car, along with riding through red lights. Riding with a belligerent attitude doesn’t seem to be the safest way to ride.
As much as I hate insurance, it does seem unfair being forced to pay for a possibly not at fault accident. But on the other hand, I would not like to be forced to carry insurance on a bicycle.
Even today when I ride, of course I follow traffic direction, but if traffic is heavy it makes more sense to use the crosswalk or sidewalk to change direction then to pull in traffic and use the car left turn lane, even if using arm signals.
Fun to see all the ’70’s fashions and cars in this film. And talking about “some day” having bicycle lanes.
My biggest beef with SOME adult bicyclists are those who ride 20 Mph on the SIDEWALKS in Downtown Pittsburgh. There is no reason for this as on the streets traffic rarely attains that speed (in fact the cyclist on Downtown streets has a tactical advantage…) I’m not anti-cycling (I ride my self.) And it seems to be OLDER cyclists (40+) who do this most often, the younger adults seem fine on the street. Bonus Fact: It is actually illegal for an adult to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk in a business district. (PA vehicle code). Rant over, Now if we can do something about pedestrians not keeping right on the sidewalk, It’ll be safe to get out of the car!
Cool vid.
Anybody know where I can see a copy of the drivers training video I learned from in high school ca 1979?
It had lots of overhead views from the rear of an open red over red red interior 1969 Cougar convertable. (If I recall correctly after having seen in only once in 1978.)
Oh my; the clothing, the hairstyles, the glasses, the Dodge vans. This is a great video.
And I also noticed the highway components left a lot to be desired for both bicyclists and those with disabilities.
And the woman at the end picking up the pizza was probably a mere 50 years old, like your buddies grandma…we look so much better now! 😉
But man oh man those cars were HUGE!
And the “old” lady (BTW she’s likely several years younger than I am now…) seems to be driving a Buick LeSabre, or a Centurion. (the seats seem Electra 225ish, but I think it’s a “B” rather than a “C”.) So the “old folks drive Buicks” bit is at least 40 years old. To that (as a Buick guy) I say: Get off my lawn!!!
When I first saw the shot of her driving with only the car interior and door visible, I knew it was an Olds or Buick (based on the side mirror), but I actually thought it was a B-body from seeing the plain-looking bench seat. Then the film abruptly ended, and I thought I would never know for sure! Fortunately, the uploader has now uploaded a complete version of the video!
https://youtu.be/Fy_uXSemm0I
So, it turns out it’s a 1971 Electra! That surprised me — the seats and especially the head restraints look like they came from the previous generation car. I guess they carried over the seats in the lower-line models.
As for the woman, she fits that car perfectly! I’m guessing she’s an actor and that’s not her real car, but I think it’s cast well.
I guess the way it was shot made it look like a “B”, but since I HAD a 1971 Electra 225 (base model) the seats looked like mine. That I didn’t nail the exact model since I had one, I am rather disappointed in my self! (hangs head, looks forlorn and must atone….. David D, Forgive me….) LOL!
James Slick:
A few months ago I encountered a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk who expect me the pedestrian to make way for her. I was being an a…hole mostly because the street we were on was wide enough for 3 cars to travel side by side on each side of the line, and it was a weekend with very light traffic. I told her she needed to get off the sidewalk and her retort was that the sidewalk was safer. Now for the heart of my “folks on sidewalks” rant: if you ride on the sidewalk because the street is NOT safe, why don’t you invest a few bucks for a helmet? I see parents riding helmet-less while their kids have helmets and I want to ask: is your head damage-proof?
Right! and they forget that It’s “dangerous” for the motorcyclists too. On the subject of helmets (and I know it CAN be controversial..) I use one while riding a bike! (whether Schwinn or Honda!)
Studies have shown that contrary to what would seem to be common sense, riding on the sidewalks is indeed more dangerous. Much of this has to do with pedestrian traffic, but also because when cars are pulling out of driveways and making turns it’s unexpected and difficult to see something coming along the sidewalk so fast.
The safest way to ride is to take the entire lane which is why you’ll see many bikers do that. Much like when I drive, however, I try to make a point of not impeding others. It takes a little courtesy and common sense on both sides, things that seem to be in short supply these days.
I see bumper stickers on cars aimed at the drivers of other cars that say “Share The Road”, with a little picture of a bicycle. News flash to cyclists, “this applies to you too!” If you, the cyclist has a whole breakdown Lane or even half of one, then you don’t need to be competing with traffic in their designated Lane. And if you ride in groups on narrow roads, spread out some. It is very difficult to pass a row of 5 or 10 bikes riding together.
Well at least these byciclists aren’t the spandex clad, trunk banging, light running, obnoxious cyclists so common today. If they aren’t going to pay for the roads they rely on it would be nice if law enforcement would do something about those kinds of riders, particularly to the ones who decide a car in traffic’s fender is the perfect place to lean on…
Anyone else spot the Rallye 350 Oldsmobile?
As a cyclist myself, yeah, they do need to enforce the rules for everybody. I’d estimate upwards of half the bikes I see on the road are riding illegally. When I was a kid our small town cops used to do just that. But not anymore in any city I’ve been to recently.
Gotta love the Peace Train background music!
Seeing this video brought the memories of my three-week stint at the driver’s education school in 1983.
The school had the ‘Throwback Thursday’ screening of old automotive safety films from the 1950s and early 1960s as to instill the safe driving mentality in the sixteen-year-old juvenile drivers. The students called it ‘Throw-Up Thursday’ because the films showed the actual accident sites with drivers and passengers mangled up in blood and broken limbs inside the crushed vehicles. They were 1950s and 1960s equivalent of ‘Face of Death’ serial if I may add.
Our enjoyment of gory films was often interrupted by a few students making the beeline to the restroom and jettisoning their stomach content into the toilet or inadvertly on the floor. Not to mention a very burly football jock fainting at the sight of fake blood during the first aid demonstration film…
In drivers training in 1971 we were shown all those old blood and guts films. Some can be found on You Tube.
I had Driver’s ed in the 1990’s and they were *still* using those tactics. We watched two of that variety of film, both of which had to be from the 60’s judging by the cars featured (when they weren’t too mangled to tell what they were). Definitely more than I wanted to see, though I don’t think anyone actually lost their lunch.
I didn’t watch the whole thing and I didn’t see any recognizable landmarks, but this looks like the Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito area to me – can anyone nail it down further?
Ah, the good old days in the Bay Area! In the words of Stevie Wonder, “Why did those days ev-er have to go?”
Is that a muzak version of Cat Stevens Peace Train?