On Tue, 11 Oct 1994 rapalmer@eos.ncsu.edu wrote:

<snip>
> I read a book
> strongly disparaging the safety of Beetles (called The Small Wonder -
> Small on Safety I think), and it told of how in rear-end collisions,
> seats would snap backwards, and passengers could fly out the back
> window. This was documented for Beetles. Of course, the short chapter on
> buses said almost exactly "Get 'em off the road - they're totally
> unsafe"
> Oh well, off I drive to die horribly someday... :)
> Richard

This was Ralph Nader.  My favorite statistic in the bus chapter
is how buses had a very high percentage of single-vehicle accidents,
implying (to Ralph) they get blown off the road.  Since those
statistics were from 1971 (or so) I have also wondered whether
some of those people driving VW vans in 1971 just might
have been STONED OUT OF THEIR MINDS.  Nah . . . .

Mark
>