Don't want to write a book about CR, but let me just say everyone has their
opinion.  Sure CR's opinion should be superior because of their "testing",
but I would bet most of the people on this list are smarter than anyone at
CR.  Draw your own conclusions, don't let someone else do it for you.

-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Scholten <vwvanagon@YAHOO.COM>
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 1998 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: Vanagon Crashworthiness

>Jan,
>
>The American consumer-advocate magazine Consumer Reports, in its first
>minivan road tests in '84, made some interesting observations about
>minivan saftey, as the publication was not yet familiar with it. In
>the introductory page, they stated that a CR staffer, driving a
>Vanagon a few years prior to that issue, missed getting severe
>injuries by being high enough off the ground to avoid them. The other
>driver was severely injured.
>
>The review of the Vanagon in that issue was so incredibly amusing.
>Aside from their complaints about the Vanagon's slowness, which is
>warranted, the rest of the time they were bitching about the effects
>of the cockpit being mounted over the front wheels. It seems the
>problem wasn't the van more than the fact that they couldn't hang. We
>ALL know that driving a VW bus is a different discipline than driving
>a car. They didn't. As a result, they concluded that the Vanagon was
>an incredibly unsafe, scary vehicle.
>
>That issue makes for some interesting reading, so check it out next
>time you head for the library.
>
>My $0.02,
>Sam
>
>
>
>
>---"J.W.Brier" <Jan@HRPS.DEMON.NL> wrote:
>>
>> > The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash
>> > tested one of our beloved bricks at 35 mph head-on into a fixed
>barrier.
>>
>> Actually that's not a very good test. You will find that there are
>very few fixed barriers getting in your way. Most accidents happen
>when other - moving - vehicles get in your way (or you get in theirs).
>That's what is being tested more recently and leads to side airbags
>etc. It also accounts for the difference in test results and
>statistical data.
>>
>> Although often the driver of a VW bus is the first person to arrive
>at the scene of the accident the statistics do not show the bus to be
>overly dangerous. Having said that, all cars can be dangerous and
>should be used occordingly. The VW bus is no acception, but as speed
>is one of the major contributors to the severity of an accident and
>our buses are generally not that fast I think it is relatively safe to
>the occupants. Because they are heavy they could be harmful to other
>parties involved.
>>
>> Also, we do care for our vehicles and have a relaxed way of life so,
>as a consequence, we are the better drivers .................?!
>>
>>
>> Jan Willem Bri�r (mr),
>> High Rise Professional Services, The Netherlands.
>>
>_______________________________________________________________________
>> E-mail: jan@hrps.demon.nl -- Tel. +31 (318) 548857  -- fax +31 (318)
>548101
>>
>__________________________________________________________________________
>> Personal web : http://www.hrps.demon.nl
>> VW-bus page : http://www.hrps.demon.nl/jwbus.htm
>> VW-bookstore: http://www.hrps.demon.nl/vw-boeken.htm
>>
>
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