RE: US bumpers=safer! was Re: US bumpers=ugly

["Neal Tovsen" <sixteen.volt@verizon.net>]

> It's all about taste and the desire to be different,
> and not being concerned with safety. That extra couple
> of inches just might make the difference between
> totaled and just needing new bumpers.

Ironically, this is exactly WHY I have Euro bumpers. :) I bumped into an SUV
in stop-n-go traffic, and his trailer hitch punched a hole in my front
bumper. About the same time, Anthony Pelltier was selling some Euros on the
list. Viola'!

Bumpers do not actually have much to do with safety. Bumpers merely protect
the car's chassis and body from damage in slow-speed accidents like my rush
hour incident. In a "real" accident, it is the crumple zones of the car
body/chassis that determine safety. The size of the bumper doesn't make much
difference over 10mph. 5mph bumpers are only there to help keep insurance
companies from paying for body/frame damage in parking lot accidents. I
don't know what they are today, but the rules used to be that the bumpers
had to keep damage to less than $500 in a 5mph accident. Today, a runaway
shopping cart could do $500 damage!

>> this is what they're *supposed* to look like,

> Yeah, tell that to some of those Euro listers
> converting their headlights to U.S. style.

Well, that isn't really applicable, either. That style light was on some
German Mk2's too...just not in large numbers. Also note that the Germans got
nice Hella H4's even on the dual square headlights, while we got cheap
sealed-beams. I guess the US bumpers are to compensate for the driver's
inability to see at night with crappy DOT-spec headlights. :) Anyway, the
look of the headlights is a matter of preference, but I doubt that VW would
have voluntarily put such huge bumpers on the car if Ralf Nader didn't
exist.

Neal


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