My Volvo Saved My Life....

Hey, guys...I just have to relate this story once again. The last time
was about three years ago, OK?
My Mom and Dad were involved in the middle of a (If I can remember
correctly) 67 car pile up on the road about 10 miles from Bakersfield,
California. That stretch of highway is famous for its' dust storms
where, visibility becomes ZERO, instantaneously(did I spell that right?)
AnyHoo, somehow or other, newscam helicopters showed up with, of course,
cameras.
They taped my Mom, telling the media-guy that "My Volvo saved my life".
Well, to make a long and laborious post a bit more pallatible. ...Volvo
gave my Mom a new car, paid for the trip to Sweden to see it come off
the line....AND paid her an incredible amount of money to show the
file-footage from the T.V. station.

Great cars, Volvo...I've been driving your products since 1967 with my
first new Volvo from Keyes Motors Volvo in Van Nuys, Ca.
However....something tells me that the current vehicles just don't
measure up to the crashworthiness of the old ones.
I still have my '84 Two Door Turbo...I luv it. Those FAT, blonde Lexus
drivers will never how I actually was able to pass them on the inside of
an onramp. Original turbo, too... It will outlive my '03 XC70

 

how much $$ ??



"paid her an incredible amount of money "

 

"........................................................"

I am a graduate of Poly High (class of '69) and LA Valley College.
Worked for two years at the Montgomery Wards in Van Nuys and was the
Asst. Sales Manager of "Cycle World" on Reseda for a couple of years.

Cruised Van Nuys Blvd in varois vehicles when you could still do that-
best was a friend's 1937 Studebaker 4 door that had about 17,000 miles
on it. It was Grandma's and she passed away, and they drove it back to
California from Kansas. Was 100% original (paint, carpets, upholstery,
etc.).


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

Well, they sent my mom five checks for about $25.800 each.
Not bad for screaming hysterically that her '78 or 79 Volvo saved her life!
Oh, and just one more thing...My dad, always with a camera, took photos
of the accident. As I look at them, there is a double trailer gravel
truck wedged up against the passenger side up to the front door, at
which point there was some small car that is unidentifiable. A Cadillac
right behind, shortened my mom's wagon by about two feet. On the left
side there is a Pontiac, probably about ten years old at the time, and
behind that was a pickup truck firmly about one foot into the back
drivers' side door.
To get out, my mom cranked open the sunroof and they stepped and crawled
over several other cars that were strewned across two other lanes to the
side of the road. There were a number of fires and a lot of people died
in their cars, both from the accident and from the fire.
I haven't yet learned how to scan to a Mac...but when I do, I'm going to
put them on links so that people can see them. My dad took 32, 35Mm.
Photos. Unbelievable site. Actually, I'm thinking of buying another
Windows machine. At least I'm comfortable with Windows.

The last time that I posted this, I was called a liar. I truly hope that
it doesn't happen again. I'm feeling a little down right now because my
parent's anniversary just passed and both of their birthdays are coming up.

Sorry, guys, for dumping on you like this.

Yours,

JIM in Las Vegas.

 

$25 ??, five checks...sheeze...



"Well, to make a long and laborious post a bit more pallatible.
....Volvo
gave my Mom a new car, paid for the trip to Sweden to see it come off
the line....AND paid her an incredible amount of money to show the
file-footage from the T.V. station. "

 

Who knows, Randy...We might have met.
At the time that I bought my first Volvo at Keyes, I also had a '57
Oldsmobile with tri-power. I can't remember the displacement. Maybe I
should do a Google search. At that time we lived on Valley Vista, West
of Beverly Glen.
In those days, cruising meant having a great car. The Volvo just didn't
cut it at ALL...Oh, by the way, it was a 123 GT. The only one that Keyes
got that year. But with the Olds, I could leave 75 feet of rubber
easily, from the intersection of VNB heading South from Victory. Then,
we'd head to Bob's or even to Corky's where, there was at least parking.
You know...I have to say something about auto repair in those days.
When in line for "car service"...you know the drive in part of Bob's,
the line moved so slowly that often I's start my car twenty or thirty
times before getting a spot...(Uhhh, MY cars always started on the first
click). And the auto repair comment is thus...I looked under my XC 70
the other day and, if I actually had to replace my starter myself, I
think that it would be a nightmare. Even my old '84 Two door
Turbo...It's wedged in there pretty good. But, if you burned out your
starter in 1967, all it took was a couple of hours under the car on home
made ramps (Pep Boys didn't have them in those days) and unbolt the old
one and install the new.

ANYway, ThankYou for jogging my memory.
I don't think that I'll watch T.V. tonight. I'll just sit on the sofa
and try to remember my friends and happenings back in those REALLY great
days. That I can't return to.

 

Just one more thing...the most important thing, actually.
You graduated in '69, right on the cusp of when things began to change.
Drugs came in after that, vandalism, you name it. Great times were gone
forever. By '75...forget it! They were putting down flares and road
blocks at every intersection.
Poly and Grant were pretty good rivals in those days. I graduated from
Grant in Summer of "63.
I remember Cycle World...I think it's still in business. Who knows how
many owners it's had since then. I bought a full-suspension Cannondale
downhill mountain bike several years ago that I still ride almost daily.
If I remember correctly, Cycle World carried Schwinn. You must have had
some contact with Jack Kemp on Laurel Canyon and Chandler. That was one
of my hangouts.
Anyway, as I said, I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking tonight, and
hopefully remembering.....

Yours,

JIM in Las Vegas.

 

HEY...Bean..
It was a national ad. and they ran it for a whole year. Volvo also ran
it in Canada and Argentina, of all places. The next year, they ran it
just before Christmas for about three months. That year it ran at the
same time that Volvo ran the ad showing a dark green Volvo wagon, coming
up the road with a camera very close to the front of the car, at which
point the narrator stated "Volvo". Then the camera panned gradually down
the side to a huge cabin-cruiser being towed by the Volvo. Then the
narrator said..."The Working Car For The Leisure Class".
That ad. still makes me crazy when I think of it!

 

how much was the checks for?

$25 each
or $25,000 each??

thanx...

 

i drove our early 90's 240 wagon to boston (from
boulder, co) and towed back a 20 foot boston whaler
w/a 250 hp outboard....i wouldn't have wanted to pull
anything bigger... ;-) .. i cruised right @ 55mph the
whole way (aprox 2 days).....i had the towing package from
IPD....the boat and trailer weighed in at aprox 3,500
lbs......



"the camera panned gradually down
the side to a huge cabin-cruiser being towed by the Volvo"

 

"........................................................"

Ya.. I was a sort of Hippy type and my brother ran with the Brandford
Park Boys, a "little bother" club (gang) of the Lynchmen. He carried
around the newspaper clipping of the drive-by they did... Ya, he was a
great guy.. :-(

Quite a few. It was "Sam's Cycle World" (Sam was a real jerk, not only
to the employees, but he was doing a _LOT_ of under-the-table business
that the IRS never knew about) and then Fred Faustman bought it (he
was the manager) and then he finally sold it. I was the Asst. Sales
Manager from about '86-'88 and worked there for three summers before
that when I was a teacher. It was a great place back then- quality
bikes and real enthusiasts.

Not when I was there. The Schwinn Shop was just up the street towards
the College.

I did go into Jack's shop a few times. I did race one season at the
Encino Velodrome in the 18-35 class.. I was 34 at the time and spent
Saturday nights getting my ass kicked by the kids.

We each still have out 1971 Schwinns we bought new and picked up when
we returned from our Honeymoon in Burbank where we had an apt. for a
few months before we moved for my schooling in San Jose. We also each
have Fat Chance moutain bikes (the year before index shifting cae
out!) And we each have Trek Road bikes.. I have an all Campy 770 and
the wife has a 720 touring frame that is so long I can get my XL-sized
fist between the seat tube and the front of the rear tire! To top off
the collection we have a custom made Landshark road tandem. John
Slawta was our shop's out-of-house custom frame builder, so I designed
the frame with him and then I built the bike from scratch once he
finished the frame (including the wheels!).

From the Valley to VEGAS!?


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

Letter to Volvo:

How grateful I feel to be able to write this letter. Four days ago my
wife and I walked away from a 50 MPH "sandwich" crash. Bumps and bruises
and the knowledge that safety matters are all that remains (besides the
empty garage) of this incident.

Driving south on the busy 57 freeway at 10:30 AM on a clear day doesn't
sound hazardous, but when smoke poured off the tires of a car two cars
in front of my wife and I in our 1994 850T the icy realization of danger
hit hard and fast. The car in front of us dived in panicked braking, I
hit the brakes and heard the reassuring thumping of the ABS as we ground
to a halt only a foot or so from the car in front. We were safe…then the
world exploded. The front airbags detonated, billowing powder and gas as
the windshield shattered and the both the front and rear of the car
crumpled. We had been hit from behind at 50 MPH and driven into the car
in front.

I looked over to see my wife, her glasses askew on her face, a small cut
on her nose and an enormous bag lying on her lap. She was fumbling for
the window switch as I asked her if she was alright. She said "I think
so" as, at a touch the window rolled down. I shut off the engine and
opened my door to clear the dust out of the interior. We both got out
and walked carefully to the rear as cars whizzed past both sides of this
strange, smoking tableau.

The car behind had driven our car in front of us 50 yards down the
freeway. Dazed, bruised and confused, everyone was out of their cars and
the Highway patrol was on the way.

What happened is still unclear, but what is clear are several essential
facts: 1) My beloved 850 stopped straight as a string (thank you ABS,
for keeping me in my lane) 2) The rear crumple zone did its job and
probably saved the life of the young man who drove into us as well 3)
The 850 absorbed nearly all the force, but we were protected from
serious harm. 4) The combination of the seat backs, headrests, seatbelts
and airbags gave protection from the severe whipping that occurred from
the double hit (back then front) 5) A Volvo saved the lives of my wife
and myself

It is also remarkable that the car could even move, but it did, the
engine restarted and ran well (after the muffler exploded since the
tailpipe had been crushed). The electric windows worked and all the
doors opened so we could get out

To say this car is a total loss is sad, since it will always be the most
precious thing I have ever owned.

We still have our 1989 744T, though a car my wife simply will not part
with.

We are picking up our 'new' 2002 V70 today.

 

Congratulations on your survival.

However the most important benefit of ABS is that it gives you ability
to steer the car while undergoing severe near thresh-hold braking.
Unfortunately, few people have had either the training or otherwise
acquired the skill needed to execute the brake and turn maneuver that is
required to save the car in exactly your situation.

I don't endorse any particular driving school, but all the major
competition schools offer an accident avoidance training session. It can
be a one or two day affair, with lots of track time and tons of training
in various highway driving techniques. These are exactly the same as you
would use in competetion but practiced at beginner speed: focus, car
position awareness (relative to other cars), brake and turn, off road
recovery, thresh-hold braking, car position (placement on the pavement,
using what you are given), corner entry and exit techniques,
interpretation of steering inputs, braking inputs and a lot more.

Now that you've experienced what the car CAN do it's a perfect
opportunity to garner some more technique and discover what YOU can do.
The reality is that since you had the time to execute a perfectly
controlled panic stop to 0 mph without contacting anything, then you
really did have the time to execute a drive around slowing to maybe as
little as 25 mph and not hit anything nor be hit from behind.

If this seems condescending it's not meant to be. It's just that in the
Americas there is simply no such thing as driver training for the
masses. Stop on the red go on the green and good luck in between is
about it. Oh, and always stop for a school bus. If anything arises
outside of clear, daylit, dry, straight road you're on your own to
develop successful techniques or strategies. All of which is a hame
because the techniques and strategies are well known, just not required
for a general public driving license.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Once again congratulations on your
survival. It's a shame about the car.

Bob

 

: In article <[email protected]>,
: says...
:> Letter to Volvo:
:>
:> How grateful I feel to be able to write this letter. Four days ago my
:> wife and I walked away from a 50 MPH "sandwich" crash. Bumps and bruises
:> and the knowledge that safety matters are all that remains (besides the
:> empty garage) of this incident.
:>
:> Driving south on the busy 57 freeway at 10:30 AM on a clear day doesn't
:> sound hazardous, but when smoke poured off the tires of a car two cars
:> in front of my wife and I in our 1994 850T the icy realization of danger
:> hit hard and fast. The car in front of us dived in panicked braking, I
:> hit the brakes and heard the reassuring thumping of the ABS as we ground
:> to a halt only a foot or so from the car in front. We were safe=3Fthen the
:> world exploded. The front airbags detonated, billowing powder and gas as
:> the windshield shattered and the both the front and rear of the car
:> crumpled. We had been hit from behind at 50 MPH and driven into the car
:> in front.
:>
:> I looked over to see my wife, her glasses askew on her face, a small cut
:> on her nose and an enormous bag lying on her lap. She was fumbling for
:> the window switch as I asked her if she was alright. She said "I think
:> so" as, at a touch the window rolled down. I shut off the engine and
:> opened my door to clear the dust out of the interior. We both got out
:> and walked carefully to the rear as cars whizzed past both sides of this
:> strange, smoking tableau.
:>
:> The car behind had driven our car in front of us 50 yards down the
:> freeway. Dazed, bruised and confused, everyone was out of their cars and
:> the Highway patrol was on the way.
:>
:> What happened is still unclear, but what is clear are several essential
:> facts: 1) My beloved 850 stopped straight as a string (thank you ABS,
:> for keeping me in my lane) 2) The rear crumple zone did its job and
:> probably saved the life of the young man who drove into us as well 3)
:> The 850 absorbed nearly all the force, but we were protected from
:> serious harm. 4) The combination of the seat backs, headrests, seatbelts
:> and airbags gave protection from the severe whipping that occurred from
:> the double hit (back then front) 5) A Volvo saved the lives of my wife
:> and myself
:>
:> It is also remarkable that the car could even move, but it did, the
:> engine restarted and ran well (after the muffler exploded since the
:> tailpipe had been crushed). The electric windows worked and all the
:> doors opened so we could get out
:>
:> To say this car is a total loss is sad, since it will always be the most
:> precious thing I have ever owned.
:>
:> We still have our 1989 744T, though a car my wife simply will not part
:> with.
:
: Congratulations on your survival.

: However the most important benefit of ABS is that it gives you ability
: to steer the car while undergoing severe near thresh-hold braking.
: Unfortunately, few people have had either the training or otherwise
: acquired the skill needed to execute the brake and turn maneuver that is
: required to save the car in exactly your situation.

: I don't endorse any particular driving school, but all the major
: competition schools offer an accident avoidance training session. It can
: be a one or two day affair, with lots of track time and tons of training
: in various highway driving techniques. These are exactly the same as you
: would use in competetion but practiced at beginner speed: focus, car
: position awareness (relative to other cars), brake and turn, off road
: recovery, thresh-hold braking, car position (placement on the pavement,
: using what you are given), corner entry and exit techniques,
: interpretation of steering inputs, braking inputs and a lot more.

: Now that you've experienced what the car CAN do it's a perfect
: opportunity to garner some more technique and discover what YOU can do.
: The reality is that since you had the time to execute a perfectly
: controlled panic stop to 0 mph without contacting anything, then you
: really did have the time to execute a drive around slowing to maybe as
: little as 25 mph and not hit anything nor be hit from behind.

: If this seems condescending it's not meant to be. It's just that in the
: Americas there is simply no such thing as driver training for the
: masses. Stop on the red go on the green and good luck in between is
: about it. Oh, and always stop for a school bus. If anything arises
: outside of clear, daylit, dry, straight road you're on your own to
: develop successful techniques or strategies. All of which is a hame
: because the techniques and strategies are well known, just not required
: for a general public driving license.

: I'll get off my soapbox now. Once again congratulations on your
: survival. It's a shame about the car.

: Bob

you ARE absolutely right! i've been driving volvos since the early 60s
and while avoiding bad scenes, it is still #1, the tweaking to avoid
potentially bad scenes remains my #2 concern... i've seen, oh so many
rear/front collapsed volvos in junk yards... all ending-well for the
driver, i still remain concerned on how to avoid even these collisions...
so. *where*? can a good, consciencious driver go to learn maximum
avoidance strategies? that should be on all our minds. I remain
in awe, about what-to-do if i see black tire smoke from panic brakes
in front of me... oh, yea, i'll just slow-down to 20mph and swerve
out of the way... nice thought! but it's frightening!!!




: --
: The goal when driving is to miss the maximum number of objects.

--

 

<snip>

http://www.carcontrol.com/myers.htm

http://www.raceschool.com/newsite/safer.html

http://www.bsr-inc.com/AAS.HTM

http://www.tnldrivingschool.com/#Description

http://www.midohio.com/school/courses/advanceddef.asp

http://www.derekdaly.com/driverprograms.htm

http://www.jimrussellusa.com/drivingcourses/highwaysurvival.php

http://www.bondurant.com/courses/courses.html

http://www.advanceddrivingdynamics.com/index2.ivnu

http://www.winterdrive.com/Regonline_Front.html

Here are a few. There are schools all over the country. I would contact
the SCCA for your region and inquire about the availability of accident
avoidance classes at the racing circuits they use. Most circuits are
underutilized Mpnday through Thursday and various driving schools can
provide good income for instructors and circuit staffing personnel.
Follow this link:

http://www.scca.org/Inside/Index.asp?IdS=000648-7B2DAB0
&Reference=RegionalSites&~=

Bob

 

: In article <duof43$k2u$>, says...
: <snip>

: http://www.carcontrol.com/myers.htm

: http://www.raceschool.com/newsite/safer.html

: http://www.bsr-inc.com/AAS.HTM

: http://www.tnldrivingschool.com/#Description

: http://www.midohio.com/school/courses/advanceddef.asp

: http://www.derekdaly.com/driverprograms.htm

: http://www.jimrussellusa.com/drivingcourses/highwaysurvival.php

: http://www.bondurant.com/courses/courses.html

: http://www.advanceddrivingdynamics.com/index2.ivnu

: http://www.winterdrive.com/Regonline_Front.html

: Here are a few. There are schools all over the country. I would contact
: the SCCA for your region and inquire about the availability of accident
: avoidance classes at the racing circuits they use. Most circuits are
: underutilized Mpnday through Thursday and various driving schools can
: provide good income for instructors and circuit staffing personnel.
: Follow this link:

: http://www.scca.org/Inside/Index.asp?IdS=000648-7B2DAB0
: &Reference=RegionalSites&~=

: Bob



: --
: The goal when driving is to miss the maximum number of objects.

GREAT! thanx for the resources that can save our lives! now how's
about getting insurance companies to help by giving HUGE premium
discounts for drivers that get certified... it should work!

js


--

 

Thanks for this. It's good to read this story from the unharmed
occupant of a Volvo.

I drive a 95 854T and safety is important to me. I will be buying a new
car within the next few years, but I really don't know whether it will
be a Volvo because I sense that they've lost their lead in safety. It's
not that I think Volvos are any LESS safe than in the past, but that
safety engineering of other makes have closed the gaps and caught up to
Volvo. Look at the various websites listing crash test performance of
modern cars and it's pretty clear that many of them are much better than
in the past. I once owned an Audi 4000 which I belatedly found out was
a near certain death trap in a front end collision because the steering
column would move up and back, striking the driver in the head. But
look at Audi now -- 3 cars rated in the top 10 for crash safety. And how
about the new Honda Civic? It performs better in crash tests than the
V40.

What do you think, Volvo drivers? Has the rest of the industry closed
the gap so much that buying a Volvo for safety is no longer cost
effective?

Rick

 

Bob,
I panic stopped and steered directly ahead quite deliberately. When
traffic is solid on BOTH sides and travelling at 50 MPH (on California
freeways, normal, safe spacing is considered socially unacceptable the
cars following) and the car in front has smoke pouring off their (non-
ABS) brakes thus bringing the car to a grinding stop, no amount of
driver training can provide a different result than ours. No disrespect,
but you were not in the car, so your comments seem ignorantly glib.

I have driven all over the world for over 35 years, (from the Autobahn
at over 280 kph, motorways in Sweden and Norway in icy and extremely
hazardous conditions, in Italian cities, French countysides, African
savannahs and middle east highways. I 've been to racing school here in
California and driven performance cars to speeds that most drivers will
never experiance.) AND through all that, I have never been in a
situation this severe and unavoidable - so please, spare the sermon.

I agree that in the USA, we'll give a license to anybody. Moreover, 50%
of the drivers run around doing knowingly (and incredibly) stupid things
all the time (such as talking on cell phones, eating, drinking, reading
and the like). The guy who hit us probably knew quite well how to
control his car and under proper driving disipline would have slowed
sufficiently for the normal flow of traffic to resume (and therefore
precude the accident). The reality; he simply was not paying attention.
A random event. Pray it doen't happen to you.If it does, I hope your
(presumably great) skill will provide a better result. If it doesn't I
hope you survive as well as we did.

Thank you for your good wishes and drive safely.

 

Contact Volvo Cars & let them know what happened they will be interested
in what you have said

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.

 

For what it's worth...
My Taurus saved my life...

I was driving along the Kelly Drive in Philadelphia heading east in the
right lane of a 4 lane undivided windy road with a 40 MPH limit that I have
traveled at 70 on from time to time.

I was driving slow enjoing a nice spring day, and not paying as much
attention as I might have if i was going fast, but certainly not
inattentive.

Coming around a curve a Mazda Miata driven by a young fellow crossed the
double yellow line.
If I would have been going 2 MPH slower it would have been a head on.

If I was not there the mazda guy would have taken out many folks along a
river walking/biking/blading path. Those folks were rather annoyed with the
fellow!

He hit the L/F corner and bounced down the side. The strong beam in the
door (I think a Volvo invention) kept me safe.

The whole left side was mashed. He hit me so hard the car hit the cobble
stone edging and the R/R tire was at an 15 or 20 degree angle from the
impact.

My head hit the b piller and I was diagnosed with a concussion at the
hospital (lesson: never go to a tennant hospital if you have a choice -
awful business office and insurance claims processing, but fine docs and
tech) My wife and I walked through philly to the train station, sitting for
a time in Love park so very happy to be alive. We then caught a train home
and took a cab from the station.

As the cab come over the top of my driveway hill and we were home I knew my
life was with my wife, and we were at our home. Perhaps the hardest call I
ever had to make was a cell call at the scene to my father in law telling
him I drove his daughter into an accident.

I wish I had a side air bag in the taurus..

I now own two Volvos.

MB and BMW and Saab are good in crashes too, the Ford did well, but I think
50 years of a team going out to many crashes and studying real world crashes
gives Volvo a real real world edge.

My crash did not take place in a National Highway Safety Trafic Safety
Instuite lab!