what car design tells us
Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 6:25AM
Robert Twigger

Cars over the last ten years have got harder and harder to see out of.

They resemble increasingly chopped and squashed hotrods with tiny perfunctory windows and lowered roofs.

In the past - starting in the 1960s- we saw a move towards more and more visibility. Huge acres of glass- the old Mercedes 350SL, the humble cortina, the mini metro and early Nissan Micra. There were glitches- the Ford Capri and later Cortina were a step back towards less visibility- but generally the move was: better visibility equals better safety.

This assumes the burden of safety is mainly on the driver. An active view. But now cars are increasingly like padded boxes. Egg boxes for people yet to be even chickens. Less visibility, not more. Passive safety not active safety.

Increasingly the mainstream culture sees people as not to be trusted....

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