The Great Texas Monorail Disaster of 1968

Somehow this seems like a particularly ignoble way to go, as if you had a fatal bumper-car accident.

Full story here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 07, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Death, Disasters, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Motor Vehicles, 1960s

The Dobson Air Dart

I wonder if any plans still exist, to allow someone to build this craft today.



Original ad here.







Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 03, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Eccentrics, Motor Vehicles, Technology, 1960s

Miniature Driving School

Back in the 1930s, if a Detroit judge suspected a driver was mentally unfit to be on the road, he might send the driver to see Dr. Lowell Selling, who would test the driver using a miniature street intersection to simulate various situations. However, I'm not sure what exactly this testing involved, beyond that vague description.

I found a brief note about Dr. Selling in the Law Enforcement Executive Forum (2008, pdf, p.51):

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Sep 13, 1936

Palladium-Item - Oct 21, 1936

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 19, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Psychology, 1930s

The Tullock Spike

The economic theory of risk compensation suggests that laws intended to increase safety, such as mandating safety belts in cars, can sometimes have the opposite effect by making people feel safer and therefore encouraging them to engage in riskier behavior. This is also known as the Peltzmann Effect.

This concept inspired the economist Gordon Tullock to come up with the idea that instead of mandating safety belts, it would save far more lives if the government required that large spikes were installed in the center of steering columns, because this would make drivers more acutely aware of the danger of driving too fast. This steering-wheel spike is referred to as the Tullock Spike, or Tullock Steering Column.

Image source: reddit

However, economist Sandy Ikeda has noted that a mandatory Tullock Spike might also trigger unintended consequences: "Some might replace the steel dagger with a rubber one. Indeed, a black market in fake steering-column daggers might arise. But that of course could worsen the problem because now some drivers will drive as recklessly as before, while law-abiding drivers will still have daggers aimed at their chests. There maybe fewer accidents but more deaths than before."

Ikeda suggested instead that the best possible safety measure would be to "ban brakes on cars."

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 12, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Regulations

Railroad Velocipedes

I imagine you could cobble together such a rig fairly easily, if you had the right skills, and do a lot of illegal rail-riding even today.



Original foto here.



Essay from which above foto drawn is here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 11, 2016 - Comments (12)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Technology, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century

Steam Wagon Leaves for World Tour

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 02, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Antiques, Anachronisms and Throwbacks, Motor Vehicles, Technology, 1970s

Follies of the Madmen #289

Erotic embrace of gasoline pump by 1920s woman indicates America's love affair with cars dates to earliest era.

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 30, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Motor Vehicles, Public Indecency, 1920s

The Case of Officer Hallibrand

"Driving while dictating." The automobile texting problem of its era.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 19, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Motor Vehicles, Police and Other Law Enforcement, PSA’s, 1950s

So Long, Pal

Disco-era DUI.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 12, 2016 - Comments (2)
Category: Motor Vehicles, PSA’s, 1970s, Alcohol

Motorized Ice Racing

Something frosty to contemplate during the summer heat.

Full history here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 26, 2016 - Comments (8)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Motor Vehicles, Nature