Printed in The American Tri-Five magazine in Volume 5 : Issue 7

All too often, we take certain safety amenities in our modern, daily driven cars for granted. Sometimes, we flat out don’t even notice them, or understand why they’re in place. This has long since been a struggle for those of us that drive our Tri-Fives extended distances, or even daily. After all, the more you drive them, the greater chance there is for a mishap along the way. So what are some very basic things we can take away from modern (or at least more modern) cars to increase safety in our beloved Tri-Fives? Lets take a look…

SEATBELTS. Of course we’ve touched on this in the past, but it’s always worth touching on yet again. Our own Chris Sondles was involved in a head-on collision in his ’56 wagon not too long ago, and had it not been so equipped, the outcome of simply walking away from the encounter a little stiff and sore could have been WILDLY different. With seatbelts, anything is better than nothing. When they were fi rst introduced, a lap belt seemed like an easily integrated option to holding a driver in place during an accident and was certainly better than no restraint whatsoever. As time went on and more crash data was gathered, it became evident even early on that a better option was necessary, mainly in the way of adding another point of restraint in the form of a three-point seatbelt.

Volvo initially developed the three-point belt in the late 50s, choosing to leave the patent open in the interest of automobile safety worldwide. By the late 60s, three point belts were commonplace options in most American cars, and became standard practice by the 70s. And today every modern vehicle is mandated to have a three-point seatbelt. Thankfully, aftermarket manufacturers have picked up on the added safety of three-point belts, and multiple conversions from are available for every model of Tri-Five.

HEADRESTS. Now, I know I just heard a few of you go, “wait, what?” But headrests in modern cars are far from a simple comfort feature (though it is nice on those long trips just the same). Neck and spine injuries were commonplace in automobile accidents, especially rear-end collisions up through the 1960s, mainly because there was simply nothing in place to keep the head and/or body from going over the top of the seat in such an accident. In 1969 head restraints were mandated in passenger cars by the NHTSA, and for good reason; head restraints can decrease neck and back injuries in accidents by up to almost 50%. Now, this will be met with some amount of resistance by people who like their cars in any bit “original” looking. There’s no getting around that seats with a headrest wind up looking “modern” in some fashion.

However, when considering all aspects of safety, some will happily make the concession. Companies like TMI Products have started offering their popular low-back bucket seats with the option of an adjustable headrest, as well as offer multiple high-back bucket seats that offer integral head support just the same.

STEERING. This is likely one of the biggest points all of us either overlook every time we drive our cars, or at the very least, did at one time. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your factory steering column in your Tri-Five consists of a single, solid shaft from the steering wheel all the way into the steering box input gear, uninterrupted. Not only is this noisy, transfers vibration from the road, and other uncomfortable nuances, it is wildly dangerous. In a hard, front end collision, especially offset to the driver’s side framerail, the steering column shaft itself can essentially turn into a spearhead, and I don’t have to explain the negative outcomes of that. The addition of a rag joint at the very least, or upgrading to an aftermarket style column, are excellent ways to add a “break point” to prevent this from happening. On top of that, if you had any inclination to ever do a tilt wheel and/ or power steering, the safety aspect is a perfect jumpoff point for doing such. In recent times, companies like Flaming River have started building dash mounts, steering shafts, and columns with collapsible points like all of our modern vehicles, for the ultimate in safety.

These are far from all the talking points when it comes to safety, but any talking point is a good start. Looking for more options, or more help?

Shoot us a phone call or email, and any of the staff would be more than happy to help get your ride as safe as possible!