When my father died in 2015. We found his first car still covered up setting in the back stall of the barn. A 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. I don't believe it had ran since the late 70s. My younger brother wanted to sell it for scrap. My sister called it a reject for the yunkyard, so I took it. I worked on restoring it at nights and on weekends. Two and a half years later I was finished. Today it is my daily driver. ❤😊

In the 1950s they "relied heavily" on the fact that people knew how to drive

We now have touch screens that are far more dangerous.

Today's cars have an item that is totally unsafe, and you could say illegal in some states. I'm talking about the computer touch screen in the dash to control everything. Cars of the 1950s were much safer in this respect as they had buttons on the dash that the driver could operate by feel and never take their eyes off the road. The computer touch screen requires the driver to take their eyes off the road to control everything. Many states have laws against using cell phones (unless they are set up for hands-free operation) and I don't see any difference in looking at a cell phone or looking at a computer screen on the dash.

If you're a pedestrian who gets hit by a car going fast enough to cause you injury, the hood ornament is probably the least of your worries.

We now have safer cars, but much more dangerous drivers who look at their phones instead of the road while driving.

I would absolutely drive one of them. Beautiful pieces of art.

I love all the colors. Today’s cars are all generic.

Even with all the safety features that modern cars have, if somebody's driving recklessly enough, they can still wind up dead.

I also like the burst-into-flames feature of the modern EV's.

I would drive a 1950's car in a minute if it was in good shape, they were built to last.

Cars may have been less safe back then, but it also forced people to drive more cautiously and respectfully. There's so many crazy drivers nowadays that act like they're invincible!

This video makes me want a classic car more than ever

my 1st car was a 1957 Chevy Belair, no seatbelts, but I put 100,000 miles on it , I am still alive

Hood ornaments also help prevent you from hitting the curb when parking if you know how to use them. Miss them.

I'm 72 so yeah, I've had several 1950's and 60's cars with no safety features. When I was growing up you could get your learners license at 14 1/2. Naturally I got mine! After lots of pleading and begging, my dad bought me a motorcycle. Back then helmets weren't required, motorcycles didn't have turn signals and the headlight didn't automatically come on when the motorcycle was started. In fact the only thing my state required was a rear view mirror that I had to purchase because the motorcycle didn't come with one. I learned to drive in my moms 1957 Chevrolet car and my dads 1956 Chevrolet pickup. When I turned 16 I was ready for my regular drivers license. By then mom had a 1963 Plymouth Valiant. That car had no safety features either! She picked me up after school on a Friday and took me to take the drivers test. I passed! That night I picked up my girlfriend and we went to the drive in movie. The bench seat was great because it allowed her to sit right next to me while I was driving! It was great for making out at the the drive in too! After school got out for summer I found a part time job and saved enough money to buy my own car. It was a 1957 Chevrolet Belair, 2 door hardtop, 3 on the tree like the one I learned to drive in. I paid $175 for it! Those kind of cars were plentiful and inexpensive back then.

YES, I would drive a 1950's car.

The guy doing the voiceover sounds exactly like someone who would say the riding a bicycle downhill is a disaster waiting to happen. XD I like my old death traps, you can keep your modern debt traps! :3

Although the overall safety of today's vehicles is certainly much better than the 50's. I mean we have cars that will pull the car over to safety if you pass out. However, I would counter that in cars today we are over stimulated/saturated with electronic devices and screens. How many videos have we all seen here with distracted drivers. Back in the day when I had my first car, 62 Chevy II, there where only two distractions. The radio and my hand "accidentally" sliding off the shifter onto my girls knee.

I don't see those things being dangerous. Its the idiots that are dangerous

I rode of many cars from the 50s to 70s and never thought about any of this stuff; you just had fun driving around these beauties!

I have drove a 1957, 1960 Chevy and a 1958, 59, 60,, 63, 64, 65 Fords and never had any problems with them.

Bench seats and seat belts are mutually exclusive, one has nothing to do with the other

Preston Tucker tried to address some of these issues, and the oppressors-that-be ruined him for it, but he built himself back up with a full heart.

Regarding hood ornaments; he neglected to mention the most important safety improvement of all - they became spring-loaded in the 1960s and beyond. They were designed to bend back and/or break off in an accident with a pedestrian.

Go ahead and cry some more. These car are beautiful.

The problem with the A pillar wasn't that it was an A pillar, it was that it was weak. Same could probably said for the other pillars on the car. Volvo, as I recall, was the first to integrate a roll cage construction into their cars, solving that problem. And, I'd just like to mention, by its nature, a steering column already protrudes into the passenger compartment. That's kind of how the driver controls it. The collapsible aspect was so that when an unrestrained driver hit the column during an accident, the column would collapse absorbing that impact, rather than the driver's chest absorbing it. I actually find it hard to classify any of this as "obsolete". We still have dashboards, they're just padded now. Most of this falls under the category of "improved now" as opposed to "obsolete".

I disagree with almost everything you stated. Nothing wrong with old cars or trucks the problem is dumb people

Hood ornaments being a danger to pedestrians is a bit of a stretch. Being hit by all that metal, pretty sure the hood ornament was the least of a pedestrian's worries.

How many were trying to recognize car manufacturer based on the dashboard or hood ornament?? And would I drive a 1950's car today? Absolutely.

Re: steering wheel hubs: Now we have air bags that do the same thing. If you wear a seat belt you don't have to worry about the dashboard.

I've been driving for 40 years and never had need of rolling my car over yet. A good driver can operate any vehicle safely. A bad driver can't even operate a modern wonder safely. Really the only feature that makes a car safe or fatal is the temperament and skill of the driver.

Somehow, I lived through all of this nightmare.

My opinion on this video and the car features mentioned. An automobile from the era portrayed vs today had to have an attentive driver behind the wheel. They also involved a greater driver input to maintain control. This meant you actually had to PAY ATTENTION and not have the car tell you how to drive. The 'A' pillars were narrow enough where you could actually SEE instead of having a huge 'blind spot' as in modern vehicles. It has been my opinion for years to have all of the 'safety' features removed from vehicles and let the thinning begin.

So if the car gets hit in the rear and there is a fuel spill, the gas is somehow going to touch hot engine components, ALL THE WAY AT THE OTHER END OF THE CAR, and the car is going to catch fire?? The irony of all of the safety features we now have is that drivers feel they are invincible and they take chances on the highway, speeding WAY above the speed limit, cutting in and out of the lanes, tailgating people, etc which is what REALLY leads to serious accidents and injuries. Before, people definitely drove more carefully and did not do stupid things on the road that they now do. And yes I would still drive a car from this time period, and I have done so. I just wouldn't drive it to and from work on the highways during rush hour where I have to deal with idiots.

Another danger in those days is that 0.15% blood alcohol content was the DUI threshold. It has since been lowered.

In the '50s, the condition of the roads usually mandated driving at 35 to 45 miles per hour. Going above 55, one was considered a dare-devil.

I survived riding and driving a 1950s car. My family had a 57 Chevy and by the time I graduated high school in the early seventies I got, first one, and then another 50s car because they were cheap then. Fortunately none of us had a wreck in these cars.

I heard that there was a problem when the manufacturers moved the Headlight dimmer switches from the floor to the steering column. Some people kept getting their feet stuck in the steering wheel.....😂

I grew up near a gas station that had a towing company behind it where cars that had been in fatal accidents where the steering wheel had pushed into the seat

Today's cars have all of the electronics that are a major distraction which increases the probability of a wreck. Those big touch screens are a major disaster. BTW: Part of the 1950's cars did have a padded dash. They also had a frame under them with a real bumper, not just a piece of plastic. My first car was a 1957 Oldsmobile to give an example.

Goodness me! However did I survive my childhood? And all my friends too.

Pretty much all Bullsh!t. I just turned 65, and have had a lifelong love affair with 1950s cars and trucks, especially 1955-1957 Chevys. I have owned many of them, and currently own three. I have restored them, hot rodded them, daily driven them, and drag raced them. I have never been injured by one, other than minor injuries while working on them. As long as everything is working properly, like brakes, steering, lights, etc., safety is the responsibility of the driver. Remember, back in the '50s, roads were not combat zones like they are today, and we didn't have idiots using "smartphones" and touch screens back then. People actually paid attention to driving, which is ALL the driver should be doing.

I'm glad for all the safety features of modern cars but those cars from the 50s were beautiful.

My 56 Ford had a padded dash and deep dish wheel....it was the start of safety.

I would still be driving my 1959 Mercedes-Benz 180D if it hadn't rusted out.

Since I was born in 1951 I remember those 1950s cars and 1960s cars. In those years there were no safety regulations, however cars were very stylish. It seems that safety awareness started to increase in the early 1960s when Ralph Nader came out with his book Unsafe At Any Speed. This book had one whole chapter devoted to the Chevrolet Corvair.

Cell Phones cause more accidents than ever.

The placement of the fuel filler doors were a headache for the gas station workers who might not be aware of the different types on different cars.

I restored a 55 Ford Customliner and enjoyed doing it. Even all safety features will be lacking, as mentioned. I installed seatbelts per state requirements at that time.

The problem would be to find a 1950s car, and if you found one, you won't want to drive it because they are so rare.

We were skipping class and my buddy rear ended a car. The door popped open and he fell out. Luckily he was not seriously injured but my first thought was how I was going to explain to the Dean how and why my buddy was dead, lol

My grandfather and his presumably third wife were going to wait until after got back from their vacation to install the seat belts in thier 1950s car. Unfortunately, they were both killed in a head-on collision during their vacation and never came back home. RIP Grandpa.

The occupants weren't 'ejected from the vehicle', they were 'thrown free from the accident'.

Then - what appeared to be a minor collision often resulted in serious injury or death. Now - the vehicle can be totally demolished but the driver/occupants only suffer minor injuries or even walk away unhurt. BUT - I would drive a 50s vehicle in a heartbeat - 1956 is my very favorite year !

Hard metal dashboard and no seatbelts. What could go wrong with that? Sarcasm off.

Back then cars were not designed for safety as they are today. The manufactures wanted to make them stylish

I love my classic cars!

Would I drive a 1950's car ? In terms of reliability and serviceability, yes. Today's cars are safer but insanely complex and when they develop issues, good luck getting them fixed. Also, the primary function yesterday's cars were to get people from A to B with reliability, and relative comfort and safety. Today's cars are just cash-cows for the manufacturers. Also, when talking about safety, today's cars are full of distractions, gone are the days when all you needed to do was turn a knob to turn up the radio or the heat. Now you have to search for those functions on the BS touchscreen. As for the '50s A pillars, the A pillar is so damn thick with a big side mirror it's really hard to see the road in certain circumstances. I've driven 60's, 70's, '80s and 90's cars and honestly, if drivers drive these cars sensibly and properly and maintained properly, they were okay. I will agree totally though that seat belts, front disc brakes, radial tires were the best of the basic safety features introduced.

According to Federal Highway statistics you were twice as likely to die in an automobile accident in 1946 than you are today despite there being way more vehicles on the road now.

There is a video floating around that shows a 1950's Impala doing a head-on, off set crash into a modern one. The idea of being in a 1950's steel tank didn't hold up well. I remember the "A" pillar coming into the 1950's car which would have speared the driver for sure. Recently a friend of mine was in a head on collision with his 2015 Suburban. They are ok but going though some issues but they are alive. Amazingly the Suburban with it's crush zones saved them. All the doors still opened and the driver compartment was intact. Good video to make people remember why cars are designed they way they are today.

Yes, I would definitely drive a 1950s car, I love classic cars, much better than the cars they make today.

Add to this: Undersized, bias-ply tires that commonly blew out; Too narrow wheel rims; Inadequate, overheating 4-wheel drum brakes; Single-reservoir brake master cylinders (brake fluid low - lose all brakes); Buggy spring suspensions with no torsion bars (poor handling); Over-laminated safety glass windshields that closed around the neck when the head went through the windshield; Rearview mirror on a fixed, metal spike…. Still, I’d love to own a ‘57 Oldsmobile today…

It wasn't just 1950s cars with features considered dangerous to occupants during a collision. Automatic seat belts, commonly found in many late 80s and early 90s cars, have resulted in some horrific injuries when not used correctly. My older cousin, who was an EMT in late 2001, arrived at the scene of a crash involving a 1990 honda civic, automatic seat belts, the driver was not wearing the lap belt and her neck was snapped like a twig, when the shoulder part snagged her chin as she slid underneath, pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and passenger of the other car involved were seriously injured, but survived. Some GM models from this era had the front belts attached to the door, in these cars a crash that caused the door to pop open can eject the occupant wearing the seat belt; my first car was a 1992 Pontiac Sunbird convertible, door mounted seat belts.

We didn't think they were fun, they were the only cars available. No seat belts; some folks did not even bother locking their doors; air conditioning was a luxury feature, so most kept windows rolled down to breath in that lead-infused air. Tunnels were noisy and smelly, and back then the PA turnpike had seven tunnels. As a kid, I was too naive to be afraid while traversing the tunnels, but looking back, yeah they were scary. On the plus side, drivers seemed a little less distracted than in recent times.

If it ain't got chrome I'm walking home!

I would love a 57 Chevy , we used to have one when I was a kid

The old cars were made of steel; they could take a lot f abuse, but the occupants were almost disposable. Today, cars have crumple zones and are safer for passengers but are more frequently written off because of the higher cost of repairs, so insurance rates are higher.

Most of the "features" mentioned are not features at all, it's just the way cars were designed and built back then.

Of course! It's nostalgia! I grew up with these cars, crashed in one and still here.

Being born in 1959 I have been a passenger and driver in many of these cars. We didn't think about safety too much. No seatbelt and definitely no air bag technology. You just drive carefully 😅. It was easier driving around town back then. Less traffic. People were nice and courteous and there were no road ragers and jerks like now. 😊

is the narrator an hoa member?

I daily drive a vehicle that was built in 1957. It's manual transmission , steering and brakes keep me involved in the act of actually driving. That metal dash, amongst other things, constantly reminds me that I could actually die if I crashed.... On the other hand, big windows allow me to actually see all around me, and there are ZERO electronic distractions. It's a tradeoff, but I feel that I am safer driving something that I'm afraid of, vs driving a hollow promise that I will walk away from a crash in something that is safer to crash in........

I drive one daily in the summer

We referred to steering wheels as the ring of death in ER in the early 90s..

I'd rather die in style than die from distraction from staring at a screen 😁

Well if its so bad why did so many people make it back in those bad days. Like riding your bike with no helmet or jumping off the house with a sheet thinking you would parachute down lol.

Real cars, real people. (they could take it) Today's people are p******! I'm taking delivery of a 1955 Chrysler Windsor Newport Deluxe 2-door coupe this summer.

Shaking a memory loose "bouncing around like a pinball". I remember a film shown in school to promote seatbelts called "Dice in a box"

They need to throw out these obsolete functions no one uses anymore like the brake pedal.

Yes due to being easy to work on and built to last.

Almost every item you mentioned is no safety issue at all if only there weren't so many incompetent drivers on the roads. (I.E. - Hood ornaments could cause injuries to a pedestrian! I submit to you that if you were just hit by a car, you have far bigger concerns than a flippin hood ornament!) Somewhere along the line, a drivers license became a "Right" instead of a "Privilege".

As a child of the ‘50’s, this is a classic episode! I will never forget going on a trip with my parents and my aunt and uncle. My uncle had just bought a 1959 Sedan de Ville Cadillac in pink coral. It had the fantastic four “red flame” taillights. It also had a gas door hidden just above the rear bumper in chrome filler. It was almost impossible to find. The first stop that we made for gas, my dad, who was driving said, “Watch this!” We pulled up to a pump and being in the full service gas era, two attendants began cleaning the windshield and another went to fill it with gas. This young man made two passes around the whole car, which was huge, and finally said’ “Where’s the gas door?” It gave my uncle great satisfaction to get out and show the attendant where the gas door was located. 😊

I would own and drive a 1955 - 1957 Chevy any day.

Yes own 6 55 -61 cars great cars better than new cars now days

In the fifties, and for a few decades later, the driver could still enjoy driving his car. Today, and more and more, the driver can enjoy being driven by his car ... Is this an enjoyment ? For commuting maybe but for pleasant journeys certainly not for those who enjoy and know how to drive. Needless to add the smiles and thumbs up popular classic cars generate along the road, which make driving them a rewarding pleasure.

Seriously, how many pedestrians were injured by the hood ornament? That is the one "improvement" that I really question whether it's necessary.

The reasons to not drive a car from the fifties today are (1) fuel expense and (2) scarcity of parts for most models.

Let's see window crank vs electric which works in water. Gas fill vs battery which can be extinguished? Gauges and knobs that you could feel vs touch screen you have to take your eyes off the road to read? Gee the Edsel had seat belts padded dash. In short rather be driving a 50's than a 24.

The irony, people had much fewer accidents back then than today. People today have no clue how to drive.

Bench seats caused lots of back injuries in rear enders because all there was no back support, just a metal bar or hoop in some, with the rest just on springs like a sofa. As i recall headrests did not become a requirement until the 1969 model year, so broken necks and related fatalities were not uncommon. All the safety standards is why so many people walk away from the kinds of wrecks that were once almost inevitably fatal.

Bullshit. My 1947 GMC truck has a shear pin that allows the steering column to collapse and telescope in on itself. GMC and Oldsmobile were kind of test beds for new features for GM.

Boomer here, my God, how did we ever survive this backward era! I need water, where's the garden hose!!

Hell yes. I drive my 57 bel air almost every weekend. No power steering, no power brakes no seat belt. When you drive a vehicle with no safety features, you pay a little more attention to the people around you.

One thing I do agree on is that these old cars could have used seat belts. My father slid into a telephone pole in his 1956 Mercury. His face planted into the steel dash. He carried that scar on his chin for the next 60 years.

I had a 61 Buick with Bench Seats and No Seat Belts. Several times taking it to 100 mph.

Push button radios are safer than touchscreen, lees distraction.

I grew up riding in ‘50s ( and a couple from the late 40s) usually standing up behind the front seat- and loved the rear-facing Station Wagon seat in an Uncles Dodge.

Much better replacing the hood ornament with the 6 x 4' wall on modern trucks that eliminates any chance of missing the ornament and ending up on the hood 😅

I was born in the 1950s, I rode in most of the shown cars. The vehicles were safe, I have known people killed by seatbelts, Rare but it happens.