He, in 1960's America took on, amongst other organisations the mighty Stateside Motor Industry.
That decade in particular was one where the industry giants ,collectively, were making huge profits in a rapidly expanding and increasingly wealthy consumer market.
He became focused on the Car Makers in quite an unusual way.
Getting around by hitchhiking Nader heard from truckers and motorists about their experiences of the utter carnage on the roads in traffic accidents that they had witnessed or come across in their travels. Crash scenes were invariably ones of death caused by fires after a fuel tank rupture, crushings by the impacted engine , ejection from vehicles and injuries suffered by fractured windscreens.
The US Car Industry was, in supplying unsafe models of motor vehicles, the cause of a huge and unnecessary loss of life and collateral injuries.
One of Nader's many shocking revelations was that manufacturers were actually quite innovative in the design of safety features with the 1950's seeing Patents for seat belts, airbags and anti-skid brakes but there was no compulsion through mandatory Regulations or Standards to introduce them across their ranges.
In a very competitive market for cars there was a real risk of safety measures actually increasing prices and losing market share.
So in a crash situation the sharp edges of dashboards, the spear effect from the steering column, non-safety glass and the likelihood of car door latches failing spilling occupants out onto the carriageway would continue unabated.
At the same time in Sweden, Volvo was pioneering equipment including permanent running lights and three point seat belts. Back in the US, the giant General Motors claimed that seat restraints could tear out the innards of the wearer in a low speed crash and so would not be introducing them to their range.
Nader was appalled by this attitude and in his 1965 book entitled "Unsafe at any Speed" he took on the industry by naming and shaming the Mega-Corporations.
One particular make and model featured in the book was the Chevrolet Corsair. It was a new car to the US market and a response to the emerging dominance of the VW Beetle. With a similar rear mounted engine it was sold to the public as being quite revolutionary and Chevrolet invested millions of dollars in advertising and promotion.
In fact it was a death trap on four wheels.
Safety had been compromised for superficial styling and death and injury resulted as the suspension and handling made it undriveable.
"Unsafe at any Speed" had struggled to find a Publisher at first from fear of litigation by the Car Corporations against anyone who dared to criticise them. A Private Investigator hired by General Motors to trail Nader during his invitation to speak to Congress on car safety, in error,followed a Washington Post reporter and the newspaper, outraged at such an intrusion on the privacy of a citizen took up the campaign.
This high profile coverage, as they say, caused the fly to hit the radiator fan.
The US Senate responded to the awakening of public outrage with swift action and in 1966, less than a year after Nader's book was released, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed.
It was the first legislation of its type covering car safety standards and roads and saw the introduction of seatbelts, headrests and carriageway impact barriers.
Nader continued to campaign in numerous consumer issues and in the 2000 US Presidential Election he won three million votes in the early rounds.
That was a fitting tribute to his work as to date his car safety crusade is estimated to have saved three and a half million lives, not to mention countless motorists, passengers and pedestrians from unnecessary injuries and hardship.
No comments:
Post a Comment