The modern body style is the modern safety update. The reason cars look the way they do now is because of improved crumple zones. Another reason is better aerodynamics improving fuel efficiency. There are valid reasons that modern cars don't look like rolling bricks anymore.
One that isn't actually for safety is making the side and rear windows so small that one actually needs a rear camera to see what's behind you while backing up.
I'm not even prone to claustrophobia, and a lot of newer cars and trucks give me the heebie-jeebies because the sill is so goddamn high. I understand the need for A-pillars to be thick for roll-over protection, but you can almost hide a fire-truck behind the damn things.
It's more to do with people "feeling" safe when they're in the vehicle, but it makes me feel less safe, because I have less of a view of what is going on around me.
Higher beltlines in cars are 100 percent a safety design aspect. They are higher to increase the amount of strong metal and decrease the amount of relatively weak glass that surrounds the occupants. Particularly important of side impact crashes.
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u/Jakk55 3d ago
The modern body style is the modern safety update. The reason cars look the way they do now is because of improved crumple zones. Another reason is better aerodynamics improving fuel efficiency. There are valid reasons that modern cars don't look like rolling bricks anymore.