suicide doors and death rate?

[gege]

im curious, does anyone know of a person that committed suicide by opening a suicide door ? does anyone know of a person that died from a suicide door opening by accident ? i can see that street walkers could get killed when a suicide doored car passed them by and it was a bumpy road and the door accidentily opened and wacked them to death. just wondering ? should we change their name if we can not find any deaths attributed to them ?

[Byron Crump]

I think it had more to do with people getting out of the car and not being able to see what was comming at them that caused the name to be that. I read a thing once talking about how crazy the drivers were in New York, Chicago, and other major cities in the 30's and how people hauled ass and creamed the peds walking around (the ones on foot, not the HankCash type of peds http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif). I also read in the same article that the reason my 32 Ford had only a outside door lock on the passenger side was becasue since the cities and traffic was so crazy you were supposed to lock the driver door from the inside, slide across the seat, and exit and lock the car from the "safer" passenger side on the sidewalk. I learned this in my "History of the Automobile" class at UNT.

[hankcash]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it had more to do with people getting out of the car and not being able to see what was comming at them that caused the name to be that. I read a thing once talking about how crazy the drivers were in New York, Chicago, and other major cities in the 30's and how people hauled ass and creamed the peds walking around (the ones on foot, not the HankCash type of peds http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif). I also read in the same article that the reason my 32 Ford had only a outside door lock on the passenger side was becasue since the cities and traffic was so crazy you were supposed to lock the driver door from the inside, slide across the seat, and exit and lock the car from the "safer" passenger side on the sidewalk. I learned this in my "History of the Automobile" class at UNT.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ouch!
Dude, I prefer pedder-ass to ped.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

O and by the way.. just when I think that you are as big of an idiot as me, you come on this thread, make a well thought out, factual post pertaing to the history of door locks in inner city areas.. and COMPLETELY BLOW ME AWAY!!!

you are punk rock!
HC

[Tim]

ever open your door when your driving to slam it back shut harder?

go 50 and open the door the other way

that shit will pull you right out lol

[Anderson]

[ QUOTE ]
I learned this in my "History of the Automobile" class at UNT.

[/ QUOTE ]

?????? I want to take that!!! What the hell is the number for that one? The bastards probably don't have it anymore...

[Kojack]

I heard the same thing as Merc50 about the doors and door locks. Unfortunatly the term is just so old it seems people forgot what it did mean... perhaps?

[marq]

suicide doors are called this because if you open the door and a passing car hits the door you get crushed between the door and the car.There was an interesting article a few years back on one of the old british car websites showing deaths by doors for the year of 1935.The article stated most of these deaths took place in london and interestingly enough it wasnt cars causing the problem.It was stated that most deaths occured when a driver opened his door and was hit by a horse and carriage it was something to do with the cariage driver not be able to see the car door opening apparently there were 44 deaths in London for the year of 1935 all put down to the use of rearward opening doors (suicide doors)hope this helps...........Marq

[LIMEY]

Many yrs ago wnen i was about 18 or so i had an old '56 Rover that had rear suicide doors, & yes i was a victim! the rear drivers side door wasn't quite shut & being a young dumbass kid i thought i'd just pop it open & slam it shut at 40mph.......jeez that fekkin door swung open so violently it pulled me half over the the driving seat, yes i shat myself & had a nice big crease in the aluminium door.
From that day on i knew the meaning of suicide door.

[haring]

There are new cars with rear suicide doors. You can sure-as-hell bet that the car companies don't call them "suicide" doors anymore.

Honda calls the side doors on the Element "center-opening cargo doors".
Saturn had a coupe with what they called a "third door".
And, of course, most extended cab pickup trucks now have a rear-opening suicide door.

Most guys who are into older cars know the term "suicide door" and it doesn't really bother them. Most average consumers today don't know the term, and it would scare the hell ot of them if they knew.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[abe lugo]

The thing about new car doors is that you can open the rears without opening the fronts.

[porknbeaner]

Someone probably alreay said this but I think the name came from the passenger being thrown out while makeing a left hand turn. There was nuthing to hold them in and the older door latches had a tendency to let go.
Add to that the wind pushing on the door, and shizaaam it was all the way open.
An interesting note, my '53 Ford only has outside door lock on the passenger side. I never knew it was so you would have to slide across instead of opening it in the street.

OH back to the suicide thing, I don't know anyone that died in one but my mom was thrown out on US 101 in '68. I think it was a '33 coupe and for some reason it was cutting donuts on the freeway.

[Junkyard Dog 32]

No, no, no... They were invented by a Frenchman named Maurice Suicide.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

...and I'm having a hard time figuring which is worse...
a French coward or a Spanish quitter. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

JOEhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Elrod]

A little more on the door locks....

My 31 ford has that feature, as well as my 37 Plymouth. They both only have locks on the passenger side.

I have some old drivers safety books too from Dallas, and they suggest that the passenger get out on the curb, not out in traffic.

You can also see that in old movies.

[DrJ]

[ QUOTE ]
A little more on the door locks....

My 31 ford has that feature, as well as my 37 Plymouth. They both only have locks on the passenger side.

I have some old drivers safety books too from Dallas, and they suggest that the passenger get out on the curb, not out in traffic.

You can also see that in old movies.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wife's '55 Chevy 2nd series pickup only has a passenger side outside door lock cylinder.
It usta be frowned upon if not illegal to get out of a car on the drivers side when parallel parked on the street.
They usta show this old drivers safety movie with a guy opening the door on his late thirties Ford(?) only to have it completely ripped out of his hand and off the car by a passing motorist. (the movie was made in the 40's and still being shown in High School in the 60s!)
I think the cars with consoles and bucket seats and no possible way of sliding across a seat were what did away with that practice.





I think, ergo, I'm confused...

[Jester]

[ QUOTE ]
There are new cars with rear suicide doors. You can sure-as-hell bet that the car companies don't call them "suicide" doors anymore.



[/ QUOTE ]

No shit man we had a class at work about liability. I can't say or report that an engine "burned up", "Died", and I most certainly can't call a "Kill Switch" a kill switch they must be refered to as "Stop Switches".

[Byron Crump]

[ QUOTE ]
?????? I want to take that!!! What the hell is the number for that one? The bastards probably don't have it anymore...

[/ QUOTE ]

The prof that taught the class was really old and has probably died by now. He had been some kind of GM historian and worked in the industry from the 30's to the early 70's(the dude was really old in the 80's and in no way could still be alive)...he had met Earl and many of the big wigs and would tell the coolest freaking stories...it was a small class and made up of all guys when I took it but most of the guys were Frat dorks that knew nothing about old car stuff...his stories about the 30's and 40's were great and then the transition to tank making and back to cars was interesting...the guy was really into the odd ball builders...REO, Nash, and that foo foo one that Flt Blk likes so much...Studmaker or something like that http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[raven]

My '54 Chevy truck has the keyed entry on the passenger side.
All original.
r

[Nads]

I don't know why anybody would purposely put suicide doors on a car that didn't come with them. What a dumb and pointless waste of time.
I guess they think they look good when parked at a car show. Driving down the road who even knows.

Stupid, that's what I think.

[Oilcan Harry]

I agree with Nads. I don't realy like suicide doors on cars that came with them. There's no way I'd ever put them on a car that wasn't cursed with them from the factory. I've often wondered if anyone ever un-suicided a 34 Ford for instance. Its the only thing I don't like about them.

[porknbeaner]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know why anybody would purposely put suicide doors on a car that didn't come with them. What a dumb and pointless waste of time.
I guess they think they look good when parked at a car show. Driving down the road who even knows.

Stupid, that's what I think.

[/ QUOTE ]

They're easier to get in and out of, I thought about doing that to the F-Truck for just that reason.
Although you're probably right about just looking cool at shows. A lot of cars are not built with people in mind just the cool factor.