Suicude knob outlawed when and why?

[MrManz]

Im having a argument with my co-worker here. and he says the knob was outlawed because you can steer the wheel to fast. I saw it was outlawed for clothing getting hung up on it and causeing you to loose controll. I am also trying to find out when it was outlawed, and if anyone knows the penal code number?
Thanks for you help.
-Andrew

[34Hupmobile]

It varies state to state. In NC a person with a single hand is still allowed to use one.

[Rand Man]

I would guess individual states baned them at differnt times. I remember you could still buy them at JC Witney in the '70's. I think the ad said "not legal in all areas".

[MichaelDorman]

The ban varies from state to state. But I do know that they got alot of attention when Sammy Davis jr, lost his eye to one when he got into a car wreck.

[Django]

WOW, this is all news to me. I had no idea.

[MBL]

Dude...are you saying the Candyman lost his eye on a suicide knob? You got to be kidding.
Tim
MBL

[Jeem]

Who can lose an eye on a brody'n knob?!
The Candy Man can......

[MrManz]

I love the knowledge dropped here. But does anyone know why in California?
-Andrew

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
The ban varies from state to state. But I do know that they got alot of attention when Sammy Davis jr, lost his eye to one when he got into a car wreck.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is true, I recall a television interview where Sammy Davis Jr. recounted the actual event. He also mentioned Cadillac had removed the knob or whatever part it was from the next year's production of the car.

[RoadDevil13]

The cool thing would have been if they made sammys fake eye out of the knob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[porknbeaner]

My old man broke a thumb on one in about '58. Maaan it was ugly, I thought he was gonna cry his thumb was just kinda hangin' there.

[RagDoll]

[ QUOTE ]
Who can lose an eye on a brody'n knob?!
The Candy Man can......

[/ QUOTE ]

OMG! Thanks Jeem! That is now stuck on mind numbing rotation in my head. LOL!

I am tucking away the tidbit about Sammy losing his eye to a suicide knob in my mental file of useless, but entertaining knowledge.


I had NO idea that these things were illegal here. Oh, well, I can't imagine that's the only thing on the panel not up to lawful standards.

[bootie]

they'restill legal over here - can buy em at the local parts stores - even as as a skull if u so desire

[Donzie]

[ QUOTE ]
WOW, this is all news to me. I had no idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too. Sammy Davis Jr. only had one eye?!? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[luketrash]

I wasn't aware they were illegal, as I see them for sale all over the place.

My grandfather had his hand broken by one when his Ford 8N tractor hit some ruts with the front wheels and it spun around and got him..

I wouldn't think it'd be as dangerous on a car with power steering (or as necessary to own one)

Which is more illegal? A suicide knob or blue light-up ricer washer squirters?

They should rename them to suicide squirters, because when I see them on cars, the voices in my head say "Kill!"

[52Chief]

[ QUOTE ]


Which is more illegal? A suicide knob or blue light-up ricer washer squirters?

They should rename them to suicide squirters, because when I see them on cars, the voices in my head say "Kill!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Hahahahahaha! What about the ones for your tire valve stems? They flash as you drive. I think you could use that as an insanity defense.

[MrManz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Which is more illegal? A suicide knob or blue light-up ricer washer squirters?

They should rename them to suicide squirters, because when I see them on cars, the voices in my head say "Kill!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Hahahahahaha! What about the ones for your tire valve stems? They flash as you drive. I think you could use that as an insanity defense.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it would be better put as Murder Squirters rather than suicide squirters LOL http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[oldchevyseller]

did you know sammy wanted to be on wheel of fortune ?, he heard you could buy an "I" there http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[hollywud]

Man ..everything is illegal in California that pl http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.giface is a gastoppo!

[2tall2beahotrodder]

can we get a pic for refrence?

[oldchevyseller]

http://www.thehotrodgirl.com/suicideknobs.html

[hillbillyhellcat]

They're illegal in PA.. My dad told me that they were outlawed because many attached with weak little "hose type" clamps and would break off while under stress. Imagine piloting a big buick around a bent when it snaps off in your hand. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[hollywud]

come to think of it.. i just bought a suicise knob last week... a real nice one .....all aluminum... you can still get them at most truck stops...just mount em low,out of sight from passing "chippies" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[41ChevyTrucker]

[ QUOTE ]
can we get a pic for refrence?

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, I always wondered why they were banned too. interesting about the caddy production story if true?

here's your reference pic ratrodder....
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


http://www.jolson.org/stage/voice/sd/sd.jpg

[hollywud]

I think they're illegal in california because its makes it easier to swerve and hit them damn protesters http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Gr8ballsofir]

I heard they were illegal becuse they're used for high speed cornering, which is when they tend to snap...

[Threedeuce56]

a buddy of mine had one in his car ,and the cop,that stopped him(for something else) said they were illegal here, cause you would get impaled on it in an accident,so he had to take it off.I guess it just depends where you live!

[av8]

It was not a steering knob/brodie knob/neckers knob that cost Sammy Davis his eye. It was a teardrop shaped device a little bigger than a large cigar butt, mounted on a stalk on the top surface of the dashboard in front of the driver. It was a light-sensitive sensor which, through some very rudimentary electronic circuitry, controlled the high-beam/low-beam functions of the headlamps. In operation, the sensor would "see" the headlamp beams of an oncoming car and dim the headlamps in the Cadillac automatically. When the oncoming car had passed, the headlamps would automatically return to high-beam operation.

Ironically, Cadillac marketing called the device an "Autronic Eye."

[Gr8ballsofir]

I bet you'd get impaled on the non-collapsible steering column first!!

[BELLM]

They were still in general use when I was a youngster. Break your hand in a heartbeat. Lots of cool art, some had pics of flowers, I remember one with a rose on top, favorites were the cool guys who had ones with pics of scantily clad ladies.

[weekender]

Got one on my 50 Ferguson tractor and my 80 ford,farm, daily driver, rust bucket truck. Love 'em. You just have to watch where you put your thumbs. Early power steering.

McCray

[willowbilly3]

[ QUOTE ]
The cool thing would have been if they made sammys fake eye out of the knob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



[/ QUOTE ]Or make a knob out of his eye.

[nor cal nic]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
can we get a pic for refrence?

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, I always wondered why they were banned too. interesting about the caddy production story if true?

here's your reference pic ratrodder....


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


http://www.jolson.org/stage/voice/sd/sd.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]
come on, photoshop types! this is too easy...
nic

[mybeatupford]

i had one on my 50, never had any problems but one time the center ring on the wheel came off in my hands when i was doing a u-turn good think my feet thought for me and stepped on the brakes http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gifi almost ran into a friend of mine's car because of it.

[hillbilly]

uhm......

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/Deadelvis13/sd2.jpg

[Jimv]

Are they really illegal? or is that a "urban legend"!!
I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket for one, I have also never had of solid evidence of anyone getting a ticket for driving without shoes,having bluedot lenses,getting stabbed while running with sissors, getting shot in the eye with a BB gun, having there girlfriend fuck a gearshift knob after giving her Spanish fly,Spanish fly!!
A lady with"If you can beat me you can eat me"lettered on there car,A hook hanging off there door handle or a smelly corvette that someone died in!!
Its always been, "My cousins nephews 3rd grade teachers neighbors vet treated a cat who treated JFK for the clap has a friend who knew someone who got a ticket" etc,
Is there anyone out there who actually got written up??LOL
JimV

[tommy]

Just like blue dots they have been illegal since the 50's in this area. As far back as I can remember.

[tinyelvis]

Oh man I can't believe you guys are mocking Sammy.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif The man was a God! Never appreciated in his time, by far the most talented of the "Rat Pack."

Anyway.. sucks about the autronic eye, but i'll have to second Av8, I did not ever hear it was a suicide knob.

TinyE

[tinyelvis]

I'm now making this a post about Sammy's eye

From Sammy's own lips:

“The grinding, steel-twisting, glass-shattering noise screamed all around me. I had no control, I was just there, totally consumed by it, unable to believe I was really in an automobile crash. I saw the impact spin the other car completely around and hurl it out of sight, then my forehead slammed into my steering wheel. As I felt pain and saw my hand moving, I was stunned by the knowledge that I was still alive…. I reached up. As I ran my hand over my cheek I felt my eye hanging there by a string.”

[luketrash]

Here's a pic of the autronic eye that I took a few years ago. This was in a '55 Cadillac I believe.

My friend had a 1988 Mercury cougar that had this feature (sensor was on the rear view mirror)..

What would happen is at night, you'd meet people who also had their high beams on, and their hi-beams would make the Cougar's auto-dim. Then they saw the Cougar dim and did the same.. As soon as the oncoming driver turned off his hi-beams, the Cougar would turn the hi-beams back on. Pretty funny, because everyone thought my friend was just an asshole http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Once a highway patrolman happened to pull him over, and he thought it was kinda funny too, but told him to disable the feature.

http://whiteboard.net/~luke/autronic_eye.jpg

I have NO idea how Sammy bonked his eye on this.. It's too big really to do any intermal eyeball damage, and it's back there so far, that you got a steering wheel to contend with.

[brjr51]

It's always fun till someone loses an eye.

[Deuce Rails]

You guys are rude. (Which is no surprise.)

I don't think that steering wheel knobs are illegal, at least in PA.

Here's what the PA code has to say on the subject:

[ QUOTE ]
§ 175.63. Steering.

(a) Condition of steering components. The steering assembly and steering mechanism shall be in safe operating condition as described in § 175.80 (relating to inspection procedure).

(b) Steering wheel. The steering wheel, except if specially designed for handicapped drivers, shall be equivalent to original equipment in material strength and have a minimum outside diameter of 13 inches.

[/ QUOTE ]

There's also nothing in the vehicle inspection routine which recommends rejecting a car that has one.

So I think that the illegality is indeed an urban myth, which is not to say that an officer of the law wouldn't give you a ticket for it...

[Flat Ernie]

[ QUOTE ]
the cop,that stopped him(for something else) said they were illegal here, cause you would get impaled on it in an accident

[/ QUOTE ]

If you hit the steering wheel hard enough to impale yourself on a 2" round knob, you've got bigger problems than digging that out of your forehead.

Fucking safety nazis.

Getting back on topic...

Reminds me of some genius in the Air Force medical field that decided we should wear safety glasses under our NVGs because in one accident, a helicopter pilot's NVGs were embedded into his head. Uhhh, if I hit hard enough to embed them in my head, I've got bigger issues than protecting my eyes! Idiots.

I had a suicide knob on my A roadster & switched it out for one that folded down. Well, when folded down, it stuck out quite a ways from the rim. Imagine my surprise going around a round-a-bout & getting my hand caught between the door & the folded knob. Kinda makes the steering unresponsive! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Hurt my hand too! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Got home & took it off.

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

[RagDoll]

[ QUOTE ]
I have also never had of solid evidence of anyone getting a ticket for ...having bluedot lenses...

[/ QUOTE ]

We got pulled over in Calaveras County, CA a couple years ago at night for blue dot lenses. She (CHP officer) could not give us a ticket, because according to the code, if the vehicle was older than 1959, they were legal. I should have asked her for the code #. (We were in a 55 F100.)

[Action Girl]

I don't know about the legality of them, but from personal experience I could see how they could hurt you...

My car came with one and I found that it interfered with steering because I couldn't loosen my grip and have the wheel 'right itself' after a sharp turn without getting banged in the hand. Mine caught my shirt once also. It's in my glovebox now and will probably stay there. I also found that it didn't really help with parking cause the amount of forced needed to turn the wheel with one hand and the knob was more than two hands and no knob.

Stacey