This is a classic driver’s education ‘scare film’ from 1959, absolutely GRUESOME! I’m posting it because some of us make fun of the design of modern cars with crumple zones, air bags, seat belts and other safety features and wish for the cars of old that were made of ‘real metal’. This film won’t make any of us stay away from the cars we all love but it sure will open your eyes to the highway carnage of the old days. And let me say again, this film is GRUESOME, one of the early scenes shows the charred body of a truck driver burned to death in his cab. You will see bodies hanging out of wrecked cars that will be so mangled you will be challenged to recognize the make and year of the car. There is one redeeming part of the film that is ‘on-topic’ – they do a ‘safety check’ on a mildly customized ’58 Chevy. And some people did walk away from amazing wrecks; one guy survived a wreck of what looks like a ’59 Chevy 4 door hardtop convertible that barrel-rolled the length of a bridge.
They were infamous for getting kids to barf in driver's ED. Those guys in Ohio showed you how it is. There were other filmmakers also. I probably saw them all. Made me a better driver!
The Jalopy Journal
