Car Accidents From 50's and 60's

[@bullettube9863]

As a retired mechanic after fifty years in the business I can truthfully say "thank goodness they don't make them like they used to!". The steering wheel and steel dash boards killed more people then you might think, and even a minor crash could be fatal. Those strong bumpers had no give and passed the shock directly into the passenger compartment, and sometimes the engine and transmission wound up in the front seat. The worse crash I ever cleaned up was after a Corvette left the road and crashed into a woods. The engine/trans was the biggest piece, but the driver and his girl friend were also in small pieces. Every time I drive past that woods I think sadly of that accident and how much of those two people we never found.

[@midcenturymodern9330]

I hear you. Those "fabulous" 50's cars were rolling hard and pointy death traps. Non-collapsible solid steering columns, hard metal all around the passenger compartment, a lot of pointy "stylish" accents, and no seatbelts. Yikes!

[@Sheriff_GrimLaw]

Was it just a single car accident, with the Corvette? DUI perhaps? What year was that?

[@bullettube9863]

1966 yes he was drunk and he bet the bartender he could make it to the next bar in five minutes. He obviously lost control and missed the curve. The girl's parents sued his family and won 100k in compensation. @@Sheriff_GrimLaw

[@mgcarmkm4520]

I grew up in the eighties and there is a lot of nostalgia for cars from that era now. You see guys on KZbin welding and patching them up to relive their youth. But I always think what if you had a big accident in that car . Cars evolve for a reason and safety is just one of them.

[@justsumguy2u]

Yeah, and let's not forget the supposed "safety" advantage of full-frame designs. On a modern unibody car, the entire structure is designed to share the load in an impact---back then it was just the two front frame rails, because the rest of the body was non-structural

[@markpimlott2879]

'Back then... YOU WERE THE CRUMPLE ZONE!

[@VWNate1]

Such GREAT MUSIC ! . I watch these to remind myself to slow the heck down . -Nate

[@Johnnywhamo]

Look how many heads hit the inside of the windshield. I'm 59 and I still remember up until my late teens and early 20's we still didn't wear seatbelts. I can't even image it now, it feels absolutely strange not to wear one.

[@randybock82]

I love the 56 Lincoln mark 11 in the background

[@aloysiusbelisarius9992]

Oh, you saw it, too! ✌✌For those who want to see that, skip to 4:17. Technically, however, the Mark II wasn't a Lincoln. It was a Continental, which at the time was a separate division from Lincoln (though they did use Lincoln components for the drivetrain). That said, that is the only thing close to a Lincoln that I saw in these stills. There were a couple Caddies messed up badly, but no Lincolns. Not to hint that they're indestructible, nothing is indestructible; but, Lincolns were regarded as *the* safest cars built in America in that time, with Packards and Studebakers close behind in second and third place.

[@miketaylor3606]

Actually that's a 56 Continental, it wasn't marketed as a Lincoln in any way.

[@terrypikaart4394]

Nice, liked the music to. Did spot one new pic, old chevy pick-up had modern truck wheels on it..

[@b3j8]

Nah, they had those rims in the 1960s.

[@dashcam26]

I am always amazed by the number of cars that manage to hit a pole or tree dead centre when there is a huge gap either side of it.

[@mdogg1604]

The tree/pole sometimes loses.... the car ALWAYS loses.

[@CaptHollister]

Observation bias. You will never see pictures of the cars that missed the pole.

[@person.X.]

Target fixation.

[@milfordcivic6755]

All drunk drivers

[@MoparMissileDivision]

And there were no cell phones back then so they must have been doing something really stupid and not watching where they were going.

[@hanshoogendyk5783]

The pole/ tree "ALWAYS WINS!!!!"

[@collectioneur]

These cars all look so big and helpless...

[@MrHtotheT]

The beetle at 1:52, even the backseat passengers would have been annihalated 😱

[@wildthing1609]

it also amazes me how many bystanders are standing right in the crash scene and the cops do not control the area like they do now and how many bystanders are helping the cops pull people out of cars

[@Bluepheonix420]

We have become more selfish as a species.

[@rps57x]

What is that car lower left @4:36 looks like a 59-61 GM product but that tail light has me stumped

[@debmacdonald1037]

1:27 - probably the Union Hotel - North Sydney on the Pacific Hwy and West St - correct side of road etc for Australia - FJ or FX in background also a give away.

[@video99couk]

Even by the 1970s, car safely and improved massively.

[@dennisleporte2327]

Lots of safety requirements became standard around 1967/68. Such as shoulder belts hazard lights etc.

[@BR-bp8jk]

1:37 early 50s Chevy truck but that left rear wheel says that wreck is not from the 50s or the 60s.

[@thomasschwarting5108]

That's what I was thinking as well!

[@DDS029]

I was just scanning the comments to see if anyone else caught that.

[@Titan604]

Yup, the seats with headrests say later too.

[@guido8128]

Eso pensé

[@jimseviltwin1]

I literally recognized almost every single one of those cars; could remember the names of most st of them. Today’s cars all look the same …

[@FenderTele]

At 1:55 that beetle folded and opened up like a sardine tin

[@michaelleamon2714]

Its amazing how many vehicles back then had BALD tires !!! 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙🚓🚓🚓🚓

[@pmn2821]

One has to wonder how many of those accidents were fatal. RIP

[@aflaz171]

A good deal of them were.

[@rosaamarillo2110]

No padded dash, no safety glass, no seat belts…

[@CaptHollister]

@@rosaamarillo2110 and the occupants were the crumple zone.

[@rosaamarillo2110]

@@CaptHollister ‘No padded dash here! Just hose it off and sell it to the next guy!’ … Jay Leno 😂

[@thebigpicture2032]

I’m guessing the VW Bug jammed under the truck bumper was a fatality.

[@t.b.g.504]

Re the VW @ 1:44 'Halloo... Spark Brothers Plumbing, we're going to be delayed, we sort of had an accident with our van...'

[@mgcarmkm4520]

That driver at 0.48 min really nailed the tree 🌲

[@horatiodreamt]

Good vid. Some of these accidents look horrific.

[@benpluta6187]

1:46 never thought those vws could ever gain enough speed to do that much damage!

[@kennethjackson7574]

It may have combined speed, a head-on.

[@christopherhulse8385]

Accidents were brutal back then, you were the crumple zone!

[@davidreynolds3082]

Thumbnail - Now you know where the term "I wrapped it around a lampost" comes from.

[@larszenthio1012]

1:40 This picture seems to be from the 80s-90s considering the rear rim of this pick up. 😄

[@winterpower]

almost all cars have completely collapsed in an accident... and then without a seatbelt; Good night...

[@sQWERTYFALIEN2011]

2:47 . . . . . and How do you Rear End a Train ?

[@heartland96a]

Some places the trains still run on streets , though they would allow it to be stopped there . Depending on several things , Dark with poor headlights , no reflectors or lights driver tired or drunk never saw the stopped train would be my guess for what happened

[@BlueBeeMCMLXI]

Heavy Metals - when a car was your character in motion. Modern cars are so dull. The thrill is gone. Lots of accidents today are much worse than these, despite all the 'safety" devices. Drivers are crap.

[@فيديوهاتمنوعة-ح2ث]

السيارات القديمه عباره عن دبابه لا تتحطم بسهوله ولكن الركاب سوف يموتون او اصابات شديده الان اصبح العكس السيارات تتحطم بسهوله بالمقابل الركاب في أمان وهذا هو الأهم بشرط التقيد بالسرعه و ربط الحزام الامان

[@MarvinHartmann452]

1:23 This is the bus were many people died in the aftermath of the crash.

[@johnlang6353]

Yes Carrollton Ky 1989 I believe

[@mdogg1604]

3:48 "Just stay put, Henry...ah don't see no gas leakin'....."

[@abrahama2643]

Sad to think that even the fender-benders were often fatal back then.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

yep! you can see in many of these photos where one or both people in front seat hit and broke the windshield , thats never a good thing.all of the impact was transferred to the occupants rather than being absorbed by the body of the car as they do now. so todays accidents often look very severe but people walk away unscathed, a lot of these old accidents may just the hood and fender are damaged but the driver was dead.

[@ervinthompson6598]

Of course they were.... no seat belts, rigid steering columns- the car stopped, but you didn't !! If you hit something in one of them hard enough to seriously bend it, you usually got HURT.

[@abrahama2643]

@@ervinthompson6598 I love 1969 Mustangs. I Sat in one once. Scared the hell out of me.

[@siraff4461]

Even more sad is that most if not all of those accidents would be walk away survivable in decent cars today.

[@ПавелМедведский-п6д]

super!

[@drpoundsign]

That head-on with the commercial truck couldn't have Ended Well.

[@DB.scale.models]

Yes, you're right. by the way, it was in Europe

[@midcenturymodern9330]

Aaaaahhhh, the fabulous 50's, when YOU were the crumple zone. Those cars may have looked great, but they were extremely unsafe. I could list all the safety design issues with them, but you already know them.

[@charlesbland1073]

In Richmond, VA there was a gas station lot called Timberlake Brothers. They would have wrecked cars. Some of them were tough to view for the onlookers..

[@boboneil6479]

Power poles jumped in front of cars even back then!

[@terryvlunsford1610]

There were more auto fatalities in 1935 than there are today despite having exponentially more cars on the road today.

[@rogerb5615]

@ 0:12 ... Good Lord, they wrecked ECTO 1.

[@Asher-k9m]

it’s sad when emergency vehicles get wrecked when they are the ones that aren’t supposed to get in the accident

[@ronaldwhite6508]

Anybody noticed the 1950s pickup truck with a 1990's wheels on it

[@joobn8r]

Or the guys smoking a joint behind the Volvo

[@DavidWilliams-ol3vp]

Yes

[@Chappomusic]

I thought the same but different : wow those wheels are old !

[@pyrrhicvictory1707]

I noticed that too

[@oleo007]

1:38 so weird

[@carstenpeder2861]

When you see this - Remember no seat belt. And no air bag - None of the safety we have today

[@drpoundsign]

TRUE. Even with those, however-the lack of a crumple zone was a Huge Problem.

[@CaptHollister]

Something to remember before complaining about government interference and the nanny state

[@nonelost1]

@@CaptHollister Something also to think about when you see those nostalgia KZbin videos with people in the comments saying “things were so much better in the past.”

[@jaxcell]

4:18 Look at the Lincoln!

[@annshenton119]

Those big old 50s cars are as soft as a cheese sandwich

[@juliogonzo2718]

Buddy of mine had a 52 Chevy coup for a while. It was cool but was like riding in a soup can that had a one star motel mattress for a seat cushion

[@corten-tl9ch]

Them old poles must have been made from some strong magnets.

[@alexgerrits349]

1:40... Busted! That 50s truck has a cushy seat with headrests and that rear wheel is from an 80s Chevy Blazer. Modern incident turned black and white to appear vintage.

[@DDS029]

It still would have bent the same way back in the day though.

[@duanetrivett750]

Split window VW was toast

[@jhonsiders6077]

1:25 that was in 1988 in Kentucky When a drink driver went the wrong way on I 71 hitting a church bus head on fuel leaking from the bus ran down to the burning pick up the drunk was driving the resulting fire killed two dozen teens .

[@juliogonzo2718]

Yeah that sounds about right. I used to take an old 70s Ford bus like that to school in late 80s. It broke down like twice a month 😂

[@d.s7741]

remember this video when you're driving on the highway and you "have to be first!" because even though there's a hundred cars in front of you, you know the fastest way

[@falscherbruce5522]

I recall my uncle telling me his chrome-bumper yank tank was "solid" and not "tinny" like modern cars. But look how those things buckled in a crash.

[@michaeldunlea1803]

The advent of cats eyes , neon lights, air cushioned dashboards and tech generally has helped modern transport masses

[@25vrd48]

In 1959 I walked up the road from our house where a motorcycle had pulled out on the road into the path of a car that had just started passing a car and they hit head-on . The motorcycle rider was thrown in the air and then as he was falling back down he landed head first on the roof of the car cracking his skull . The fire department was jus starting to hose his brain matter off the car and also putting the fire out that had started when gas leaked on the hot exhaust of the motorcycle . It was a site I don't ever care to see again . I was 10 years old at the time , something I'll never forget .

[@pegs1659]

Yeah, something like that will scar you for life.

[@tomrogers9467]

And it’s repeated almost daily still. Most of the bike riders I’ve seen this year are riding like absolute morons! And they crash and die on a regular basis. Darwin theory at work! One group passed a line of cars and rode right between my truck and the cars they were passing. I was travelling the opposite direction on a two lane highway! Unbelievable!

[@monaural2.988]

The National Enquirer during the 50s & 60s had quite a few gore photos back then, and quite often you got the close-ups. It of course changed later to celebrity chasing.

[@nonelost1]

@@tomrogers9467 Those were probably all young bold bikers.

[@cindyeisenberg8367]

I was traumatized just having the car I was riding in hit a lose dog. Then traumatized again when I drunk ran into the car I was riding in. The crash was so loud.

[@markk3652]

Those cars hate poles!!!!

[@alfadelta-d1d]

1:52 ...no words

[@justsumguy2u]

It always amazes me when people hit things like trees and light poles in an accident. These are very noticeable objects....

[@TheDrednaught]

A lot of them Drunk driving

[@Darwinion]

1:15 that Beetle. omg even roof panel is dented at window frame. They can't have survived that.

[@johnmoore3930]

OUCH ! that VW bus at .23 is about $40-60,000 today... mines safe in the garage, all original !

[@milfordcivic6755]

Don't get in an accident!

[@BakedRBeans]

Also, the split-window bug shown. Very collectable today

[@Grunt-pr7od]

People talk about how tough and long lived these cars and trucks were let me tell you the truth if you got 30 ,50 thousands miles out of one without major overhauls you were dam lucky and if you hit something hard you knew it cause the whole car was thrashed I know I used to drive them grew up in the 1960s.

[@alex84896]

The burnt school bus was an 1988 accident in Ohio that killed a lot of people

[@rosaamarillo2110]

I thought so too. I-71 just north of Cincy.

[@quarrydesigns]

Happened on I71 in Carrollton Kentucky about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati May 14 1988

[@robertwhite9898]

That was the 1988 bus crash that killed 27 people 24 children & 3 adults. That was one of the worst

[@famousutopias]

If I’m not mistaken that incident resulted in a big push to diesel-ize the school bus fleets for safety

[@Hoosierdaddy-u2i]

This shows that people who say they don’t build them like they used to….should be glad they don’t..

[@СнежныйЧеловек-к1ъ]

Красивые автомобили производили в те времена. 😢😢😢

[@steinadler4193]

Driving is so much saver now. I am from a small country in Europe. Here is an interesting statistic: In 1972 there were about 2.5 Mio cars and 2948 dead people from car/truck accidents. Nowadays there are 7 Mio cars and just 370 dead people from car/truck accidents. 3 times the (faster) cars and just 1/10 dead people.

[@Pissrust69]

Late 60’s-70’s American cars were also worlds safer than the deathtrap pieces of shit being sold in Europe at the time. The stats vary from country to country depending on safety standards that were in place at the time.

[@andgate2000]

Theres literally 2mm of steel between your legs and the on coming obstacles in a vw bus.

[@Pissrust69]

Old vw’s are fucking deathtrap piles of shit even compared to American cars back then.

[@hubertaumeier4558]

no seat belts or head rests these days either.

[@JuanGamer0202]

If I'm not mistaken, that was around the time were the steering wheel coloum would be pushed of its place in a crash, and I dont think it would've been cool to have the steering wheel launched at your face...

[@andrewh.8403]

They're not built like they used to be. THANK THE GODS BOTH THE OLD AND THE NEW!!

[@mikepayne737]

seeing the '56 convertible smashed will haunt me for a long time

[@RoderickEmanuel-m7d]

Hot Kokk Them gone hard towards the pole and also those trees Rappmusic sings it much bro

[@frankschulte9024]

Es ist erschreckend wie instabil diese zum Teil großen Limousinen sind . Als Oldtimer-Fan blutet einem das Herz wenn man diese wunderschönen Autos so zerstört dastehen sieht. 😢😢😢😢

[@Bamsebrakar2011]

A high proprtion of these accidents must have been fatal, without virtually any safety systems

[@jameswilson313]

And steel dashboards.

[@midcenturymodern9330]

Those sharp, pointy decorative features inside the cabin did not help either.

[@midcenturymodern9330]

@@jameswilson313And solid, non-collapsible steering columns. Ouch!

[@steves7896]

That's what happens when you shop at the Pennywise Food Mart, you get Punk in Drublic and wind up riping up a bunch of Fenders.

[@uzurpon]

"Punk in Drublic" Ha-haa. Good one :)

[@mrradio2187]

I remember as a kid during the 50's and 60's checking out all the wrecked cars looking for dried blood and pieces of human flesh. The wreckers would tow them into a yard that wasn't gated so we could get up close.

[@653j521]

Charming little ghoul, weren't you?

[@mdogg1604]

Halloween will be here soon, buckwheat.

[@drpoundsign]

@@653j521 The crows and rats lap that stuff UP before you know it.

[@racingmach1]

@@653j521 probably became a mortician. Lol

[@tomrogers9467]

@@racingmach1 Yes. He works in LA. Their motto is “You Stab ‘Em, We Slab Em.”

[@Eddiecurrent2000]

AH the good old days, when you were the crumple zone...

[@JeffDeWitt]

It's apparent many of these accidents were fatal. I watch a lot of stupid driver videos and some of them have the most horrific appearing crashes, then it's reported there were no serious injuries. Say what you will about modern cars but our safety systems have come a LONG way. I've had cars that didn't even come with seat belts. My newest car has belts, more air bags than I can count, acceleration and braking that NO car of the 50's or 60's could match, crumple zones, and in a pinch it will even try to steer out of harm's' way by itself! As much as I love my Studebakers and my Jeep XJ they don't make them like they used to, and in a lot of ways that's a very good thing.

[@ianclaudio777]

Old cars are safer, they said😂

[@madanto2394]

Accidents today are attention blips

[@MoparMissileDivision]

@1:12 Poor little bug! It was definitely the human that splattered on the windshield this time!😱

[@johnharris3362]

The truck probably went back to work afterwards.

[@ivortoad]

So upsetting watching this. Those lovely cars .

[@JakobusVdL]

what about those lovely people, hurt or killed in those accidents? That's more upsetting to me, and how poorly the cars were engineered.

[@howardoller443]

@@JakobusVdL Very true and well said. I was thinking the same thing as you.

[@marionthomaswagner8874]

Schade um die schönen alten Fahrzeugen

[@02chevyguy]

00:32 Look at the name of the grocery store. I wonder if some evil clown was the manager?

[@schnoggel]

0:10 Ghostbusters?

[@OH.A.M.]

The Oval Split, wow! What a beautiful VW, but sad imagining that the driver didn’t survive.

[@marchellochiovelli7259]

From people's car to people's coffin.

[@texasaggieproud]

​@@marchellochiovelli7259Agreed. One of THE ugliest cars in history. I've never understood their appeal.

[@trx259]

@@texasaggieproud nahh you crazy, käfers are very cute, and they just have that something in them.

[@peterduxbury927]

@@texasaggieproud Join everyone in celebrating a car that wasn't perfect - but has a huge following. An Icon and Work of Art.

[@michaelengel3407]

@@texasaggieproud Well it was "made in Germany".

[@PUJARTIAGO77]

For those car to look like that those must have been some hard hits because back then cars were made of heavy metal not that weak crap we have now.

[@hotpuppy1]

I'm amazed at how many poles and trees jump out in front of cars. My uncle survived rolling a 55 Chevy convertible and getting hit head on by a drunk driver in his 74 Chevy truck.

[@653j521]

My uncle didn't survive rolling his convertible on a gravel road in the 1950s. He was thrown out. The woman with him spent months in the hospital but lived.

[@215618680]

Spare me the cheesy music. Silence is ok too.

[@leej0719]

Just watch with no sound.....

[@hanshellman4867]

I agree. No music is always the best.

[@leedaniels7196]

Exactly

[@nolancoates4856]

💯🙋⭐ nice

[@Fran-xu9ic]

The images show the lack of planning in absorbing the blow

[@TheRhNegative]

Some of these had to be fatalities, no? Like at 1:54?

[@richardwales7825]

Never ceases to amaze, but how many of the cars had bald tires?

[@mohandascletisghandi7960]

It looks like a lot of hippies crashed.

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

What did they do without Hurst tools!?

[@cindyeisenberg8367]

They used crow bars and people died while the police, ambulance men and tow truck drivers tried to get them out. A car cab be wrapped around a victim’s legs “like a steal trap” as was stated in one of those old Ohio state driver’s ed scare films from the early 60’s.

[@colewebb5569]

hi and good morning Auto Resto I found this video to be absolutely smashing lol :-D ok the truth shocking and a little disturbing yes i've seen some gruesome wrecks like these in real life back in the 60's on up those poor people and probably some of them or more we're drinking and driving when they smashed up men and woman stopping at a bar after getting off work on the way home was the normal back then most people drank and smoked and even what of these car's had seat belts most people back then refused to wear seat belts most people we're like that in the 60's in to the 1970's till the seat belt law's and enough seat belt tickets got rote by the cops yes I do remember the early 60's on up well have great day and a great week Auto Resto :-)

[@tomrogers9467]

Now you can take a deep breath.

[@trent3872]

Anybody remember those old Cadillac ambulances?

[@petergerritgroen3157]

Yes ,me 😂 Born 51

[@cindyeisenberg8367]

Yes, I was born in the early 60’s and we lived near the hospital. Those ambulance ran up and down Johnson street. I also remember when paramedics first started and they were not just ambulance men, anymore. My cousin became a paramedic, as well as one of my high school chums. By the time she became a paramedic, it was in the early 80’s, though.

[@BakedRBeans]

As late as 1962 or so, hearses did double-duty as ambulances. It was odd to see a hearse speeding down the street, with the siren on.

[@矩継琴葉-m3p]

いつの時代も【電柱君】は強い ＤＱＮ撲滅のエースで今まで輝かしい戦績を誇ってきた。設置数、強さ、実績とも文句なし。

[@artoensio8055]

How many people died in these accidents you showed? ask the coroner from Finland -Arto-

[@elizabethpeterson1644]

In early March 2012 that I was in a car accident in a 2005 Ford Focus ZX5. My little car did rolled over. It was the impact of the other car that caused it and from that accident that I gotten a broken left ankle. I don’t mind the bruises from it. Luckily that I had my seatbelt on during it. This one guy that I used to know was in a bad car accident and did wore his seatbelt. He was in a coma for 2 weeks. He was fine when he told me. Even another guy that I used to know was in a fatal car accident. He was driving home when it happened. His car ripped off from the wheels and he died instantly. All of his bones break in the accident. I saw all of the flashing lights from the squad cars. My mother was driving towards my father’s job.

[@michaeldunlea1803]

Road. Surfaces vary over years, glad to hear you recovered fully, fiestas width and abilities to stay on dangerous bends worried me for years

[@jasonfarnsworth5880]

The person in the split window Volkswagen didn’t make it for sure

[@bjorreb7487]

VW at 1:13 looks swedish. The trafic sign and the police uniforms looks like it's from the 60's.

[@lucianene7741]

The car is not too mangled, but the way the windshield is cracked suggests the driver has smashed his head against it. It's doubtful he survived.

[@SBrown-ov9lz]

They were all texting while driving!