Old Top Gear 1992 - Car Safety

Janet Trewin looks at how safe car are from 1992. Taken from season 15, episode 6.

[@kungfuninja55]

Rear visibility... Remember that?

[@dkmorris713]

Nah, that's behind me!

[@mfitzy100]

This was a very good and important piece...car safety was terrible right up to the 80s/early 90s and it was features like that finally pushed manufacturers to improve car safety to where it is now. Euro NCap has saved many lives

[@FrightfulAccountant]

Very true. Still, I would say that in generarl 80s cars were beter then the 70s cars they replaced. The plastic interiors were much more forgiving then the wood dashboards of before. Also there were already some strickt safety standards in the states thad made cars designed to also sell there safer here too. From the 90s onwards ofcourse, it took big leaps. Today you don't see flaws like in this video this anymore. A very good thing.

[@MasticinaAkicta]

Still all those safety features have changed cars allot, they seem to have changed internally and externally, gotten more expensive [obvious] and heavier. Yes it is safer, much safer but also bigger and heavier. Meaning that even with more economical engines it hasn't moved forward that much.

[@mattiasjohansson1727]

It changed quickly around then. Around 1995, three years later, even small economy cars started to get airbags, ABS, belt pretensioners, side impact bars etc.....

[@Samspianopage]

Yep, however as they say Volvo were already on the ball even in the 80s before Ncap got involved, as to were Mercedes of course with airbags, BMW followed not far behind, and Saab aswell with the layout of their dashboards, and paying attention to driver visibility etc. Of course in Germany, Sweden etc they tended to take safety far more seriously alot sooner than we did in Britain, atleast in terms of volume sellers. Safety was even an issue in the 20s when Ford introduced safety glass on the Model A, padded dashboards in the 50s etc in the USA small things but gives ye an idea ☺️. It did however take a big lull until the mid 90s till ncap etc showed up the mass market segment of cars quite badly in some cases, Saxo, Metro 😃😃😃😃😃. Volume makes got lazy and complacent and gave safety a back seat as obv folk either weren't too bothered or just didn't realise how important safety features were and how unsafe these cars could be cuz they'd never seen any real single model examples tested, 1:1 with dummies where ye could actually see the extent of a cars damage and impact on a person alot clearer than ye could say with big motorway crashes etc involving piles of cars, lorries and soo on where its tricky to pick out how bad each cars drivers were injured. Which is prpb all most folk saw before the crash testers started publishing thier gear. thats why the Metro 100 was brought into sharp view on the news when it got a 1 star rating and opened folks eyes 😃. It brought the issue to the publics attention, and Rovers, they ditched it, shoulda done about 10 yrs earlier 😃😃😃😃😃

[@Samspianopage]

​@@MasticinaAkicta they certainly have got much better as far as occupent safety no question bud that said though today, theres also more distractions, touchscreens etc. And.. A huge flaw I've notice, and I don't even drive but ive seen this first hand many times is the rollover protection causing huge blind spots in the pillars, rear 3/4 C pillars in particular are huge on most new cars today. Which is fine n dandy but ye cant always rely on yer parking sensors or mirrors to see round the while car in every situation.

[@jaklawrence4301]

The Rover Metro was a proper little deathtrap and no mistake, having been driven about in a few of them when I was a kid I consider myself lucky we never had a crash.

[@dirtybob2633]

Jeremy looks different!

[@superapple4ever]

I love her classic British-ness.

[@HackingDutchman]

''...and none of the cars has airbags.'' LOL

[@mfitzy100]

Yep, but all changed a few years later when Ford started fitting them as standard across all ranges. Everyone else had to follow. Was a watershed moment in European car safety.

[@soundseeker63]

Never knew Dierdre Barlow had an identical twin sister who presented on top gear! lol

[@Nimmo1492]

Thank god for EuroNCAP!

[@sbomorse]

I was thinking exactly the same!

[@graemewilliams6150]

Dontya just love that bad 90's perm!!

[@vladimireng4938]

Google Surfer 🍌

[@Tylerpierre99]

Man it looks like a charity shop exploded and the ensuing blast got her dressed haphazardly. Also I do like the Derdrie Barlow NHS prescription glasses she was rocking in this video 😁

[@respectedgentleman4322]

She's a boner killer

[@Nooziterp1]

Top Gear 1992: how safe if this car? Top Gear 2020: how fast is this car?

[@65114101107]

Thanks for another great video! You're doing a really good job.

[@PhantomMark]

Did Clarkson take hair styling tips from this 80's throwback woman ?

[@QT31160]

Grandstand theme music at the beginning.... Class!

[@adamholmes740]

Dem glasses!

[@WAYNE1977100]

A year later Ford launched the Mondeo with airbags standard across the range.

[@davidhayes4814]

Cars are heavier now, more reliable now and much safer now. They also are much more fuel efficient. The first golf has been applauded for its lightness ~ only 900 kg for a GTI. Oh yes, two of my friends were killed in one, being effectively the crumple zone and air bags themselves.

[@joemalone9380]

disagree

[@rikidiki8912]

new cars...lol

[@davidcarbines1891]

Wouldn't agree on efficiency. May be true of ecoboxes but my 2.8 Capri does 30mpg from mid 80s. A 3.0 S type jag from this century has a similar efficiency so hasn't noticeably improved in around 20-30 years.

[@soundseeker63]

Agree on the safety. Reliability, not so much. Still plenty of crappy unreliable cars with serious engine + transmission flaws and costly electrical issues. Cars are built to a planned life cycle and always will be. Nothing new about that.

[@maxdaman91]

Same as you, I think I prefer the new one, but I love watching the old stuff too, such a big contrast

[@whattheheck1000]

Am I correct that this aired on 9th April 1992? May 13, 2015 2:06 am

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

That would make it Thursday & the same day as the General Election when John Major's Conservatives won a surprise narrow victory.

[@futureheaded]

It's Deirdre Langton-Barlow-Rachid-Barlow's long lost twin sister.

[@bigcrowfly]

In the thumbnail I thought it was Clarkson. Is this Clarkson's sister or Clarkson in Drag? Also, what is wrong with her teeth at 4:28?

[@chubski2514]

Don’t mind me, just seeing if you’ll reply after 8 years

[@TheDaninK]

This was before I was born. Damn.

[@robertmarsh3588]

Interesting now historical episode of top gear. Testing, legislation and NCAP ratings have improved things so much, but the latest electronic driver aids and huge infotainment systems seems to be making things worse again from the critical aspect of driver attention to the road. Excellent presenter. Disappointing that so many people feel it relevant to comment on her appearance and style choices rather than her competence.

[@davidbowie2046]

I loved all these old top gears. Informative and about cars. It was ruined by the 3 Amigos. who seem to be more about driving cars that no one can afford or holidays in some old, used cars.

[@yuribartieniev8364]

I find the host attractive. This perm, these glasses, this dress and this accent. She is cute.

[@sleepyrasta14820]

I learned to drive in a Mk3 Astra. Great cars.

[@regdorsey1986]

oh crap i thought that was clarkson in the thumbnail haha

[@johnnewell90]

I'm glad she discussed visibility as an element of safety. The visibility of modern cars is God awful. My family owns a w124 Mercedes and a 2011 BMW and whenever I drive the Beemer, I feel like I have blinders on. The rear visibility too is absolutely atrocious. Thanks to eco nonsense the cars have to be so aerodynamic that their boot lids are taller than my head. And don't even get me started on the A-pillars; It's as if the roof were supported by telephone poles. In today's cars, aerodynamics and structural rigidity have taken precedence over actually being able to see a potential cause for an accident. Also most new cars are so catastrophically ugly that I doubt I'll ever buy a car for my personal use made after the mid 1990s.

[@scarea2691]

The rears of all new cars are so high because it keeps their structures safe and secure, while hampering aero. Visibilty is worse because of roll over protection as well as structural rigidity and handling. Modern cars have optional (and decent) sensing technology for blindspots, and are otherwise are visible enough for most as they have mirrors, which have been around for a century. Lorry drivers have dealt with things like these for decades, yet they aren't complaining about safety and newer engineering

[@manoman0]

3:44 - is that Jeremy Clarkson?? hahahahaha

[@pinkiepie1twilight]

fortunately, we got the ncap now, instead of finding magazines that only contain brand new car results

[@adamholmes740]

loving the hair! i wonder if shaun's mum from this is england was modeled on this lady

[@joshhulse6141]

hahaha

[@anthonyperkins7556]

It wouldn't surprise me...!

[@ntmdisco]

i didnt know deirde barlow made car programmes

[@kernals12]

8:00 I guess whoever designed the Escort also designed the Pinto

[@lyno1980]

Deidre Barlow get to do the safety feature, hope she was grateful

[@grzegorzpiaseczny]

It's Barb from Stranger Things XD

[@AndreNeverDie]

That man Janet scares me lol

[@mohsin1hussain]

I thought this was James may from the thumbnail

[@Ismalith]

I didn´t know that top gear was a serious car magazine

[@s.c.o.s4672]

I honestly thought it was James May on the thumbnail.

[@fregaropa]

Look how far we've come... Volvo reckons in the next 20 odd years it will be almost impossible to die in a collision in one of their cars. Time fly's.

[@anothersucker-Youcantfixstupid]

Jeremy in drag?

[@tacticalninja7815]

Everybody going on about how the saftey features make driving more dangerous should compare road crash statics lol, if visability is an issue that causes accidents why was there still more accident back when we had huge back windows, stick thin a-pillars and no ABS? People still hit stuff even if they can see it! The problem is not visability it is drivers, and safety equipment has had to be developed to keep these idiots (and everybody else around them) alive when they mess up! I had one of those fiestas for my first car and a rover 216 for my second. They were great cars but when i think about it I would not let my children have cars this dangerous, anything pre 2000 is a deathtrap! i will make sure they have very safe cars, and i will tell stories of my time living dangerously in the days of no airbags no abs and seriously heavy traffic (2001-present day driver survivor)

[@00kirbyd]

She looks like she really liked 1985 lol. Jokes aside, they thought cars with one airbag was poineering safety back then.

[@M.S-Music]

92? That lady came from like 1978 or 80. Presenting in pajamas.....

[@nopy99]

80s Car safety had to be supplemented by shoulder pads and thick Padding in coats.

[@DJzSith]

I thought it was jeremy clarkson.

[@kernals12]

I agree

[@Ajit269]

wow these cars look old even when they were new

[@danielhorrachsanchez4710]

keep in mind that four cars in this comparison: the Metro, the Nova, the Sierra and the 205, came out in the early 80s, that's why they started to look old; and remember that in 1992 the Nova was about to be replaced by the Corsa, and the Sierra by the Mondeo, exactly the following year. The other cars, however, came out in the late 80s or early 90s

[@JJJCHEVY]

Jeremy got better looking with age

[@jeff4362]

0:52 Top Selling Cars 1991 2nd - Ford Escort *facepalm*

[@dkmorris713]

I'd give her a go.

[@chrisb2157]

how did you people survive the 80's & 90's driving in these cars

[@andrewuk184]

Well, we had to shag women looking like THAT and dressing like THAT! So sub-standard car safety was a minor issue.

[@ceasarsalad119]

How do you tell just how safe any of them are? You crash into a wall and see how much it hurts. The less pain the safer they are 😀

[@thephilpott2194]

Janet Trewin. Oh god the nightmares are coming back. Why didn't they go the whole hog and get Germaine Greer to do it

[@YS28863]

01:12 Nice skirt

[@-chris1965]

Deirdre Barlow

[@cristianursu6504]

volvos are the safest cars !

[@FantomLightning]

That's funny... Considering Saab in real world results has normally topped Volvo for many, many years...

[@petelattimer6808]

+FantomLightning didnt SAAB go bankrupt though and are no longer in business?

[@fregaropa]

+FantomLightning Its true , Saab overall made the safest cars in the world , but they never got the title because they kept halting productions because of financial problems. They went bankrupt because they made their cars too good for the real world market. Volvo is the next best choice. They're both brilliant brands.

[@craigstratford5086]

Free Deidre Rachid !

[@Tylerpierre99]

Free the Corrie One!!

[@nwoerad3806]

I tell you what's dangerous is them clothes your wearing.

[@kencho97]

:genius:

[@scdu]

If Britain in the early 90s was a woman she'd be this one lol

[@thedeadstig123]

you can see why this woman didnt stay on top gear lol

[@dilkoshahmed7042]

Hello

[@m44kts]

Don’t know what’s bigger, her perm, her glasses or the gap in her front teeth 😆

[@TheKenjoje]

her image is shameful even for grannies

[@urmomslover12]

This British Angela Davis is giving me very weird feelings regarding her attire.

[@Normenian]

Was that woman actually Jeremy Clarkson before a sex change operation?

[@1979irock]

lol

[@davidlister370]

My word - what a depressing and bland line-up of cars...

[@captainzoll3303]

well, if an austin allegro was their standard for a "normal car" at the time, these would have seemed pretty exciting.

[@H.K_R]

The Sierra wasn't to bland in right trim (Ghia models and above)

[@MajorMatt01]

All these old cars look exactly the same. I can’t believe how boring the designs used to be

[@si4632]

astra wins 🤣 i like mine

[@____stu____]

Clarkson in drag would look better! LOL

[@TheKenjoje]

haha, such as? who was sexy in the history? vicky? neither.

[@Holdtheline07]

Like your spelling.

[@Xerdoz]

And nowadays you can't even see out of the cars so you are guaranteed to crash and you have to get expensive cameras and such.

[@Chr73]

i can put a bike between here theeth

[@Rinor.Kryeziu]

I think its not good to compare Cavalier with cars like Rover Metro or Peugeot 205 or Escort and Golf. Top gear should remove some of those cars from list nad add Volvo's E30 and 190.

[@simonh870]

This presenter was far too serious.

[@danwat1234]

She could look a lot worse. New hair due and get rid of the glasses, hmm

[@AR1G3]

1:23 No first thing to do is to crash the car and see how it looks! That's not topgear style, looking in brochures!

[@anthonyperkins7556]

But accidents aren't always avoidable!!!!! You cannot always legislate for c**p on our roads who speed deliberately, drive under influence of illegal narcotics and alcohol, and / drive dangerously, and our useless judges who listen to the sympathy card i.e I'll lose my job / company car, I'll be a shame on the family, blah blah blah instead of jailing them!!!!!

[@JeeGee114]

Thank god they got rid of the cat lady.

[@indiana1977]

oh gawd, as much as I loved old top gear, these long boring safety segments were snoozefests indeed.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

You obviously don't care if you died in a car crash

[@ISirSmoke]

yeah its boring and the woman gives me a headache but well, its atleast informative

[@davidcarbines1891]

I still drive 80s cars daily. Don't trust old airbags and never driven a personal car with abs! Most cars in this video are almost 10 years newer than my everyday car

[@davidlister370]

cool

[@EZchairchillen]

I bet she'd look ok if she lost the glasses, in updated clothes, and maybe a little makeup. I'd do her, just sayin.

[@Lenoch_]

This has to be the single most dreadful piece Top Gear has ever produced. Thank goodness for the reboot.

[@Joke9972]

Now there is 5th Gear, Top Gear became a circus, nothing to do with cars anymore, just shooting them up, crashing them, etc...

[@sebastian-daquanglocknerjr1883]

GruszkuEntertainment autistic shits like you should not be allowed on your mum's computer.

[@GruszkuEntertainment]

Daquan Jr. You are completely brain dead and a waste of earth's resources.

[@MyManiacGamer]

+Daquan Jr. what are you on about John is right fifth gear is what top gear was 1977-2001? a factual car show

[@sebastian-daquanglocknerjr1883]

ManiacGamer is it though

[@julianbell90]

boring