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Pg 24, WhIU>y Fr m. s..ech.oly.AprlU 191995 by JiI Mclntosh How do you seil a car to the public these days? There's reail? only one answer, and that s safety. Few families are interested in cars that don't advertise their airbags, anti-loek brakes and side impact beams. We'Ive corne a long way since 1956, when Ford came up with theïr revolutionary 'Lifgar Design!' The package inlud double-grip door latchesa depcntre steering wheel (older cashad pointed hubs in the helthat could impale a driver i an accident), a padded dash and seatbelts. Convinced that the public was ready for a ' safe' car, Ford bufit their advertising caxnpaign aroumd it. Chevrolet trumpeted their new styling instead, and clolibered Ford in the sales race that year. MSof cfur «'modem' safety items aren't ail that new, and have long and colourful histories. The earliest seatbelt, described as a "removeable and a4justale gad"was patented in 1895 by Phi,lp Schwartzmiiler of Rochester, N.Y. The device took almost 60 years to become popular; they weren't even offred as an option on most cars until the 1950&. In 1948, a radical but iil-fated car named the Tucker nmade a brief appearance. Ca]led the «SWety Car by its designer,, it featured a pop-out windshield, crash compartment and padded dash -- but no seatbelts. Tfie engineers Who convinced that people would question the safety. cf a car that réuired them ta be belted i. Brke% now often computer-ssted were only found on the rear wheels of early cars, and their system of mechanical levers meant that a driver had ta have a strong leg ta, work them. When some automakers started pulling them on ail four wheels, the amnailer comparies couldn't afford the coot of retooling., Several of them, inèluding Studebaker, took out newspaper ads -warning the public that the four-wheel versions werent safe. Despite Studebaker's warning, cars with four sets of brakes did stop much better, and many of them carried a red metal triangle on the rear fender. The triangle warned other drivers to stay further back, since this car didn't require as much stoppmng distance. Radial tires, a replacement for bias-ply, were another innovation that met initial resistance. Although bias-ply tires tended to ' wander' on the road, especially on rutted. surfaces such as well-traveiled highways, many auto magazine writers used their editorial colums to warn the public against the new tires. Airbags are older than you might think: they were patented i 1952' by John Hetrick. The problem was that automakers weren't interested. The patent ex iren 1970 and went into the PUblic domain, meaning that anyone could use the design without paying royalties. Although ahnost every car today uses them, Hetrick neyer made a cent on his invention. Perhaps the strangest safety story of ail concerns rear-view mirrors Another item that didn't apppear on early cars, their pop-, ularitY sared when a driver, put one on bis Marmon .Wasp and used it tohelp him win the, 1911 iilthey were almost banned before they got off the grouncL The unlikely coenplainants were several American police forces, Who argued that they would have difficulty apprehending speeders SER PAGE 26 GM, boss gives advice MAUREEN KEMPSTON DARKES, president and general manager of General Motors of Canada Ltd., recently spoke at a meeting in Oshawa and also addressed students in the Design and Technology Centre at St. Paul's Catholic Sohool in Whitby. She told, students about changing technologies and the implications for education, as part of the 'GM Goes Back to Sohool' event, one of the initiatives under a program involving GM, the Durham separate and public sohool boards and Durham Coltege. Photo by Jemniy Dreea, Whltby Fme Press Prog ram to thwart auto'theft unveiled Durham Regional Police have jained forces with the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), Crime Prevention Ontario, the Ontario Association cf Chiefs of Police and the Mnsr of the Soicitor General Oficnh a new T).ogam ta '"Combat Auto Theft' CAT is a voluntary program that enicourages vehicle owners, who do not ordinarily drive between 1 and 5 a.m., ta put a highly visible sticker in the upper right corner of the rear window cf their vehicle. The sticker indicates, the vehicle owner bas given police consent to stop the vehicle if it is being driven.during those hours, (1 ta 5 a.m.) and- verify the driver's licence and ownership. Participation in.- the CAT prora is fr-ee. Registration aom can be picked up at any CAA office or at any Durham Regional Police division. New drivers',licences aimed at stopping fraud Ontario's new drivers' licences wiil reduce fraud and improve customer service for drivers, says Transportation Ministerik e Farnan. "The driver's licence is more than just another piece of paper i your wallet," Farnan says. It shows. that youre eligible ta drive In Ontarîo,. and it serves as an important pièce , f personal identification. "This new licence -- with its added security features and longer lifespan --wiil improve service for Ontarios seven mnillion drivers3." The new one-piece, plastic driver's licence, wiil be phased in over the next five years. It will feature the driver's photo and signature, Plus otherseuit feature such as special Iprintihg, a magnetic stripe, bar code and holographic overlay ta reduce the possibility cf fraud or nilsuse. With driver photographs and signatures stared electronically, the new licence wiil improve driver identification and minimize the abuse cf driver credentials. lhe Minietry of Transportation is responsible, for preventing unproper use cf the photographe and signatures, which, are protected under Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection cf Privacy Act. Distribution cf the new licence' will begin ihI Kingston on May 27, and spread ta the rest cf the province. between. 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