Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Suicide doors are painless?
Wednesday 10th February 2010, 8:00AM GMT.
I’ve never quite understood why so-called ‘suicide doors’ on a car should be considered any more dangerous than regular ones.
It strikes me that if you are determined enough, you can throw yourself out of any vehicle, whatever the design of its door.
The nickname apparently dates back to the 1930s, when cars were far less safe than they are today. The average chassis was wobblier, door catches were less efficient and there were no belts in the back.
A rear door could pop open on a bend and passengers could inadvertently slide out.
Convenient for gangsters, but no good for families.
As a result ‘suicide doors’ fell from favour, though they can still be seen on modern cars like the Rolls Royce Phantom, MINI Clubman and Mazda RX-8 sports car.
The last example, though expensive to run, is amazingly practical for a sports car, so don’t automatically stick yours on the market if you’re anticipating the arrival of tiny feet.
Now the ‘suicide door’ is poised for a comeback, however.
Vauxhall has taken a fresh look at the concept and decided to revive them for its forthcoming Meriva.
The firm unsurprisingly terms its rear-hinged back doors ‘Flex doors’ to avoid the negative connotations of the old nickname.
Vauxhall maintains they will make getting in and out of the Meriva much easier, especially for the very young and very old.
The firm’s designers have even included a built-in safety feature so the doors cannot be opened from the inside once the car is moving.
But there still remains one potential safety issue, however.
If an overtaking vehicle clips the Meriva’s rear Flex door it could crush a passenger attempting to get out – so great care should be taken when opening the Meriva’s rear doors out into the road.
Or indeed any door, of course.
By Peter Carroll
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