[violation]

I was thinking about those European pedestrian crash safety standards earlier and how they were affecting car designs around the world. Basically, cars must now be designed to that a car would not fatally injure a pedistrian if it were to plow straight into the pedestrian. This had, if I recall correctly, led to car designs with more slope to the hood almost to catch the pedistrian like cow-plow rather than just ram a pedistrian.

Ideally speaking, wouldn't this lead to more mid/rear-engined cars? Of course, then you run into all sorts of new problems like trunk space. But that point notwithstanding, wouldn't that be neato?

This occurred to me partially also because of new(?) speculation on a rear-engined entry-level VW.

 

[roadsternut]

Its just revenge for the US imosing on the world rubber bumpered MGs and BMWs, and other silly cars with whacky bumpers.

Yes, the NCAP testing means that the elderly MGF is still one of the best performers in the pedestrian test because its mid-engined.

Its interesting because, back in the 70s, the US was the largest single car market and could effectively dictate standards. Now the EU is a single market, it can call the safety shots.