Cobra accident

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

Use of seat belts and shoulder harnesses are another factor we know nothing about also.

Yep, another good point. I'll post this following link once, and then I'll shut up about the issue: http://www.356registry.org/tech/roll...reet-cars.html

[Cobra Lite]

An excellent post Patrickt.

I am strongly in agreement that rollbars without helmets are more dangerous than anything short of no seatbelts and a rollover at high speed. People tell me my car needs a roll bar but they don't believe me when I explain why I don't have one in my street car.

Severe blunt force trauma to the head is almost guaranteed in any collision, and at any speed. Especially with low back seats! Even low speed impacts can generate a blow like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat and no one would be willing to test that one to see what it feels like.

The link to the Porsche 356 thread should be in a "roll bar awareness" thread here in CC, along with all other related dangers so that drivers can read about how dangerous that cool looking roll bar is to themselves and their passengers.

I haven't done a search, perhaps there is a "Roll bar dangers" thread here?
If not, there should be!

We all hope they recover from their injuries.

I wonder if his wife had only a lap belt on as the shoulder belt/harness is designed to minimize internal injuries that often come from wearing only a lap belt. It is hard for me to imagine them not wearing their seatbelts, in a Cobra? But often people don't bother with the shoulder harness it seems.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Cobra Lite

An excellent post Patrickt.

People always respond that way when I offer to shut up.

[rokndad]

Originally Posted by LMH

Hope you recover quickly too!
Now if you need anyone to come by and drive your car...line forms to the right!
Larry

Thanks Larry. I already have a couple of guys in line, Jim Beals and Steve Thorton. They have been very supportive and come by to check on me and have offered to take me out for a spin, just wating on mobility for my leg. I have met a lot of great and knowlegeable folks from this site. A great place and time to be Cobra owner.

[ratsnst1]

I think these cars are at times, one step away from needing a helmet at all times while driving.but I know I never will.

[Jerry Clayton]

Do you think we would get stopped by the police more if we were wearing helmuts???

Bicyles, roller blades--wear em---

And it would be profiling!!!!!!

[Excaliber]

I've wondered about that, is it ILLEGAL to wear a helmet on the street, in the car, in ANY state?

...just curious.

[Jerry Clayton]

I don't know Ernie, but why not?? after all--seat,Lap belt, shoulder harness, air bags, door side bars, etc---why not?

[ratsnst1]

I thought I might stir the pot with that post, I myself would feel beter wearing one, but then everybody would be talking alot a crap, it just seems these cars would be a hell of alot safer if we all did.

[Dangerous Doug]

You know, I've never even thought about how hard I'd hit my head on my roll bar if I got rear-ended. I will, inevitably, be shifting my head around tomorrow to see what I would be hitting with my head should I get into any sort of accident.

Glad I read this thread.
DD

Oh, my personal rule is: Drinking alchohol? No Cobra for you! I do not drive my Cobra when I've been drinking at all. Knowing me, I'd be more aggressive (than usual) and end up getting a ticket, hurt, or hurting someone else. I prefer driving my Cobra to drinking a beer (or shot of Tequila, or glass of Stag's Leap...) anyday, so my drinking has waned, but my Cobra seat-time has increased.

[strictlypersonl]

There's potential damage from hitting your head on the roll bar, but also (without high-backed seats) the potential for whiplash is also there. Both can be very serious. Without real testing, I think we're talking out of our nether regions right now. That said, I think that a padded roll bar is a very desirable thing, to prevent both the collision and whiplash. I've done just one so far (a few years ago), but it wouldn't be a bad idea to develop further.

[Ken Oikawa]

How about padded headrest to prevent whiplash?
I've installed it in case of being rearended.

[Excaliber]

...hans device, with a helmet, for the street, that oughta cover it.

[lnfletcher]

How bout just enjoying taking the risk!
Life is short and there are no guarantees! If you want safe, drive a Volvo! - Really slow - on back roads - for short distances - with your helment on!

[lnfletcher]

I know this is a little strange, posting an obit, but I thought it was nice and shows that life is short and we have a great chance to enjoy what we have. I didn't know him, but I wish I had met him because he only lived about 15 miles away and was a fellow Cobra enthusiast.

From 6-10 local paper.

LITTLE ROCK — David Gieringer’s boyhood fantasy of cruising in a ’66 Ford Shelby Cobra became a reality in 2009. The ultimate car enthusiast, Gieringer didn’t just buy the car - he built it.

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, he decided it was time to build his dream car and won first place in a car show, said his wife, Cara Beth Gieringer.

David Gieringer died of cancer Monday at Hospice Home Care in Little Rock. He was 57.

David Gieringer was born Aug. 19, 1952, in San Antonio to Wallace and Suzanne Gieringer. His family moved often while his father was in the U.S. Air Force. David Gieringer graduated from St.Joseph High School in Farmington, Mo., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Arkansas College of Business in 1975.

Being part of a large family of six boys, it was hard for him as a child to stand out. Joining Boy Scouts at age 11 gave him a chance to step out of his brothers’ shadows, his brother Wally Gieringer Jr. said.

David Gieringer earned the rank of Life, which is the second-highest rank in Boy Scouts.

Cara Beth Gieringer, who goes by Beth, said she remembered when her husband was leading a troop on a hiking trip in his 20s and attempting to resolve a conflict between two boys.

“He got their belts and interlooped the belts together and they had to walk together for the hike,” Beth Gieringer said. “They wound up being friends at the end of the hike.”

David and Beth met in Little Rock in 1977 and married on July 14, 1979. They went on to have three children.

In 1985, David Gieringer created Telecom Management in Little Rock and led the telecommunication consulting firm for 25 years. He retired in February. He remained active in business organizations including the Central Arkansas Executives Association and was a founding member of the Arkansas Executives Forum of the University of Arkansas.

He was also a member of Rotary International, served on the Pleasant Valley Country Club board of directors, participated in the FBI Citizen’s Academy and was an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister at Christ the King Parish in Little Rock.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003. Only three months after having surgery, he and his wife traveled to Dublin, Ireland, for a Vermont Biking Tours trip, Beth Gieringer said. The trip, which was for their wedding anniversary, lasted 10 days, covering 30 miles every day.

She said that after a while, the pain from the cancer made it unbearable for him to bike and golf, so David Gieringer decided to fulfill his lifelong dream: Build a replica of a ’66 Ford Shelby Cobra.

He started building the car in 2007 and completed it in 2009. When deciding what license plate to put on the car, his wife suggested “Mistress” because when he wasn’t with her, he was with the car, she said. He chose “66 Shelby” instead.

The replica placed Best Overall in the 1960-69 category in Batesville at the River City Cruisers Car Show in 2009.

Beth Gieringer said that although she joked about the time he spent with his car, his love for her never wavered.

“We were out driving the car on Highway 10 ... and I said, ‘Is this everything you’ve always dreamed of?’ and he said ‘No, you are.’ That was very, very sweet at the time,” Beth Gieringer said.

[cobrajeff]

Back in the early 70's, I drove a 1966 Shelby GT350 most of the time (my '71 BOSS 351 was my Winter "beater"). I modified it for occasional track use, with a roll-bar, "R" model front apron, dual quads, and side exhaust. I was living in Detroit, and my girlfriend (who I eventually married) lived in Akron OH (where I grew up). I drove the Detroit-to-Akron trip every weekend to go see her. I noticed when I'g get home, my ears would ring for a long time (it seemed like hours, but was probably a lot less).

I decided it might reduce the noise level somewhat if I wore my racing helmet on the trip. I started wearing it, and the noise level reduction helped considerably. Never got pulled over for wearing the helmet, but, the Ohio Turnpike toll-booth personnel sure did give me some strange looks.




Jeff

[Steve Gallegos]

One word "HEADRESTS". Australia requires them. You think they know something we don't?

[Silverback51]

I decided to check out the roll bar issue today with my car.

First off, a physical description of myself. I'm short and stocky. 5'8" inches tall, and I weigh in at 250 or so. Long waisted with short legs.

That means I have the seat adjusted slightly forward, and I slouch in the seat.

The first thing my head will hit is the body directly behind me. Same is true if I am thrown towards the passenger side of the car. The only time I will hit the roll bar is if I'm thrown to the drivers side, and even then, it will be a secondary impact after hitting the body.

Considering that I never wore a helmet when I rode motorcycles until it was required, and even then it was a non-DOT approved helmet (kind of like a piece of tuperware), I guess I can live with a non-padded roll bar.

Besides, they look ugly in my opinion.

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

I
The first thing my head will hit is the body directly behind me. Same is true if I am thrown towards the passenger side of the car. The only time I will hit the roll bar is if I'm thrown to the drivers side, and even then, it will be a secondary impact after hitting the body.

Don't worry, your neck will snap like a twig long before you get any direct head trauma.

[WardL]

Since I'm new to this and haven't spent much time in a convertible, I wondered about wearing a helmet on a long trip. Your co-pilot would have one and the two of you could talk and listen to music. This would only be for the longer freeway type road trips. I think your probably snapping a neck or two before the helmet would protect your noggin.