Re: Optional seat belts for 1956 Packard

Posted by TxGoat On 2023/12/21 9:41:05

Ford attempted to "sell safety" in the 1956 models, but takers were few. Seat belts, dash padding, and a shorter steering column with a deeply "dished", semi-collapsible steering wheel were among items offered.
The steering wheel remained in use as late as 1968 in pickups. Ralph Nader attacked the Ford steering wheel in is 1963 fantasy book, "Unsafe At Any Speed", in which he also noted that pedestrians and bicyclists were being impaled on Cadillac tail fins.