Joel Walker writes --
>my insurance company, USAA (which is supposedly quite a good >company), rated
>the Vanagon as B+ in side collisions, and D (i think) in frontal impacts.
>(the best being A+, which is like a Mercedes-Benz, and the worst being F-,
>which is a Yugo). their data showed that in frontal impacts (head-on), the
>driver would sustain injuries from the steering wheel and most likely have
>his feet broken. but in anything OTHER than head-on, the height of the >bus
significantly reduced injuries ... the other car would hit the frame >BELOW
the passengers or drivers. and this is pretty much borne out by >the wrecked
vanagons (and buses!) in the junkyards: not much damage to >the seating area
(in the ones i've seen), but lots of damage to the >side-body and the
bumper-crush-whatever.

I'm wondering -- do front-mounted spare tires (on Buses, obviously, not
Vanagons) add a substantial safety factor for front-end collisions? Someone
said they do, others say it doesn't make much difference.  Personally I like
the concept of that extra rubber padding up there. . .it works in Bugs,
after all.  Anyone have any stats or experiences in this area?  (I've
haunted my local junkyard too, looking for a decent front-spare mount, but
they're about as rare as inside sliding-door handles. . .)

pjl
'79 Bus
'58 Bug