How old is ralph nader

book by Ralph Nader

Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile is a non-fiction book by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, first published in Its central theme is that car manufacturers resisted the introduction of safety features (such as seat belts), and that they were generally reluctant to spend money on improving safety.

The work contains substantial references and material from industry insiders. It was a best seller in non-fiction in

The book resulted in the creation of the United States Department of Transportation in and the predecessor agencies of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in

Theme

Unsafe at Any Speed is primarily known for its critique of the Chevrolet Corvair, although only one of the book's eight chapters covers the Corvair.

It also deals with the use of tires and tire pressure being based on comfort rather than on safety, and the automobile industry disregarding technically based criticism.^[2] A N.H.T.S.A. report disputed his allegations about abnormal handling in sharp turns and suggested the Corvair's rollover rate was comparable to similar cars.^[3]

Organization and content

Each of the book's chapters covers a different aspect of automotive safety:

"The Sporty Corvair"

The subject for which the book is probably most widely known, the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair, is covered in Chapter 1—"The Sporty Corvair–The One-Car Accident." This relates to the first models () that had a swing-axle suspension design which was prone to "tuck under" in certain circumstances.

George Caramagna, a mechanic working on the suspension system, suggested installing a stabilizer (anti-roll or "anti-sway") bar, but was overruled by GM management.^{[citation needed]} To make up for the cost-cutting lack of a front stabilizer bar, Corvairs required tire pressures which were outside of the tire manufacturers' recommended tolerances.

The Corvair relied on an unusually high front to rear pressure differential (15 psi front, 26 psi rear, when cold; 18 psi and 30psi hot), and if one inflated the tires equally, as was standard practice for all other cars at the time, the result was a dangerous oversteer.^[4] Despite proper tire pressures being more critical than for contemporaneous designs, Chevrolet salespeople and Corvair owners were not properly advised of the requirement and risk.

According to the standards of the Tire and Rim Association, these recommended pressures caused the front tires to be overloaded whenever there were two or more passengers in the car.

Byos ralph nader biography wikipedia Ralph Nader has authored, co-authored and edited many books, which include:. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools.

An unadvertised at-cost option (#) included upgraded springs and dampers, front anti-roll bars and rear-axle-rebound straps to prevent tuck-under.^{[citation needed]} Aftermarket kits were also available, such as the EMPI Camber Compensator, for the knowledgeable owner. The suspension was modified for models, with inclusion of a standard front anti-roll bar and a transverse-mounted rear spring.

In , the totally redesigned four-link, fully independent rear suspension maintained a constant camber angle at the wheels. A redesign for the model eliminated the tuck-under crash tendency.

"Disaster deferred"

Chapter 2 levels criticism on auto design elements such as instrument panels and dashboards that were often brightly finished with chrome and glossy enamels which could reflect sunlight or the headlights of oncoming motor vehicles into the driver's eyes.

This problem, according to Nader, was well known to persons in the industry, but little was done to correct it.

Nader also offered advice about the gear shift quadrants on earlier cars fitted with automatic transmissions. Several examples are given of people being run over, or cars becoming runaways because drivers were not familiar with the shift pattern, causing them to shift into reverse when intending to shift to low gear, or vice versa.

Nader made an appeal to the auto industry to standardize gearshift patterns as a safety issue.

Early automatic transmissions, including GM's Hydra-Matic, Packard's Ultramatic, and Borg Warner's automatic used by a number of independent manufacturers (Rambler, Studebaker) used a pattern of "P N D L R", which put Reverse at the bottom of the quadrant, next to Low.

Because it was difficult to tell by feel whether the lever was in "Low" or in "Reverse", drivers intending to select "Reverse" would frequently fail to move the lever far enough and shoot forwards.

Ralph nader biography campaign He is a perennial presidential candidate. His book Unsafe at Any Speed , which criticized the automotive industry for its safety record, helped lead to the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in He quickly developed an interest in vehicle designs that were hazardous and contributed to elevated levels of car accidents and fatalities. Following the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed , Nader led a group of volunteer law students—dubbed "Nader's Raiders"—in an investigation of the Federal Trade Commission , leading directly to that agency's overhaul and reform. In the s, Nader leveraged his growing popularity to establish a number of advocacy and watchdog groups including the Public Interest Research Group , the Center for Auto Safety , and Public Citizen.

Alternately, drivers intending to select "Low" sometimes moved it too far into "Reverse" when intending to move forwards, and the car could ram into walls or buildings, damaging property and/or injuring people. In addition, other manufacturers, such as Chrysler, used a push-button selector to choose gear ranges.

Chevrolet's Powerglide, as used on the Corvair, used a "R N D L" pattern, which separated the Reverse from the Drive gears by Neutral in the ideal way, but which had no "P" selection, only providing a parking brake. Ford was the first to use the "P R N D L" pattern, which also separated Reverse from forward ranges by Neutral. Eventually, this pattern became the standard for all automatic-shift cars.

Chapter 2 also exposes workmanship problems and companies' failure to honor warranties.

Ralph nader biography book

Ralph Nader born February 27, is an American attorney , politician and political activist. He is best known for working for the rights of consumers, for his third party runs for President of the United States , and for helping George Bush get elected in the presidential election. He ran for president in , and , but failed to win. In the election, Nader placed third overall, with , votes, or about. His parents, Nathra and Rose Nader, were Lebanese immigrants.

"The second collision"

Chapter 3 documents the history of crash science focusing on the effect on the human body (the second collision) as it collides with the interior of the car as the car hits another object (the first collision). Nader says that much knowledge was available to designers by the early s but it was largely ignored within the American automotive industry.

There are in-depth discussions about the steering assembly, instrument panel, windshield, passenger restraint, and the passenger compartment (which included everything from door strength to roll-over bars). Due to this, the "Nader bolt" was installed to reinforce doors.

"The power to pollute"

Chapter 4 documents the automobile's impact on air pollution and its contribution to smog, with a particular focus on Los Angeles.

"The engineers"

Chapter 5 is about Detroit automotive engineers' general unwillingness to focus on road-safety improvements for fear of alienating the buyer or making cars too expensive. Nader counters by pointing out that, at the time, annual (and unnecessary) styling changes added, on average, about $ to the consumer cost of a new car (equivalent to $6, in ).

This compared to an average expenditure in safety by the automotive companies of about twenty-three cents per car (equivalent to $ in ).^[5]:&#;p&#;

"The stylists"

Chapter 6 explores the excessive ornamentation that appeared on cars, particularly in the late s, and the dominance of car design over good engineering.

Of the s designs, Nader notes that "bumpers shaped like sled-runners and sloping grille work above the bumpers, which give the effect of 'leaning into the wind,' increase the car's potential for exerting down-and-under pressures on the pedestrian."^[5]:&#;p&#;

"The traffic safety establishment"

Subtitled "Damn the driver and spare the car," Chapter 7 discusses the way the blame for vehicular crashes and harm was placed on the driver.

The book says that the road safety mantra called the "Three E's" ("Engineering, Enforcement and Education") was created by the industry in the s to distract attention from the real problems of vehicle safety, such as the fact that some were sold with tires that could not bear the weight of a fully loaded vehicle. To the industry, he said "Enforcement" and "Education" meant the driver, while "Engineering" was all about the road.

As late as , he noted that million federal dollars were allocated to highway beautification, while just $, was dedicated to highway safety.^[5]:&#;p&#;

"The coming struggle for safety"

Chapter 8, the concluding chapter, suggests that the automotive industry should be forced by the government to pay greater attention to safety in the face of mounting evidence about preventable death and injury.

Reception

Unsafe at Any Speed was a bestseller in nonfiction from April through July ^[6] It also prompted the passage of seat-belt laws in 49 states (all but New Hampshire) and a number of other road-safety initiatives.^[7]

Government response

U.S Senate hearings prompted by the book led to the creation of the United States Department of Transportation in and the predecessor agencies of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in ^[8]

The book has continuing relevance: it addressed what Nader perceived as the political lobbying of the car industry to oppose new safety features, which was later seen in the s with mandatory airbags in the United States, and industry efforts by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) to delay the introduction of crash tests in the European Union.^[9]

Industry response

In response to Nader's criticisms, GM attempted to sabotage Nader's reputation.

It "(1) conducted a series of interviews with acquaintances of the plaintiff, 'questioning them about, and casting aspersions upon [his] political, social, racial and religious views; his integrity; his sexual proclivities and inclinations; and his personal habits'; (2) kept him under surveillance in public places for an unreasonable length of time; (3) caused him to be accosted by girls for the purpose of entrapping him into illicit relationships; (4) made threatening, harassing and obnoxious telephone calls to him; (5) tapped his telephone and eavesdropped, by means of mechanical and electronic equipment, on his private conversations with others; and (6) conducted a 'continuing' and harassing investigation of him."^[10]

On March 22, , GM President James Roche was forced to appear before a United States Senate subcommittee and apologized to Nader for the company's campaign of harassment and intimidation.

Nader sued GM in November for invasion of privacy.^[10][8] He won the case on appeal in January and was awarded $,, which he used to establish the Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit advocacy group. He went on to lobby for consumer rights, helping drive the creation of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act, among others.^[11]

Former GM executive and Chevrolet's general manager John DeLorean asserted in the book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors () that he believed Nader's criticisms were valid in the context of the rigidity and short-sightedness of General Motors' corporate culture.^[12][13]

In reference to this corporate culture, author Mike Knepper, in his book The Corvair Affair (), contends that GM executives never meant for harassment of Nader to go as far as it did and instead intended to simply gather routine data about a critic, but like a game of "telephone", the mandate for their private investigators ballooned out of proportion.^[14]

Criticisms of the book

The U.S.

Department of Transportation issued a press release dated August 12, , setting out the findings of NHTSA testing—after the Corvair had been out of production for more than three years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had conducted a series of comparative tests in studying the handling of the Corvair and four contemporary cars, a Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, Volkswagen Beetle, Renault Dauphine—along with a second generation Corvair with revised suspension design.

The subsequent page report (PB , available from NTIS) reviewed a series of actual handling tests designed to evaluate the handling and stability under extreme conditions; a review of national accident data compiled by insurance companies and traffic authorities for the cars in the test—and a review of related General Motors/Chevrolet internal letters, memos, tests, reports, etc.

regarding the Corvair's handling.^[15] NHTSA went on to contract a three-person advisory panel of independent professional engineers to review the scope and competency of their tests. This review panel then issued its own page report (PB , available from NTIS), which concluded that "the –63 Corvair compares favorably with contemporary vehicles used in the tests&#; the handling and stability performance of the –63 Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or rollover, and it is at least as good as the performance of some contemporary vehicles both foreign and domestic."

Conservative economist and American Enterprise Institute fellow Thomas Sowell contended that Nader was dismissive of the trade-off between safety and affordability.

Ralph nader biography vote Before being nominated by the Green Party for president, Ralph Nader was a consumer advocate, lawyer and author. June 30, Newsmaker Interview: Ralph Nader. April 27, Texas Governor George W. March 14, Vice President Al Gore. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of politics.

According to Sowell, Nader also did not mention that motor vehicle death rates per million passenger miles fell over the years from in to in ^[16]

Journalist David E. Davis, in a article in Automobile Magazine, criticized Nader for purportedly focusing on the Corvair while ignoring other contemporary vehicles with swing-axle rear suspensions, including cars from Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, though just before the report Nader's Center for Auto Safety published a book critical of the Beetle, Small—On Safety: The Designed-In Dangers of the Volkswagen.^[17][18]

In , the book received an honorable mention by conservative publication Human Events for its "Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries", meaning two or more out of fifteen conservative thinkers voted for it.^[19]

References

Further reading