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Unsafe at Any Speed the Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile
framework of future relationships
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1965
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About the author
Ralph Nader
138 books260 followersAmerican attorney, author, lecturer, political activist, and candidate for President of the United States in five elections, including the last election 0f 2008, with his role in the 2000 election in particular being subject to much debate.
Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government. Nader is the first Arab American presidential candidate in the U.S.
Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government. Nader is the first Arab American presidential candidate in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 12, 2023
I closed the end cover thinking that we didn’t care much for human lives in 1965, nor does it seem we care much for human lives now, despite the repeated cheap rhetoric suggesting the contrary. I read recently that two and a half million Americans have died in auto fatalities in my lifetime, nearly four times the total of all military combat deaths in American history. And yet but for the roadside shrines erected in memory of a deceased, this country has no memorial to recognize those dead. Might recognizing those deaths be bad for business? That observation aside, Mr. Nader made a decided contribution to our welfare with this book, for which he deserves much praise.
January 25, 2011
If we can try to separate political opinions and differences since the book's publication and look at this book for what it actualy was, and is, it's an amazing and brave expose worthy of respect. It tackles the auto industry, advertising, consumer rights, and safety to bring about a point regarding equality: it's unnacceptable that we're all equal but some are less equal than others. Those in big business who hide secrets like these, defaulting car parts that are complicated and that can arbitrarily kill you, deserve a special circle of hell. I'm a FULL believer in, and supporter of, capitalism and caveat emptor, but this book had to be written and it changed our current self-concept of what rights we have as consumers, what's misleading and unacceptable in advertising, and that humans deserve higher standards from their vendors. The multitude of laws since then, from JFK's "Consumer Bill of Rights," to IP issues, to false advertising, to limitations of sugar cereal and toys during Saturday morning cartoons all attest to the truth Nader presents us with in this book.
December 22, 2010
One of Cambridge Sustainability's Top 50 Books for Sustainability, as voted for by our alumni network of over 3,000 senior leaders from around the world. To find out more, click here.
Unsafe at Any Speed, written in a political, accusative style which reflects Nader's legal background, is probably most widely known for its criticism of the safety flaws in General Motors' Chevrolet Corvair. However, Nader also attacked contemporary auto design more generally, citing a wide range of problems including brightly finished dashboards, which reflected light into the drivers's eyes, poor workmanship, the failure of companies to honour warranties and the lack of standardised shift patterns on automatic cars resulting in drivers accidentally reversing into pedestrians.
All of these problems, according to Nader, were well known in the industry, but little was done to correct them... Although the book focuses on a single industry, its real signficance is as one of the catalysts of the social responsibility and civil society movement. It was the first great battle between a large multinational - General Motors, which epitomised corporate America - and an activist representing the public interest. His flagging of the automobile's impact on air pollution also made him a pioneer in the environmental movement and a prophet of the climate change challenges currently facing the auto industry.
Unsafe at Any Speed, written in a political, accusative style which reflects Nader's legal background, is probably most widely known for its criticism of the safety flaws in General Motors' Chevrolet Corvair. However, Nader also attacked contemporary auto design more generally, citing a wide range of problems including brightly finished dashboards, which reflected light into the drivers's eyes, poor workmanship, the failure of companies to honour warranties and the lack of standardised shift patterns on automatic cars resulting in drivers accidentally reversing into pedestrians.
All of these problems, according to Nader, were well known in the industry, but little was done to correct them... Although the book focuses on a single industry, its real signficance is as one of the catalysts of the social responsibility and civil society movement. It was the first great battle between a large multinational - General Motors, which epitomised corporate America - and an activist representing the public interest. His flagging of the automobile's impact on air pollution also made him a pioneer in the environmental movement and a prophet of the climate change challenges currently facing the auto industry.
September 19, 2016
Ralph Nader’s 1965 Unsafe at Any Speed depicts the American Interstate Highway System as a dystopian death-trap, a smog-filled wasteland littered with the burned-out bodies of overturned Corvairs found on every corner, the pavement permanently stained red from the splatter of drivers becoming impaled on their own steering columns. While Nader makes a compelling case that serious design flaws pervaded products coming from the big three American automobile manufacturers during the second half of the 20th century, his narrative seems to lean heavily on anecdotal evidence and some scant statistically validated studies by Cornell—potentially due to the fact that those same automakers obstructed efforts to undertake such analysis.
In the current era, where safety innovations such as seatbelts, anti-lock braking systems, and blind-spot alerts come standard in most modern cars, it’s difficult to comprehend whether conditions were truly as horrific as Nader claims. Additionally, the events leading up to and subsequently following the then 31-year old attorney’s bold and bombastic little book help to inform modern readers about Nader’s motivations and lasting legacy as a consumer advocate.
American roads during the late 1950s and early 1960s were, indeed, much more dangerous than they are today, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1965, the year the book was published, traffic fatalities reached a whopping rate of 24 per 100,000 in the population; 2013, by contrast, saw roughly 10 fatalities per 100,000. Not only are the roads demonstrably safer today, but the federal agency responsible for collecting those data came into being merely five months after Nader testified on the senate floor during 1966 safety hearings led by Abe Ribicoff.
At those hearings, Nader deftly served up shocking descriptions of industry negligence with a side of genuine pathos. When asked about his motivations by Senator Robert Kennedy, Nader responded, “Because I happen to have a scale of priorities that leads me to engage in the prevention of cruelty to humans,” according a 2015 piece in The Nation titled ‘How Ralph Nader Changed America,’ by Mark Green. In that essay, Green extols Nader’s genuine and deep-seated commitment to protecting American consumers, which led the attorney to parlay his rising star-status after the highly-publicized hearings into forming a national advocacy group called Nader’s Raiders (Green, 2015).
Passionate testimony doesn’t pay bills, however, which is why the funding source for the nascent Nader’s Raiders deserves special mention. Before the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, executives at General Motors attempted to dig up dirt on Nader in an attempt to discredit him. When the investigations didn’t turn up anything sufficiently scandalous, hired detectives tapped Nader’s phones and even solicited prostitutes to try and trick the crusader into getting caught in a compromising position, according to an essay in Legal Affairs. After the incidents, Nader successfully sued for invasion of privacy, netting $290,000 in an out-of-court settlement (Longhine, 2005). Publicity from the lawsuit likely helped his cause tremendously, providing the public with an easy-to-digest narrative starring a handsome young heroic attorney facing off against unsavory, money-motivated CEOs.
Seed money from the lawsuit allowed Nader to establish the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. And Nader‘s Raiders didn’t stop with the Automobile industry after 1966. Multiple major regulations and federal agencies that people take for granted today such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Administration, and even the access to government through the Freedom of Information Act of 1974 all arose out of the attorney’s efforts according to biographical information from Nader’s website (The Essential Nader, n.d.).
Beyond motivating legislative action by politicians, and ruffling feathers among auto-industry titans, Unsafe at Any Speed also attracted national attention, climbing best seller lists alongside Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood during 1966, according to a 2015 New York Times retrospective piece titled “50 Years Ago, ‘Unsafe at Any Speed’ Shook the Auto World.” Clearly the book did better than expected, given that Nader’s initial pitches to publishers were met with dismissive rejections, claiming that the story would only be interesting for insurance agents (Jensen, 2015). Even after completing the manuscript, the book nearly never saw the light of day because Nader left the first typewritten draft in a taxicab, according to several sources, including a 2016 snippet in Automotive News. Despite these inauspicious beginnings, the book now sits on a pedestal within the collective consciousness as a consumer-protection classic; TIME magazine ranked the manuscript as #21 on its 2011 list of 100 best non-fiction books.
Nader remains a public figure and passionate advocate, though most millennials associate his name primarily with the disastrous 2000 presidential election, rather than his historic advocacy efforts. Shortly after the highly-public 1966 hearings, Corvair sales did see a steep decline and Lyndon Johnson did create the NHTSA, however, the automobile industry dragged its feet for decades before implementing some of Nader’s other recommended safety measures, like airbags, as described in a piece for the New York Times (Tullis, 2013). Industry executives apparently issued delayed mea culpas in their autobiographies. Former General Motors executive John DeLorean admitted the veracity of Nader’s critiques in his 1979 book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors; Lee Iacocca, the former head of Ford and Chrysler, called the Corvair terrible in his memoir, according to the Wikipedia entries about those books.
Despite historical vindication, Nader seems skeptical that similar social change could be brought about by one explosive book today. Writing on his blog in September, 2016, Nader decried the fact that “corporate media gives us celebrity stories, sports, natural and man-made violent disasters, political horseraces and just plain fluff.” (Nader, 2016). He laments that getting such legislation passed would be “very doubtful, without a brand new Congress,” and decries the sense of apathy among modern Americans, saying, “There is less perceived rumble from the people than in the nineteen sixties” (Nader, 2016).
Unsafe at Any Speed is far from perfect, and, without historical context, the prose is occasionally enough to send skeptical eyebrows arching sky-high. However, dramatic decreases in highway fatalities after the government started paying closer attention to the automobile cannot be denied. The fact that the book inspired automobile industry executives to do some deeply stupid things in an effort to discredit Nader, as well as the now-nearly-unheard-of speed with which congress enacted legislation in response to Nader’s accusations, both testify to the text’s motivational power.
America still may be a country with “far more solutions than it applies and far more problems than it deserves,” (Nader, 2002), and muckraking paperback manuscripts might not be the medium for inciting social change in the 21st century. But Unsafe at Any Speed still resonates as a little book that set off big changes.
In the current era, where safety innovations such as seatbelts, anti-lock braking systems, and blind-spot alerts come standard in most modern cars, it’s difficult to comprehend whether conditions were truly as horrific as Nader claims. Additionally, the events leading up to and subsequently following the then 31-year old attorney’s bold and bombastic little book help to inform modern readers about Nader’s motivations and lasting legacy as a consumer advocate.
American roads during the late 1950s and early 1960s were, indeed, much more dangerous than they are today, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1965, the year the book was published, traffic fatalities reached a whopping rate of 24 per 100,000 in the population; 2013, by contrast, saw roughly 10 fatalities per 100,000. Not only are the roads demonstrably safer today, but the federal agency responsible for collecting those data came into being merely five months after Nader testified on the senate floor during 1966 safety hearings led by Abe Ribicoff.
At those hearings, Nader deftly served up shocking descriptions of industry negligence with a side of genuine pathos. When asked about his motivations by Senator Robert Kennedy, Nader responded, “Because I happen to have a scale of priorities that leads me to engage in the prevention of cruelty to humans,” according a 2015 piece in The Nation titled ‘How Ralph Nader Changed America,’ by Mark Green. In that essay, Green extols Nader’s genuine and deep-seated commitment to protecting American consumers, which led the attorney to parlay his rising star-status after the highly-publicized hearings into forming a national advocacy group called Nader’s Raiders (Green, 2015).
Passionate testimony doesn’t pay bills, however, which is why the funding source for the nascent Nader’s Raiders deserves special mention. Before the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, executives at General Motors attempted to dig up dirt on Nader in an attempt to discredit him. When the investigations didn’t turn up anything sufficiently scandalous, hired detectives tapped Nader’s phones and even solicited prostitutes to try and trick the crusader into getting caught in a compromising position, according to an essay in Legal Affairs. After the incidents, Nader successfully sued for invasion of privacy, netting $290,000 in an out-of-court settlement (Longhine, 2005). Publicity from the lawsuit likely helped his cause tremendously, providing the public with an easy-to-digest narrative starring a handsome young heroic attorney facing off against unsavory, money-motivated CEOs.
Seed money from the lawsuit allowed Nader to establish the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. And Nader‘s Raiders didn’t stop with the Automobile industry after 1966. Multiple major regulations and federal agencies that people take for granted today such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Administration, and even the access to government through the Freedom of Information Act of 1974 all arose out of the attorney’s efforts according to biographical information from Nader’s website (The Essential Nader, n.d.).
Beyond motivating legislative action by politicians, and ruffling feathers among auto-industry titans, Unsafe at Any Speed also attracted national attention, climbing best seller lists alongside Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood during 1966, according to a 2015 New York Times retrospective piece titled “50 Years Ago, ‘Unsafe at Any Speed’ Shook the Auto World.” Clearly the book did better than expected, given that Nader’s initial pitches to publishers were met with dismissive rejections, claiming that the story would only be interesting for insurance agents (Jensen, 2015). Even after completing the manuscript, the book nearly never saw the light of day because Nader left the first typewritten draft in a taxicab, according to several sources, including a 2016 snippet in Automotive News. Despite these inauspicious beginnings, the book now sits on a pedestal within the collective consciousness as a consumer-protection classic; TIME magazine ranked the manuscript as #21 on its 2011 list of 100 best non-fiction books.
Nader remains a public figure and passionate advocate, though most millennials associate his name primarily with the disastrous 2000 presidential election, rather than his historic advocacy efforts. Shortly after the highly-public 1966 hearings, Corvair sales did see a steep decline and Lyndon Johnson did create the NHTSA, however, the automobile industry dragged its feet for decades before implementing some of Nader’s other recommended safety measures, like airbags, as described in a piece for the New York Times (Tullis, 2013). Industry executives apparently issued delayed mea culpas in their autobiographies. Former General Motors executive John DeLorean admitted the veracity of Nader’s critiques in his 1979 book On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors; Lee Iacocca, the former head of Ford and Chrysler, called the Corvair terrible in his memoir, according to the Wikipedia entries about those books.
Despite historical vindication, Nader seems skeptical that similar social change could be brought about by one explosive book today. Writing on his blog in September, 2016, Nader decried the fact that “corporate media gives us celebrity stories, sports, natural and man-made violent disasters, political horseraces and just plain fluff.” (Nader, 2016). He laments that getting such legislation passed would be “very doubtful, without a brand new Congress,” and decries the sense of apathy among modern Americans, saying, “There is less perceived rumble from the people than in the nineteen sixties” (Nader, 2016).
Unsafe at Any Speed is far from perfect, and, without historical context, the prose is occasionally enough to send skeptical eyebrows arching sky-high. However, dramatic decreases in highway fatalities after the government started paying closer attention to the automobile cannot be denied. The fact that the book inspired automobile industry executives to do some deeply stupid things in an effort to discredit Nader, as well as the now-nearly-unheard-of speed with which congress enacted legislation in response to Nader’s accusations, both testify to the text’s motivational power.
America still may be a country with “far more solutions than it applies and far more problems than it deserves,” (Nader, 2002), and muckraking paperback manuscripts might not be the medium for inciting social change in the 21st century. But Unsafe at Any Speed still resonates as a little book that set off big changes.
February 10, 2020
It was a fun read. Very enlightening in parts but honestly a bit dense on the subject of old cars that I’m too young to hardly be familiar with. I liked the idea, the approach, and what it accomplished. Heck, I like Ralph Nader on many issues, anyway. Cool dude and decent book that I skimmed more so than actually focused on reading.
I’ll be attempting to read his more modern work soon to give a proper judgement.
I’ll be attempting to read his more modern work soon to give a proper judgement.
July 26, 2016
Auto executives are pricks.
Nader refers to cost reduction as a “bitch goddess”. This goddess demanded the sacrifice of leaving available safety features out of cars to increase profits. Padded dashboard boards … nope, recessed interior knobs and edges … nope, 3 point seat belts … nope, anchored seat belts … nope. You get halfway through this book and you wonder how did these auto executives live with themselves and why the public didn’t throw them into a cold dark sea. These guys were pricks. And it turns out they still kind of are:
http://www.npr.org/2014/03/31/2973122...
Even in the mid 1960’s air bags were possible and they kept them from us for decades because of cost. It’s bullshit. One auto executive’s safety plan was to teach his children the “Hands” defense. When he was driving he would yell, “Hands!” and the children would brace their arms in front of themselves to protect themselves from injury. That was a fucking auto executive’s idea. Did I call them pricks yet? Less crome on the windshield wiper arms to prevent blinding the driver … nope, more coverage for the windshield wiper blades to improve visibility… nope, impact absorbing bumpers … nope, standardize the gear order … screw you driver!
And when they got called out they had a 2 point plan, 1-Blame the driver & 2-Blame the road. Couldn’t be the car right? And then keep all regulations at the state level because they are easier to control than at the Federal level. These guys still aren’t to be trusted. The only time they make cars safer is when we force them. A child under 5 dies every week in the US in auto back up accident. It’s nuts. It took the government to put in a required safety device.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/c...
Roof strenghts still are not as safe as the should be.
http://consumerreports.org/cro/2012/0...
(Last section of the article)
I’ve seen articles pointing out the government tests saying the Corvair was as safe as other cars on the road at the time. But I think the question was, “Is the Corvair as safe as it could be?” And that answer was definitely no. Even GM changed the rear axle in 1964. The Corvair was an example of the failure of the industry to make safer cars. Just because other cars were not vilified doesn’t mean THE Corvair punishment was any less just. Instead of saying, “The Corvair is as safe as these other cars,” What the government report should have said is “All these cars suck” because that would have served the public better.
This book is interesting to read as both a historical account and to see how little has changed with auto executives, especially the first couple of chapters. There are a few occasions where Nader could have been a cleaner writer but that can be forgiven because this book helped save tens of thousands of lives, not only on the roads but in the consumer movement across the country.
Nader refers to cost reduction as a “bitch goddess”. This goddess demanded the sacrifice of leaving available safety features out of cars to increase profits. Padded dashboard boards … nope, recessed interior knobs and edges … nope, 3 point seat belts … nope, anchored seat belts … nope. You get halfway through this book and you wonder how did these auto executives live with themselves and why the public didn’t throw them into a cold dark sea. These guys were pricks. And it turns out they still kind of are:
http://www.npr.org/2014/03/31/2973122...
Even in the mid 1960’s air bags were possible and they kept them from us for decades because of cost. It’s bullshit. One auto executive’s safety plan was to teach his children the “Hands” defense. When he was driving he would yell, “Hands!” and the children would brace their arms in front of themselves to protect themselves from injury. That was a fucking auto executive’s idea. Did I call them pricks yet? Less crome on the windshield wiper arms to prevent blinding the driver … nope, more coverage for the windshield wiper blades to improve visibility… nope, impact absorbing bumpers … nope, standardize the gear order … screw you driver!
And when they got called out they had a 2 point plan, 1-Blame the driver & 2-Blame the road. Couldn’t be the car right? And then keep all regulations at the state level because they are easier to control than at the Federal level. These guys still aren’t to be trusted. The only time they make cars safer is when we force them. A child under 5 dies every week in the US in auto back up accident. It’s nuts. It took the government to put in a required safety device.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/c...
Roof strenghts still are not as safe as the should be.
http://consumerreports.org/cro/2012/0...
(Last section of the article)
I’ve seen articles pointing out the government tests saying the Corvair was as safe as other cars on the road at the time. But I think the question was, “Is the Corvair as safe as it could be?” And that answer was definitely no. Even GM changed the rear axle in 1964. The Corvair was an example of the failure of the industry to make safer cars. Just because other cars were not vilified doesn’t mean THE Corvair punishment was any less just. Instead of saying, “The Corvair is as safe as these other cars,” What the government report should have said is “All these cars suck” because that would have served the public better.
This book is interesting to read as both a historical account and to see how little has changed with auto executives, especially the first couple of chapters. There are a few occasions where Nader could have been a cleaner writer but that can be forgiven because this book helped save tens of thousands of lives, not only on the roads but in the consumer movement across the country.
January 11, 2015
Unsafe At Any Speed is an incredibly informative piece, illustrating the shocking negligence of automakers regarding the safety of the drivers of their vehicles. Despite being written 50 years ago, it is still astounding to see the information that Nader made public. On top of this, being that a long time has passed since its writing, it is fascinating to see how automobiles have changed their safety measures in the time after Nader wrote this text. For example, in Chapter 6, Nader writes of how excessive decoration (hood ornaments, elaborate bumper designs, etc.) greatly reduces the safety of pedestrians upon impact. Now, vehicle styling is rather strictly outlined by pedestrian impact standards. This is one of many changes made since the writing of this text, where their dangers were exposed.
At the same time, the argument of the dangers of the Chevrolet Corvair is so unreasonably one-sided, that it is almost infuriating to read. The Corvair was the first mass-produced, rear-engined American car, and its handling characteristics were deemed unsafe by Nader. The truth is, the different (yet not more dangerous) characteristics of the car’s handling made it easy to single out and convince the public that it was designed in an unsafe manner. Although this aspect of this text was definitely the most memorable over time, the rest of Nader’s writings hold substantial truth, and are issues that needed to be brought to the attention of the public in order to be corrected. Because of this, the book is a great compilation of examples of flaws in the automotive industry, and is certainly worth reading.
The style of Nader's writing works well for the subject of his text. His writing is very straightforward and simple, to ensure that the reader fully understands his point. On top of this, Nader uses a plethora of quotes and direct examples to prove his points. Without these, his information and argument would be far less impactful. Quotes from both sides are usually given, as well as examples that prove the negligence of automakers, and thus, his argument. This piece is a must read for any automobile enthusiast like myself, and would be nearly as enjoyable for anybody with an interest in nonfiction.
At the same time, the argument of the dangers of the Chevrolet Corvair is so unreasonably one-sided, that it is almost infuriating to read. The Corvair was the first mass-produced, rear-engined American car, and its handling characteristics were deemed unsafe by Nader. The truth is, the different (yet not more dangerous) characteristics of the car’s handling made it easy to single out and convince the public that it was designed in an unsafe manner. Although this aspect of this text was definitely the most memorable over time, the rest of Nader’s writings hold substantial truth, and are issues that needed to be brought to the attention of the public in order to be corrected. Because of this, the book is a great compilation of examples of flaws in the automotive industry, and is certainly worth reading.
The style of Nader's writing works well for the subject of his text. His writing is very straightforward and simple, to ensure that the reader fully understands his point. On top of this, Nader uses a plethora of quotes and direct examples to prove his points. Without these, his information and argument would be far less impactful. Quotes from both sides are usually given, as well as examples that prove the negligence of automakers, and thus, his argument. This piece is a must read for any automobile enthusiast like myself, and would be nearly as enjoyable for anybody with an interest in nonfiction.
July 7, 2016
Unless you are conversant with the way life was and the way cars were built in the 1960s you'll probably find little in here to interest you. Nader was as extreme in his direction as the Kings of Detroit were in theirs. Much to our benefit, Nader (a real piece of work) got the ball rolling in the interest of safety. That he went too far in some ways is a given, just as the Detriot execs went too far in theirs. I am certain that Nader wasn't being altruistic in this work. He sometimes worked tirelessly to rid the country of a scourge that no longer existed. e.g. The infamous campaign he led against the Chevrolet Corvair. By the time he got people all worked up about it the Corvair's suspension and handling problem had been corrected by GM engineers but sales fell off as he persisted in railing against the car.
In short: it's dated and unlikely to be worth much of your time today.
In short: it's dated and unlikely to be worth much of your time today.
February 21, 2008
I didn't read all of this book because it is really out of date; once an influential expose of the auto industry, now a sort of historical artifact reading. It is really incredible what Nader accomplished with this book - even more incredible that the industry cared so little about the consumer safety. Just more evidence that government regulation is necessary and desirable, or else it's the consumer that loses.
March 15, 2013
I really liked this book. Highly recommend if you like non-fiction or if you're a fan of Ralph Nader. Was loaned to me by my History of American Technology professor for a research paper on the air bag. Great primary source showing attitudes about automobiles in 1960's America.
May 26, 2014
Car manufacturers put out unsafe cars and then they wave the American flag. Where is the patriotism there? And, of course, Nader was vilified for his book. Sure, understandable coming from th car manufacturer, not so understandable coming from people who stood to die in those cars.
Read
October 9, 2009Unsafe At Any Speed: The Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile by Ralph Nader (1965)
February 2, 2014
You really only need to read the introduction, chapter 1 and the last chapter.
November 1, 2014
Fascinating reading about the auto industry.
September 4, 2016
Everyone is wearing seatbelts
November 7, 2016
Good book, learned a lot, but it was pretty dense. Not a quick easy read, but a good one.
January 9, 2018
Interesting look at what made cars actually become a lot safer.
April 13, 2022
Having grown up in a General Motors company family, I was told from an early age that Ralph Nader was a misinformed crusader and fact bender. Now that I'm in my forties (and also own a '65 Corvair) I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about.
To my surprise, this book is astonishingly ahead of its time. It is absolutely true to say that Ralph's critique of the auto industry's safety advancements (or lack thereof) and estimation of what future safety features were imminent were spot on. His critical assessment of the state of auto safety at the time (in relation to other industries like aviation and rail) could not be understated in the slightest. I do believe that this book was justified in its position and in its related success at the time.
As to Ralph's own interpretation and spin on the motivations for the lack of advances at the time, I took them with a grain of salt. He did, after all, want to sell books. Some drama and liberty is required and permitted of authors when trying to glam up the subject matter. But aside from that, I think that the amount of research and citation that was necessary for this book alone is more work than I'd want to do in a lifetime. I think the book is a little wordy and redundant in some areas but overall it's an extraordinary insight into the industry at the time, and the results of the work were nearly immediate. Not just for GM, but for the whole industry.
As an OEM car industry veteran, restorer, and collector, I truly believe that the significance of this book should not be overlooked, especially as every driver and passenger get into an automobile each day.
To my surprise, this book is astonishingly ahead of its time. It is absolutely true to say that Ralph's critique of the auto industry's safety advancements (or lack thereof) and estimation of what future safety features were imminent were spot on. His critical assessment of the state of auto safety at the time (in relation to other industries like aviation and rail) could not be understated in the slightest. I do believe that this book was justified in its position and in its related success at the time.
As to Ralph's own interpretation and spin on the motivations for the lack of advances at the time, I took them with a grain of salt. He did, after all, want to sell books. Some drama and liberty is required and permitted of authors when trying to glam up the subject matter. But aside from that, I think that the amount of research and citation that was necessary for this book alone is more work than I'd want to do in a lifetime. I think the book is a little wordy and redundant in some areas but overall it's an extraordinary insight into the industry at the time, and the results of the work were nearly immediate. Not just for GM, but for the whole industry.
As an OEM car industry veteran, restorer, and collector, I truly believe that the significance of this book should not be overlooked, especially as every driver and passenger get into an automobile each day.
August 15, 2025
This is full Ralph in full indignation and accusatory mode, taking the automobile industry to task for a consistent history of resisting, denying, pushing back, minimizing and influence peddling to resist or delay adding any safety innovations or features. Loaded with facts but beware to separate them from opinions which are also plentiful.
While this was written 60 years ago, it applies today to the subject of fuel economy, efficiency, EV migration and most importantly, driver assistance features. The industry is still operating from the same playbook, and it's working.
Ralph is pretty long-winded at times and readers may want to adjust accordingly. The 1972 edition of the book has a nearly 100-page prologue that should really be an epilogue, as it covers what happened in the seven years since the original publication.
While this was written 60 years ago, it applies today to the subject of fuel economy, efficiency, EV migration and most importantly, driver assistance features. The industry is still operating from the same playbook, and it's working.
Ralph is pretty long-winded at times and readers may want to adjust accordingly. The 1972 edition of the book has a nearly 100-page prologue that should really be an epilogue, as it covers what happened in the seven years since the original publication.
Read
December 5, 2023I don’t have a particular passion for automobiles. That’s not why I picked up Unsafe at Any Speed. Ralph Nader may not have been successful in his presidential bids, but what he did do is disrupt industries that were harming consumers. He’s lauded for creating the change in the automobile industry that caused a shift from accidents and outcomes being “all because of the nut behind the wheel” and moving towards building safety into automobiles. I wanted to understand how – not because the automobile industry needed disrupted again, but because of something else equally important.
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April 13, 2019
A very competent politician who felt the tide was for the Nanny State. None of those ideas were any time moved in the direction of say : protecting the public from a bad political choice, or recalling a politician for not honoring his promises, nothing about a guarantee. Also, the same way the public was too stupid to be able to choose the right car, the public was too stupid to be in any way protected from say bad laws.
Overall a toxic book, the opposite of what I used to hear about it.
Overall a toxic book, the opposite of what I used to hear about it.
July 18, 2020
This is one of the original calls for corporate accountability through more open data practices. Nader takes readers step by step throught car manufacturers' lack of incentive and concomitant lack of investment in safety measures for the vehicles they create. In a compelling (if now far outdated) polemic, he calls for federal research with public resultes, and federal mandates for public safety.
August 29, 2022
Just imagine the lives that could have been saved had the car industries paid attention to car safety anything like the Aerospace industry.
So a sad time as cars were so dangerous, many injuries by the occupants.
So a sad time as cars were so dangerous, many injuries by the occupants.
June 5, 2020
Absolute classic and historical piece of law and the story behind it!
August 15, 2021
It's an informative read, and there are some interesting and noteworthy points. However, it is awfully dry, in my opinion, beyond the first chapter.
June 4, 2023
If you’ve survived a car accident in the last 40-50 years, to some extent, you owe a debt of gratitude to Ralph Nader and the impact of this book.
April 2, 2021
Good book on why some car makers don't make safe cars, trying to blame drivers instead of cars.
September 9, 2024
Massively significant book in history. This book led to the revolution of car safety.
Old cars used to be these massive metal tanks that could withstand crashes. Unfortunately the small fleshy drivers inside would feel the impact, seatbelt or no. This book exposed the dangers of cars, and led to cars being more like paper balls, crumpling around the driver to keep them safe, as well as numerous other safety features.
It doesn’t have any importance in modern world, I don’t think it should be required learning for new drivers, but definitely worth it for history nerds like me or people who are interested.
Old cars used to be these massive metal tanks that could withstand crashes. Unfortunately the small fleshy drivers inside would feel the impact, seatbelt or no. This book exposed the dangers of cars, and led to cars being more like paper balls, crumpling around the driver to keep them safe, as well as numerous other safety features.
It doesn’t have any importance in modern world, I don’t think it should be required learning for new drivers, but definitely worth it for history nerds like me or people who are interested.
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