1950s Dealer-Installed Seatbelts

John, yes I believe that would certainly strengthen the lap belt installation. I think Nick’s suggestion of an upper body restraint is what’s really needed to protect the driver from a steering wheel/column impact.

Do you know not a lot of people have died in XK’s in road traffic accidents and believe it or not no one has been speared by the steering column - common misperception!
In Australia probably only 2-3 people have died in traffic accidents in XK120
At least 1 pedestrian has been killed by an XK120 driver found not guilty of anything.
And two people have gassed themselves in an XK120.
Around the world not a lot of reported deaths but one a European prince died when he rolled his XK120 and landing upside down he drowned from a puddle on the side of the road!

Interesting information Terry. I probably wasn’t totally serious but sometimes it just makes for good print.

Cheers,

That is amazing when you look at that projectile point in the centre of a 120 steering wheel and the solidly mounted steering column.

Vern,

The worldwide road-safety experts actually do agree with your concerns about steering columns.
This is the reason safety regulations, in countries where they do exist, introduced a requirement for collapsible steering columns back in the late 1960s as fixed steering columns such as fitted to XKs, and all other makes, were agreed by the experts with access to all the accident statistics as being a significant contribution to driver injury and death. So hardly a ‘common misperception’. Collapsible steering columns were indeed one of the very first Secondary safety-features legislated world wide along with seat belts and seat-belt anchorages.

Similar re introduction of crash padding, and indeed the XK120 changing from a pointed to a flat horn button.

We all need to appreciate, cars built in the 1950s did not have driver safety as a design priority, but even today there is considerable debate over the relative benefits of new safety initiative ideas - keeps the designers/manufacturers busy, as well as the regulation bureaucrats and their political (vote seeking) masters.