GM donated two crash dummies to the Smithsonian. Vince and Larry were the names of these dummies which were in 1980s commercials and clothing for them were donated as well. The dummies are meant to be a part of the auto-safety exhibit being placed in the museum.
The dummies, Vince and Larry
The crash dummies costumes for “Vince” and “Larry” were donated with the whole donation. In the 1980s, the Leo Burnett Agency created these advertisements to encourage seat-belt use. Vulgar commercials with blood and guts at the time was the norm; however, Vince and Larry took the approach of humor instead. They became pop-culture icons quickly, and also the costumes are now going to be preserved.
The auto safety exhibit at the Smithsonian museum involved several other major developments in car safety. The first three-point safety belt from a 1961 Volvo, such as the seat, was a part of the donation. The 1967 Chevrolet collapsible steering column was donated. General Motors added donations of its Hybrid III and 50H-1 crash test dummies, which are used as recently as six months ago. The American Automobile Association also donated various driver training manuals from the 1930s, including “wartime” and “sportsmanlike” driving manuals.
Vehicle safety evolution
Even though developments have always been coming along in vehicle safety, it didn’t really become something the public was concerned with until the 1960s. Although they weren’t accepted at first, lap and shoulder belts became a requirement in cars them. When seatbelts were first introduced, numerous drivers voiced concern about being “stuck” in a trapped car or being more injured by the belts than an accident. Security features within the car, some thought within the 70s, made them look like they were bad drivers and gave them a bad image.
Watch the crash test PSA
youtube.com/watch?v=ziBcZejPPlY
