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All these newfangled materials and production techniques may be making cars more survivable in crashes, but they pose a real challenge to rescue workers when it's time to get the occupants out of the wreckage. Then you got your hybrid cars with high-voltage cables in addition to pillars that laugh at older hydraulic cutters, and it's no wonder fire and police departments are getting worried. Still, a Fusion that can crash head-on into an F-150 at high speed and keep the occupants alive sounds like a good idea to us. [Newsweek] More »
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A few SEMA Shows ago, we had dinner at Don Miguel's in the Orleans Hotel with Bob DeVour, the guy who basically invented the Jaws of Life when he worked at Hurst. He was also responsible for driving Linda Vaughn around for a while. Man, what we wouldn't do to have been the Miss Golden Shifter chauffeur... Hurst has since been absorbed by Mr. Gasket and their safety products division is now owned by Hale Products. The latest generation of Jaws of Life tools address growing concerns about rescue workers having to hack through high-voltage hybrids and are fitted with insulated materials that actually visually react to the high voltage encountered in vehicles with hybrid drive systems. [Thanks to Chris for the tip.] More »
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