Someone mentioned Victor Papanek on Fedi today, and I’m reminded of his story about the 5 MPH bumper regulation that was proposed in Washington DC in 1972: the regulation said that a 5 MPH collision should not damage lights and other safety equipment. Car manufacturers predictably complained about the rule, claiming that it would add $300–$500 to the cost of each car. Papanek claimed that he could make a compliant bumper in 10 minutes for under $5. Papanek’s solution was called “the hoagie”: two planks of wood with 60 empty beer cans between them. He attached the contraption to a car and drove it into an office building at 10 MPH and the car sustained no damage. Papanek’s solution was, of course, not commercially viable. But he did prove the point that such a device was plausible and need not cost a fortune. #design #industrialDesign #cars hxxps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/06/09/when-things-fall-apart/7bd3887d-4003-4fc2-8450-07d82e6310f7/