Running Head: Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man 1

Almost Mythical: A Brief Look at a One Man Safety Movement

Matthew Boulay

Stanly Community College

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Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man

Abstract

This paper explores the in-depth biography of Ralph Nader from interviews conducted by the

author, Justin Martin, with friends, enemies, family, and the subject himself. The book examines

Nader’s early life and the events in his life for which he made a name for himself. Focus is

concerned with, but is not limited to, his work in automobile safety and his role in the formation

of the NHSB, the National Highway Safety Bureau and the mandatory automobile safety features

that came about as a result of litigation perused by Ralph Nader.

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Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man

Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man Safety Movement

Mention the name Ralph Nader in a room of politically-minded people and the reactions one

receives will run the gamut. Younger people today probably only know him as the Presidential

candidate for the Green Party in the hotly contested 2000 election. Few know the story of the

youngest child of a Lebanese immigrant and his lifelong fight to improve the safety of the

everyday American and strengthen the rights of every American consumer.

Born in Connecticut in 1934, Nader’s father was a local business owner who had come to

America to take advantage of the opportunities that were available. A hard-working man,

Nader’s father worked a series of jobs, including at the Maxwell Auto Works in Detroit, a

machine shop in Newark, and a shoe factory in Massachusetts until he could save enough money

to properly provide for his family. [ CITATION Mar02 \l 1033 ]Upon his return from a trip to

Lebanon to marry, Nader’s father became a local business owner and deeply involved in local

politics and expressed passionate opinions on national politics. Ralph was raised in home where

this passion was passed on and discourse and discussion were encouraged and backing down

from a debate was not allowed. [ CITATION Mar02 \l 1033 ]

Ralph Nader was an exceptional student, on top of everything else. He had a work ethic that

often found him playing the role of an outsider. His days at Princeton saw him socialize with a

few close people, but he was not by any means considered on the same level as a lot of the

legacy students. Princeton is where Nader felt the spark of his lifelong work toward the

“protection of civil liberties against encroachment by the government, corporations, anyone”

[ CITATION Mar02 \l 1033 ]the spawning of the idea behind consumerism. Nader was also

fascinated by the works of the muckrakers of the early twentieth century, most especially Upton

Sinclair, whose works would inspire Nader to do a bit of muckraking later in life when he wrote
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Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man

the book that changed the automotive industry forever, Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-in

Dangers of the American Automobile.

The impact that this one book had on the lives of everyday Americans is virtually

incalculable. This first book served Nader as a blueprint for every other crusade Nader

undertook in the name of the American consumer. The book examined the financial

considerations that led automobile manufacturers to choose style over safety in almost every

design. He supported his assertions with an idea advanced by a man named Hugh DeHaven

called the “second collision”, wherein the injuries passengers received were not inflicted by the

initial impact but rather by the impact of “poorly packaged passengers” and the unpadded

dashboard, or steering wheel that did not yield, and the assortment of other sharp knobs, dials,

and levers in the cab. The book also questioned the studies done by universities and other

institutions that were done to support the automobile makers’ claims that cars were “as safe as

they could be.” [ CITATION Mar02 \l 1033 ]The result of the exposition of these fatal design

flaws resulted in the creation of the National Highway Safety Bureau and legislation that

required that the design of automobiles focus on safety. Auto makers fought each new

regulation, but eventually a number of safety features became mandatory, including shoulder

straps for front seat passengers, limits on glare producing chrome, shatter-proof windshields,

energy absorbing steering columns, flashing hazard lights, and dual braking systems that

included a backup system.[ CITATION Mar02 \l 1033 ]

The book was well written and offered a unique picture of a man whose life has been so large

that it almost defies belief. The author crafted an image of a man who was mild mannered in his

personal life, but passionate in a Congressional hearing when he was fighting for the design of
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Almost Mythical: A Brief Look At A One Man

safer cars for all. The next time a person walks away from an accident with minor injuries, the

first person that should be thanked is the last person one would be thinking about, Ralph Nader.

References
Martin, J. (2002). Nader: Crusader, Spoiler, Icon. Cambridge. Perseus Publishing.