> This is certainly dramatic, but it is important to realize that the majority of automobile safety improvements came before 1960
Uhh what? Incorrect.
In 1960, 20.147 per 100K population died, in 2013 10.345 per 100k population died. Approximately a 50% decline (9.802 actual) between the two periods.
In 1937, 29.357 per 100K population died, in 1960 20.147 per 100K population died. Approximately a 32% decline (9.21 actual) between the two periods.
So both as a % and in literal terms the delta between 1960 and today is greater than the difference between the worst year (1937) and 1960.
> We've become increasingly safety obsessed and jammed more and more expensive and heavy safety technology into vehicles as the returns have diminished dramatically.
But yet vehicles are lighter and cheaper today than they were in 1960 (adjusting for inflation). So even if this safety technology is increasing both price and weight (and I agree that it does), we're still in a very good place.
While reduction in deaths has slowed in the last ten years, we're just on the brink of moving into automated safety systems (e.g. auto-breaking) that will likely move things forward yet again.