The Mechanics of an Absurd Crash: Why Driver Mistake, Not the KGB, Killed Camus

The wreck of Michel Gallimard’s Facel Vega around the city of Villeblevin, France. Even now from Il y a 60 ans, Albert Camus perdait la vie dans un accident dans l’Yonne. France 3.

In his most current column, CounterPunch editor Jeffrey St. Clair mentioned the resurrection of an aged idea that the KGB experienced a hand in the loss of life of the French writer Albert Camus. Here’s why which is unlikely.

1. “The Rebel” is a excellent guide.

2. I never like Sartre, he did almost nothing for the Resistance (Camus did considerably), and absolutely nothing worthwhile from postwar Stalinism (Camus did much), and his gal-pal was a sexual predator.

3. I could effortlessly believe Stalin placing a strike on Camus, but not Khrushchev (important stage).

4. The Facel Vega product car or truck Camus was killed in was:

– major (1.75 tons, 3500 lb),

– experienced drum brakes (which “fade” – reduce stopping means since of friction heating all through hefty use – drastically far more than disc brakes, which have been very first adopted by Jaguar in 1955, adhering to airplane follow, and ever more by others thereafter),

– was nose heavy, mainly because of its large Chrysler V8 front motor, and which sales opportunities to “oversteering” – swinging broader than intended by the angle of the steering wheel (indicating you have to “understeer” as you go into a switch at velocity, to go where by you want) – which is why race car producers (the best kinds) progressively went to mid-engine configurations following 1960-1963,

– experienced an “ox cart” rear suspension (live axle with semi elliptic leaf springs), the rear configuration minimum adept for precise “handling” (response to highway surface area problems/bumpiness, reaction for exact directionality of the auto), but the front suspension (impartial) was pretty fantastic,

– quick mainly because in spite of its substantial weight, it experienced loads of horsepower (250hp, hence 14lb/hp), up to to 120-128mph prime speed,

– does not surface to have had any seat belts (and air bags were ~20 decades in the long term).

An experienced driver (like a race driver) of the working day would know how significantly to go in balancing:

– pace,

– steering wheel angle,

– progressive and anticipatory braking (to prevent brake fade from a previous-next stress-braking stomp, one thing now carried out by Ab muscles: computerized braking systems WITH disc brakes), and

– handle sliding (which is hugely dependent on highway surface, dust-dust and in particular drinking water and ice go over generating sliding much much more harmful and really quickly uncontrollable).

So I assume that:

– Camus’ publisher and the proprietor of the auto was not likely to have had driving ability as refined as a competitiveness driver of the 1950s,

– that a wealthy and self-happy “hot” luxury automobile operator could quickly travel in a way beyond his skill amount (this continues to be plan),

– that the automobile in query experienced a considerably lower threshold of uncontrollability than autos of subsequent several years, and particularly of even the most modest of funds vehicles currently,

– and that this type of auto lacked all of the basic safety advancement that have been created since “Unsafe At Any Speed.”

So my estimation is that Camus died as a end result of auto crash in a potent speedy major slow-braking poor-managing no-protection-devices luxury vehicle pushed way too fast for the skill level of its wealthy operator-driver. In quick: DRIVER Mistake.

Q.E.D.