in NASCAR the doors dont even open, bc they have a continuous safety "skeleton." this would not be well received in passenger cars! sooooo.,...

you have a safety cage around the car like in Volvos and all safe cars. trouble is, door locks sometimes give way to this day, and doors crumple in on the passenger in T-bone hits. I propose havin a series of rollbars in the door continuous with rollbars in the frame. a series of parallel deadbolt type locks and/or interupted screw (artillery technology) could seal the car against door opening or side impacts, plus make them a lot harder to steal!
-- drpoundsign, Feb 25 2004

My '95 VW Golf had a simpler version of this, where a round T-like post on the door (short shaft about .5" dia. with about 1.5" disc on end--from memory, may be slighty different) gets gripped be a cradle-like cage shaped to receive it as the door closes. No moving parts involved, but adds strength to the door/centerpost joint in the event of side impact.
-- oxen crossing, Feb 25 2004



random, halfbakery