I wouldn't say a road barrier had any positive effect on the situation. What probably saved the situation is that a 20 year old golf handles way better in a slip than the cheapest of current cars (at least back then in 2015) which was the usual choice when I rented at the time. Would I be doing 80mph in a Fiat Punto in the first place?Probably not. Would 60 mph be enough to loose traction in it? Who knows.
If you extend the time range to 25 years I might agree, but let's say we start at year 2000. I fail to see those "huge strides in vehicle safety". Perhaps what you mean is that certain "upper tier" features made their way into basic equipment. That no doubt has positive impact on an average driver.
However, at least for me, any time I bought/rented an old car it was always a top spec version, so as mentioned. I don't see those huge strides.
If you extend the time range to 25 years I might agree, but let's say we start at year 2000. I fail to see those "huge strides in vehicle safety". Perhaps what you mean is that certain "upper tier" features made their way into basic equipment. That no doubt has positive impact on an average driver.
However, at least for me, any time I bought/rented an old car it was always a top spec version, so as mentioned. I don't see those huge strides.