Abstract: A safety steering column for a vehicle comprises a rotatable composite shaft extending between the steering wheel assembly and the steering gear assembly for the vehicle. The composite shaft is divided intermediate its ends into two shaft parts and a relatively torsion-stiff joint couples adjacent ends of the two shaft parts. Two more relatively torsion-stiff joints couple opposite ends of the composite shaft to the steering wheel assembly and the steering gear assembly, respectively. The joint coupling together the two parts of the composite shaft is constructed to provide a pivot point radially offset from the central longitudinal axes of the shaft parts. Accordingly, upon application of an axial load on the composite shaft exceeding a predetermined axial load, the shaft parts will pivot relative to each other about the pivot point and the composite shaft will tend to buckle at the joint coupling the two parts of the shaft.