Two Concerns

[Azarael]

You're thrown because vehicles are set to automatically eject in Assault and the Z velocity given is required to evade the exploding vehicle.

Auto-eject is pretty lame imo.

[darkelf]

The lamppost is redundant anyway, you can just drive the hellbender and when it gets destroyed due to amazing ut2004 physics you get thrown up in the air when it explodes. You can easily hop over the wall doing that.

This brings up a good point. This might be something to consider patching with nitro vehicles in the next version. This isn't the only time that vehicle eject gives someone an unfair advantage. Although this is built into unreal. So.. this is one of those "grey areas".

[Azarael]

Auto-ejection should only be on key vehicles. In every gametype but Assault one has to time one's exit from a vehicle or die with it.

[Socio]

The vehicle explosion ejection can be used for players advantage on many maps (Subrosa, Mercury, Hera). We just need to analyze where it can be taken as a glitch (when you can go to the next objective and defenders cant pursue you).

[ZioFede]

I've never gotten why on AS you get thrown off the exploiding vehicle whereas in ONS you simply die

[iRobot]

Probably so driving the vehicles in assault, such as the Hellbender on Junkyard isn't such a suicide mission and you can actually get some play.