jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) (09/04/85)
If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble than to save lives.
smh@rduxb.UUCP (henning) (09/05/85)
**** **** From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA rduxb!smh > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. Apparently seat belts with shoulder harneses are safer since they protect against multiple impacts where an air bag would deflate, they protect against lateral forces where an air bag does nothing, and they can be used more than once. The part I like about belts and shoulder harnesses is that they hold the passengers in their seats if I have to brake hard, and hold me in my seat when I take curves on 2 wheels ( in my Volvo).
nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) (09/05/85)
> On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We > are deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto > industry. And what's wrong with seat belts? If people refuse to wear their seat belts, knowing that it means they are much more likely to be smashed to death if they get in an accident, then that's their business isn't it? -Doug Alan nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (or ARPA)
lane@cylixd.UUCP (Lane Anderson) (09/05/85)
In article <2778@harpo.UUCP> version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cylixd.UUCP version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site harpo.UUCP cylixd!akgub!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!jad jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) writes: > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > than to save lives. > I hesitated to respond to this posting for fear of the discussion that would be started. Because of the desire to keep a long winded discus- sion out of this newsgroup, this will be my only posting on this matter. Any further postings should go net.followups, net.auto (please don't), or net.flame (probably). One more little disclaimer, THIS IS NOT A FLAME, just my opinion. Now on with it. I am what could be charitably called a car nut. Part of that nuttiness includes the avid reading and studying of car related issues. This study has scared the heck out of me concerning airbags. On the surface they seem like a good idea but there are a number of things which bother me. 1. The gas used to inflate them has been linked to some forms of cancer (but then hasn't everything?). 2. They are of NO USE WHATSOEVER in any collision other than a frontal or front angle collision. 3. They are of NO USE WHATSOEVER in a multiple collision accident. They cannot be reinflated quickly. 4. They are a complicated system. Anyone on this net knows how "compli- cated systems" often don't work as they should. In this case it could be fatal. If they don't trigger when thy should, R.I.P. If they do trigger when they shouldn't, they could easily cause an accident. 5. If you are smoking, particularly a pipe or cigar, what you are smok- ing may very likely be crammed down your throat or shoved into your face. Admitedly this IS better than hitting the windshield. 6. In an accident just at the trigger speed (I forget what the typical trigger speed is), the dashboard damage could easily be more expen- sive to repair than the exterior damage. 7. They would discourage the use of seatbelts. As an avid seatbelt user (I am not anti-safety), this last point really bothers me. Seatbelts have been proven to be the most effective safety device available. My biased opinion is that many of the people who are proponents of airbags do not wear seatbelts. Why should those of us who take an active interest in our safety be penalized because others would rather have a machine do it for them? The logic of seatbelts seems to me to be unassailable (but then who am I?). None of the prob- lems mentioned above apply to seatbelts. One last point and then I'll leave this newsgroup alone. If you think that insurance rates will be reduced for any length of time due to airbags, remember the 5 MPH bumper. For the first 2 or 3 years after they were required, rates were lower. Then the insurance companies howled about how expensive it was to repair these bumpers when the speed of the accident was greater than 5 MPH. Rates were allowed to go up significantly. Disclaimer number ?: I do feel better in a parking lot with my 5 MPH bumpers and that is going to be a (minor) factor in my next automotive purchase. Anyway, this posting is based on data I have read from automotive maga- zines who are not as anti-consumerist as many people think. It is also based on by brand of common sense. I will not purchase a car equipped with airbags unless I have no other choice. Give me passive seatbelts if you must but I want no exploding garbage sacks in front of me.
rt@cpsc53.UUCP (Ron Thompson) (09/06/85)
> > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > than to save lives. > No. No NO! I would not. Why should I have to spend another $1000 or more for a new car just because some idiots don't have enough sense to use the safety equipment that is already provided? The seatbelts are there and surely the public has by now received enough education on their use. My entire family uses them - and always has. If people do not care enough about themselves or their families - to hell with `em. When are we going to stop trying to have the good ole goverment try to do everything for everybody from birth to the grave! No wonder the frigging deficit is so huge - trying to play Momma and Papa for over 200 million of us. Ron Thompson (akgua!cpsc53!rt)
jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (09/06/85)
> > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > than to save lives. > But I don't want an airbag in my car. I always wear a seat belt, but even if I had one and didn't want to wear it I would have that choice. If other people want airbags, let them order their cars with them, just don't force me to get one. (I suspect alot of the lives saved each year would be those of people who don't wear their seat belts now) -- jcpatilla "At night, the ice weasels come."
joel@peora.UUCP (Joel Upchurch) (09/06/85)
> If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > than to save lives. If people don't care enough about their own lives to fasten their seatbelts, explain to me why I should care. Joel Upchurch "Think of it as evolution in action"
pz@emacs.uucp (Paul Czarnecki) (09/06/85)
Followups to net.auto, that is where this belongs. (If I did the headers wrong I apologize, somebody please tell me how to do that) In article <2778@harpo.UUCP> jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) writes: > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. oh give me a break... Lets make our highways safer through education not legislation. o Teach people to use the safety devices already in their cars. yes, I mean seatbelts. (Notice I said teach, not force) o Teach people to use alcohol in a responsible manner. Severly punish offenders. Vehicular is only an adjective in front of homicide. o Teach people how to drive. - proper use of brakes, accelerator, and steering for accident avoidance. - proper use of turn signals. - proper following distances. - proper use of headlights. o Teach people that absolute speed does not kill. Variations in speed, unexpected events (sudden accelerations, deccelerations), incapacitated drivers, and adverse weather conditions all contribute to highway deaths. o Teach people that 55mph on a major artery on a clear day is too slow. o Teach people that 55mph on a major artery on a rainy, or snowy day (or night) is too FAST. o Teach people that LEFT to PASS, makes sense. Not following this unfortunately forces some people to weave creating a hazardous situation. > We are deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful > auto industry. If you want one so much why not go down to your local Mercedes dealer and buy a car equipped with one. What? you don't have $50,000? Neither do I, but the parts from the parts department and have them retro-fitted to your car. It shouldn't cost more than a couple of thousand dollars. If you think that these air-bags are so perfect why should be willing to spend a few thou to save your life. Just sell you VCR, stereo, and start eating hamburger helper. That is, of course, only if you think that your life is worth it. Use Free Marker Pressure. Write to GM, Ford, and Chrylser and say you want optional airbags in cars. *I* want OPTIONAL air bags in cars. I don't want one in my car. When I have been hit, I don't want an explosion in my face. I want control of my vehicle so I can try to prevent the next strike. WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS! > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. Shouldn't you have said "Some safety experts..." Some will disagree with you. Air bags only work in a limited number of accident situations. After being triggered in the accident that provide NO FURTHER PROTECTION during the accident. (If you have an accident on the highway, odds are you will bounce a long way) Witness Rick Mears' (professional race driver) accident last year when he hit a guardrail at ~200mph. He is racing again this year. He had a full 6 point racing harness on (fancy seatbelt). Witness Pat Bedard's horrible accident at Indy two races ago. His car flipped over several times and was completely shredded. He survived because of his seatbelt, he did not have an airbag. Pat suffered some minor brain damage in this accident. Minor in that he can still function normally, but he feels that his sense of balance is slightly off. He has decided not to race again for the safety of the other drivers. Witness Shirley Muldonney's (spelling?) accident years ago... Need I go on? None of these drivers had air bags. Seatbelts were sufficient in these ultra high speed accidents. Maybe I'm cruel and heartless, but I consider highway deaths in which seatbelts were not use to be suicides. -- Paul Czarnecki Uniworks decvax!{wanginst!infinet, cca}!emacs!pz 20 William Street emacs!pz@cca-unix.ARPA Wellesley, MA 02181 (617) 235-2600
john@gcc-bill.ARPA (John Allred) (09/06/85)
In article <2778@harpo.UUCP> jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) writes: > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > than to save lives. > Usage of seat belts would save those very same thousands of lives, and then some. Air bags are, at best, marginally effective. They offer *no* protection against side and rear end collisions. Also, if you have a secondary collision, the air bag has already deflated, and your head goes *bash* against the wind- shield. And, the biggest problem of all: air bags *don't* keep you in the car. Far and away, the quickest way to die in an auto accident is to get thrown out of the car. I have very little sympathy for people who don't use seatbelts who get injured or killed in an accident. Their own stupidity killed them, not the auto manufactures failure to supply air bags. And if these same idiots fail to buckle up their kids, and the kids get killed,the parents should be prosecuted for manslaughter, or perhaps murder. -- John Allred General Computer Company uucp: seismo!harvard!gcc-bill!john
nrh@lzwi.UUCP (N.R.HASLOCK) (09/08/85)
> > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. > No endeavor is more important nor more noble than to save lives. > I deny the nobility of saving lives unconditionally. I reserve the right to be convinced that suicide is permissable. On the other hand I object to murder/manslaughter. I might be prepared to listen to arguements in favour of air bags IF it could be shown that the device will protect innocents from injury, i.e. that it helps the people in the cars that get rammed from any direction. If you want to force legislation of something useful, go for standard hight bumpers for all on road vehicles, crash barriers on all roads, anti locking brakes systems for all registered vehicles, banning of vehicle that will roll given a side force over some sensible limit ( that can be lowered as years go by ). None of this will prevent an insane driver from committing suicide but will help everyone else to survive such a person. Note that the first suggestion will probably force my pride any joy off the road as the front end of a Fiat X1/9 is very low as is the drivers seat. -- -- {ihnp4|vax135|allegra}!lznv!nrh Nigel The Mad Englishman or The Madly Maundering Mumbler in the Wildernesses Everything you have read here is a figment of your imagination. Noone else in the universe currently subscribes to these opinions. "Its the rope, you know. You can't get it, you know."
djb@riccb.UUCP (Dave J. Burris ) (09/08/85)
> In article <2778@harpo.UUCP> jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) writes: > > > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > > than to save lives. > > The statistics for Labor Day weekend were recently released for Illinois and are not all that surprising. The number of highway deaths was the lowest for the same period in 41 years. This has been attributed to two things. The recently instated seat belt law and the crackdown on drunken driving. Granted, this does not necessarily prove anything but it does indicate that there might be a connection. My position is this: IF YOU ARE TO STUPID AND STUBBORN TO USE SAFETY BELTS IN LIGHT OF THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING TRAFFIC FATALITIES THEN DON'T CRY TO ME ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO FORCE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF AIR BAGS ON EVERYONE. THE PRICE OF NEW CARS IS ALREADY SUCH THAT MANY ARE LIMITED TO BUYING MUCH LESS SAFE USED CARS. IF YOU WANT AIR BAGS THEN BUY THEM BUT MAKE THEM OPTIONAL. ALSO if you are still not going to wear safety belts then you are asking for trouble. -- Dave Burris ..!ihnp4!ihopa!riccb!djb Rockwell Switching Systems, Downers Grove, Il.
coller@utah-cs.UUCP (Lee D. Coller) (09/09/85)
In article <2778@harpo.UUCP> jad@harpo.UUCP (jad) writes: > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are Why don't we work on getting people to wear their seatbelts first. Airbags are only effective in head on collisions, seatbelts are effective in almost all accidents. Messages about "my third cousin was killed in an auto accident, if he hadn't worn his seatbelt he would have survived." To /dev/null please. For each report of this I can find many accidents where the opposite is true. -- -Lee UUCP: {ihnp4, seismo, hplabs, decvax, arizona}!utah-cs!coller ARPA: coller@utah-cs <<<jenci len jiomme ziubra a ledrum>>>
smh@rduxb.UUCP (henning) (09/10/85)
**** **** From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA rduxb!smh > If people don't care enough about their own lives to fasten > their seatbelts, explain to me why I should care. I feel absolutely no responsibility to pay some joker for his injuries I caused because he didn't wear a seat belt nor do I want him to claim personal injury compensation from my insurance company under any circumstances. Seatbelts do work. My wife was in a headon collision which caused $4700 dollars damage to our Volvo and escaped without a scratch because she had her seat belt/shoulder harness fastened.
terryl@tekcrl.UUCP () (09/10/85)
> > > > If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. > > Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of > > deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. A chorus of > > voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a > > great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble > > than to save lives. > > > > No. No NO! I would not. Why should I have to spend another $1000 or more > for a new car just because some idiots don't have enough sense to use > the safety equipment that is already provided? The seatbelts are there > and surely the public has by now received enough education on their use. > My entire family uses them - and always has. If people do not care > enough about themselves or their families - to hell with `em. Here, here!!!! Get those bad genes out of the gene pool, I always says. Selective (or is it adaptive?) evolution at it's best!!!! You don't want to perpetuate those bad genes, now, do you??? (-:
daver@hp-pcd.UUCP (daver) (09/11/85)
>Safety experts claim that each year air bags would prevent thousands of >deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries. ........... Safety experts also claim that air bags are not as safe as seat/shoulder belts and can even be dangerous in some situations. Congress has apparently passed a law which requires that airbags be installed in cars unless a certain number of states pass laws requiring the use of seatbelts, and a large number of states have done so (I'm happy to note that even my mother, who hated seat belts and absolutely refused to use them, is now buckling up every time she is in a car because of the new law). I personally feel that if people want to kill themselves they should have the right, but that anyone injured in an auto accident while not using a restraint device should be limited in the amount of damages they can collect in court so the rest of us don't suffer from their stupidity. Dave Rabinowitz hplabs!hp-pcd!daver
woods@hao.UUCP (Greg Woods) (09/11/85)
> If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. Typically this flame comes up every six months or so in net.auto (where it belongs, and all followups to this will go there only). I for one do NOT WANT to have safety regulations FORCED on me. The cost and breakability of cars is already at a ridiculously high level (unaffordable for many). Air bags are one more multi-hundred dollar option, with high technology that I probably cannot repair myself should it malfunction, that would help drive the price of that new car out of my reach should they be mandated by legislation. I know people are going to say it would save on insurance, and no doubt it would; but I have no doubt that the insurance companies would lag far behind in lowering rates, in terms of both time and the real cost saving. Another profit for car manufacturers and insurance companies. I for one am willing to risk doing without it. If you aren't, then order an airbag on YOUR car, but please do not force your opinion onto others through legislation. --Greg
dca@edison.UUCP (David C. Albrecht) (09/11/85)
> If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. The question is would I save the life of someone that has the power to save it themselves and refuses to do so. It seems to me they are making a personal decision that the amount of accident protection a seat belt gives them is not worth the minor hassle of putting it on. The advantages of seat belts are well publicized and well documented. Providing people with a safe and reliable means to protect themselves is good. Replacing or augmenting that means with a limited usefulness method simply because people refuse to use the first means I think is a bit silly. We cannot be big brother to the entire population, keep them from doing stupid things, taking risks, indulging in dangerous activities. We all have to live with the consequences of our actions. I would bet that most of the people that died in car accidents if they had been given the choice of car with air bags and one without would have chosen the cheaper car (i.e. the one without air bags). I find effective, easy to use safety tools an admirable goal. Protecting people who don't feel compelled to protect themselves and penalizing those who do take the care smacks to much of big brother. You might try reading "The Humanoids" a book by Jack Williamson some time if you wish to see the idea taken to extremes. David Albrecht
zrm@prism.UUCP (09/11/85)
The propellent used to deploy air bags so quickly is explosive. It may also be carcinogenic. If I ever have to buy a car with air bags in it, I will remove them and mail these gizmos to my congreesman.
paul@dual.UUCP (Baker) (09/11/85)
If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by banning autos. Many of us are forced to use or buy cars by the powerful auto industry. Safety experts claim that banning autos would prevent thousands of deaths and prevent hundreds of thousands of serious injuries every year. A chorus of voices raised in unison and directed at our representatives would have a great impact. Please write. No endeavor is more important nor more noble than to save lives. -:) Paul Wilcox-Baker.
sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) (09/11/85)
> power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are Many responses have already been made to this. This has started up again the airbag/seatbelt/freedom arguments, so more responses will undoubtedly be made. (Made again, that is. I've seen them go by for over two years so far on usenet. Try not to post anecdotal evidence, as everyone has three stories about the topic.) Something is being neglected by those trying to compare mechanical characteristics of the two restraint methods. Elementary psychology. PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO THINK THAT BAD THINGS MIGHT HAPPEN TO THEM. Deciding to use a seatbelt tends to involve an acknowledgement that "I might get hurt in an accident". It's easy to think "bad things only happen to other people" or "I can brake or steer away from a bad situation". A passive restraint does not require people to cross that psychological barrier. I personally use seatbelts (in a car, they're part of my clothing), and would prefer for passive seatbelt restraint systems. But an invisible passive restraint (ie airbag) is both psychologically and physically more comfortable for people not used to belts. Now, will required passive restraints make my insurance rates go down? Scot E. Wilcoxon Minn. Ed. Comp. Corp. circadia!mecc!sewilco 45 03 N / 93 15 W (612)481-3507 {ihnp4,uwvax}!dicomed!mecc!sewilco
cryo@ucbvax.ARPA (Herbert Ko) (09/12/85)
> >I feel absolutely no responsibility to pay some joker for his injuries >I caused because he didn't wear a seat belt nor do I want him to claim >personal injury compensation from my insurance company under any >circumstances. > Perhaps we should require the insurance companies to pay only the accident victims who were wearing seat belts.
mandy@datacube.UUCP (09/12/85)
But let's face it, the only reason seat belts are becoming a law everywhere is to save insurance co.'s and car makers a lot of money. We do live in a "big business" society.
gnome@olivee.UUCP (Gary Traveis) (09/13/85)
> > On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We > > And what's wrong with seat belts? If people refuse to wear their seat > belts, knowing that it means they are much more likely to be smashed to > death if they get in an accident, then that's their business isn't it? > Seatbelts are endorsed strongly by all police departments because, as a cop friend of mine says, "We've never had to unbuckle a dead body from behind a seat-belt!" Not only that, but seatbelts are also endorsed by the CEIA... The Counsel for Evolution In Action.
ssp@sun.uucp (Stephen Page) (09/16/85)
> On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. > (lots of other stuff). Yes, but 9X% of them weren't wearing seatbelts. I'm not interested in paying a few hundred dollars more for a car, plus the extra costs due to the increased weight and maintenance (if your air bag isn't working you won't know until it's too late) for a device that's mostly to help out those crazy enough not to wear belts. And I'd be terrified that the damn thing would go off at the wrong time (which is any time apart from during a head-on collision) and knock me out and/or make me lose control of my car. Why not make air bags an option? Answer: Mercedes-Benz and ?? some domestic automaker did, with very few takers. "Yes, but they charged $600 for them". So? Wear a seatbelt for free. My formula: compulsory seatbelt laws, tough anti-drunk driving measures, and a selective 70 mph speed limit. But what do I know? Stephen Page {ihnp4,decwrl,ucbvax}!sun!spage Proof that perfection is attainable: 'Cupid & Psyche '85', Scritti Politti (some kind of disclaimer that these opinions are my own, not my employer's.)
peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (09/16/85)
> If you had the power to save lives, would you do it? You and I do have that > power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death > inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are > deprived of air bags by the opposing efforts of the powerful auto industry. Yes, I encourage everyone to wear their seat-belts. I always wear mine. I much prefer a passive safety device to an active one when both are effective, and I don't want to pay yet another $150 for a car.
moroney@jon.DEC (Mike Moroney) (09/16/85)
>The propellent used to deploy air bags so quickly is explosive. It may >also be carcinogenic. If I ever have to buy a car with air bags in it, I >will remove them and mail these gizmos to my congreesman. Not only that, but think what will happen when all those cars start showing up at junkyards. Each junkyard will be a toxic waste disaster in the making. -Mike P.S. One way of getting people to buckle up in your car is buy a convertible! I have a couple of friends who dislike seatbelts and only buckle up where required by law, but they will ALWAYS buckle up in my car, even in the back seat! I guess you realize how vulnerable you are. It's not because of my driving, either (These guys are terrors behind the wheel though).
king@kestrel.ARPA (09/18/85)
In article <26400001@hpcvrd.UUCP>, daver@hp-pcd.UUCP (daver) writes: > > I personally feel > that if people want to kill themselves they should have the right, > but that anyone injured in an auto accident while not using a > restraint device should be limited in the amount of damages they can > collect in court so the rest of us don't suffer from their > stupidity. > > Dave Rabinowitz > hplabs!hp-pcd!daver Hear, hear! This may be one of the more important effects of the seatbelt law. Violation of the law, where such violation contributes to an injury, can be contributory negligence. If the courts do their job payments to accident victoms who fail to wear belts and who are declared not to be the ones at fault in the accident wil be reduced. Unfortunately I wouldn't bet on juries doing their job. It's going to be hard to not award a large sum to a person who was just hit by a drunk, merely because he wasn't wearing a belt and wouldn't have been hurt if he were. Another effect, and one I actually would expect to see, is a child's estate suing a parent for not having the child wear a belt. This is most likely to happen when the parent has insurance and the person who caused the accident lacks same. -dick