From: mhz@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mariam Hakim-Zargar)
Subject: Re: Seat Belts Releasing in Crashes: Institute for Injury Reduction
Reply-To: MHz@nwu.edu (Mariam Hakim-Zargar)
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 03:50:43 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.224828.12509@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu> of talk.politics.medicine,
  crpresto@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Charlie Preston) writes:
> In article <1ejmb4INNl2l@travis.csd.harris.com> kbeal@amber (Ken Beal) writes:
> >Charlie Preston (crpresto@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu) wrote:
> >:      BTW I do *not* want air bags in my vehicles!
> >
> >	Why not?  I agree with your discussion of collision avoidance, but
> >I'd want as many backup systems keeping me alive as possible.
> >
> IMHO devices that make people 'feel safe' (large bumpers, steel beams in
> doors, safety glass, padded dash, etc.) contribute to the number of
> incompetent people who operate motorized vehicles.  Have you ever met someone
> who refused to drive or ride in a particular car because s/he didn't 'feel
> safe'?  (Often the excuse is the car doesn't have enough metal.)  I believe
> that if people associated a greater risk of serious injury or fatality with
> driving there would be better drivers, fewer drivers and a lot fewer
> collisions.

So you believe that the more unsafe a car is- the less safety features it has-
then the less likely it is that incompetent people will drive?!  

     I really have to disagree with you (surprise!)  Most Americans with jobs
HAVE to drive weather they like it or not; weather the are competent or not. 
Our goal in having more safety features is to keep people from getting killed. 
Maybe you are a good driver, but what about the drunk, incompetent driver who
is going to run into you?  Maybe you are skilled, but you can't avoid
everything.  (You, does not mean you personally.)
      There will be a time, where your reflexes are not going to be
fast enough, and there will be a time where you will be just cought between a
rock and a hard place, becuase the guy next to you can't drive.. what are you
going to do then?  In a situation like that, I'm going to be happy that I had
an air bag, than I had good seatbelts, and that I had all the safety trinkets
I could lay my hands on!!  

>      The term moral hazard is sometimes used in the insurance industry to
> describe a particular behavior in humans:  if a person perceives that risk of
> loss is redused, then s/he will accept more risk or participate in riskier
> activities.
>      I don't care to pay for a lot of 'safety equipment' on a vehicle which
> does nothing to improve or assist my driving.  On my car it is just extra
> baggage.

But then again, how about the guy who is going to run into you?!  You can't
always stop him!  

Another key note here is that as drivers, we are responsible for the lives of
the people in our cars.  At least I feel that kind of responsibility when I
drive, so eventhough you might not want these features for yourself, you have
to be considerate of your family and friends who ride with you.  

Just something to think about.

				MHz



> Chas                         DoD #7769
> 
> "Oh, how can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?"
>                                                - Firesign Theatre