Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 19:02:33 -0500
Reply-To: ray.wei@US.PWCGLOBAL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Yi-Ruey Wei <ray.wei@US.PWCGLOBAL.COM>
Subject: DRLs and Air Bags
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Please see Don Gibbons 's post "Safety and cost". I've been in Canada
last year and saw that NOT every car has the DRLs. That means the car with
DRLs will stand out and more easier to see. The statistics will favor the
DRLs right now. Wait until ALL cars have DRLs and then check the
statistics. The 3rd break light has the same situation. The statistics on
rear end collision went down a while since the mandate of 3rd break light
after 1986. But it starts to go up recently because people GET USED TO
the 3rd break light. Then again, if you feel like you want DRLs, why
don't you just turn the lights on? Why mandate it? (Poor motorcyclist!)
Actually, pro-DRL drivers should against the mandate, then they can stand
out with their lights on!
Air bag is a very expensive and dangerous device. I just can't
understand why people want a device which could explode at anytime and may
kill or injure people. The design standard in the US is for 160lb male
adult WITHOUT seat belt on. That's why the 200mph explosion kills
smaller-sized adults and children. I doubt if you have the seat belt on,
how much more protection the air bag can provide. Not to mention that the
cost involved to get that much more protection. And then when the car is
getting old, car owner may not willing to spend big money to fix or
maintain the air bags which then become more dangerous.
Have you ever think about where your hands supposed to put on the
steering wheel (with air bag) lately? You had better not cross over your
steering wheel while you are driving or backing up. If you do, and if the
air bag explode, it will break your arm. Just try to back your car with
both hands at "3-9" position on the steering wheel as suggested in the
owners manual from the cars with air bags.
Most people got killed and injured by the air bag in the States are in a
slow moving vehicle or in the parking lot. Sadly to say that famous air
bag killing to a child at Idaho was happened on a VW in a mall parking lot.
The "smart" air bag is a much better device but there is a long way to go
and is a lot more complicated and expensive, which means hard to be
properly maintained when it is getting old.
Regards,
Yi-Ruey Wei
87 Vanagon GL Syncro w/78K miles
85 Jetta GLI w/165K miles
Dallas, Texas
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