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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihopa!riccb!djb
From: djb@riccb.UUCP (Dave J. Burris )
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.auto
Subject: Re: Re: If you could save lives, would you?
Message-ID: <517@riccb.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Sep-85 12:53:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: riccb.517
Posted: Sun Sep  8 12:53:54 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Sep-85 04:43:40 EDT
References: <2778@harpo.UUCP> <305@gcc-bill.ARPA>
Organization: Rockwell Telecommunications, Downers Grove,Il.
Lines: 38
Xref: watmath net.consumers:2925 net.auto:8083

> 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.