Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 8/21/84; site styx.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!idi!styx!mcb
From: mcb@styx.UUCP (Michael C. Berch)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: If you could save lives, would you ?
Message-ID: <11501@styx.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Sep-85 00:15:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: styx.11501
Posted: Mon Sep  9 00:15:36 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 06:56:14 EDT
References: <2776@harpo.UUCP>
Reply-To: mcb@styx.UUCP
Distribution: net
Organization: Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, CA
Lines: 26

In article <2776@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.
>   

I don't understand the importance of being "deprived" of air bags by
the auto industry. Anyone who wants to enhance the the safety of their
travel need only decide to wear seat belts (which are *much* more
effective than air bags) and insist that their passengers do likewise.

The problem of mandatory air bags or passive restraints is that they
must be paid for by *everyone*, including those who wear seat belts.
The cost might just be low enough to make this a marginally acceptable
public policy, but in principle it shouldn't be done.

Michael C. Berch
mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
{akgua,allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,dual,ihnp4,sun}!idi!styx!mcb