From: utzoo!laura
Newsgroups: net.auto
Title: Re: one more on belts 
Article-I.D.: utzoo.2391
Posted: Wed Aug 18 10:29:27 1982
Received: Wed Aug 18 10:29:27 1982
References: utcsrgv.530 

	The only way that airbags can be improved, is if there are a lot
of them being made.  The first seatbelts to come out were not nearly as
effective as the ones we have now.  I say give them a chance.

	Another thing to consider if you get involved in the 'everyone has
the right to not wear setbelts' debate is the effect of KILLING someone
has on another person.  A few years ago I was sitting on the passenger side
of a car travelling at a relatively low speed (15mph?) on a city street when a
drunken 65 year old woman fell out from behind a tall hedge and into the
car.  We hir her, of course.  She suffered a broken leg and 'mental anguish'
to the tune of $20,000 in a fine which was half paid by us and half paid by
the hedge owner -- who also had to remove his hedge. Whether this was a fair
ruling is not the point -- the point is that for about 3 months every time
I was in the car I was as tense as anything and kept expecting to see people
fall out on top of me from the street.  Dreaming at that time was not very
pleasant either -- and all I did was watch while we broke a woman's leg --
i am sure that if we had killed her (say if she had died of a hert attack,
or if the hospital workers hadnt noticed her inebreated condition and pumped
her stomach before filling her with medicine that does not agree with alcohol)
it would have been much worse.  i wonder how many people out there get to
cope with guilt about killing souls whose death could have been prevented if
they chose to wear seatbelts...


				Laura Creighton
				decvax!utzo!laura