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From: ddw@cornell.UUCP (David Wright)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Cost/benefit airbags & regulations
Message-ID: <4878@cornell.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 24-Jul-83 14:27:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cornell.4878
Posted: Sun Jul 24 14:27:37 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Jul-83 20:29:45 EDT
Sender: ddw@cornell.UUCP
Organization: Cornell Computer Science
Lines: 26

From: ddw (David Wright)
To: net-auto

I start to gag every time I read a message to the effect that "if airbags are
so great, the insurance companies will start offering lower premiums for cars
that have them."  This assumes that airbags will at least be available as an
option.  So far, kiddies, they ain't.  At one point, GM was offering them, but
the reports I saw said you practically had to torture the salespeople to get
them to admit it.  Also, the insurance companies won't know what premium 
reductions to offer unless there are air-bag-equipped cars out there to serve
as a basis for statistics.

This is starting to turn into a discussion that belongs more in net.politics
than net.auto.  Or maybe net.religion; there are quite a few people (liber-
tarians in particular) who give the same veneration to the free market that
Billy Graham gives to his God.

Look, will you at least admit that I ought to have the option of buying an
air bag on my new car, even if the gov't has to require the auto companies
to offer the option?

                                 David Wright

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