Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site hou5a.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5g!hou5h!hou5a!jhc
From: jhc@hou5a.UUCP (Jonathan Clark)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Encouraging seatbelts and injury rates
Message-ID: <570@hou5a.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 15:06:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou5a.570
Posted: Wed Jun 20 15:06:01 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Jun-84 07:43:23 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 28

It has long been my belief that the way to encourage people
to wear seatbelts is not by legislation, but by using
'contributory negligence' to reduce insurance payouts of
medical bills, damages and so on. The theory here is that a
car is a highly dangerous machine, and that if you don't
take *some* precautions to avoid injury in the case of an
accident then you should get hit where it hurts - in the
pocketbook. Of course, people who didn't want to wear
seatbelts could then buy extra insurance to cover all
medical bills and so on, but the cost would (probably) be
considerable. You could probably extend the idea to DWI.

BTW, when are we going to get sensible and properly enforce
the manslaughter and assault laws for drivers who kill and
injure other people?

Also, does anyone have any accurate, up-to-date statistics
for the per-mile accident and fatality/injury rates for different
road types in different countries? I have heard it alleged
that (for example) 'autobahns are safer than freeways',
'freeways are safer than autobahns', 'crossing the street in
NY is safer than jumping off the Empire State Building, but
not by much' and so on. Having driven many thousands of miles
in Europe and the US, I would *prefer* to drive in Europe
and it seems to me to be safer, but I have no figures to
back this up. Would anyone care to come up with some hard
figures? Please?