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From: agz@pucc-i (Andrew Banta)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: PISSED OFF
Message-ID: <818@pucc-i>
Date: Mon, 14-Jan-85 22:42:06 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-i.818
Posted: Mon Jan 14 22:42:06 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jan-85 05:44:08 EST
References:  <236@calmasd.UUCP>  <245@calmasd.UUCP>
Organization: Dept. of Mental Instability, Purdue University
Lines: 49

[]

Now look, there are people that get paid for cleaning bodies up off the
street, etc.  This doesn't even scratch the surface as to why seat belt
laws are being considered.

Now, a few years back, Fred, the federal gov't decided that too many
people were dying in car accidents.  he looked around to see what he
could do.  Well, about this same time, a friend of Fred's came up with
something called an "airbag".  This was a bag that placed in the middle
of the steering wheel so if you happened to get in an accident, you
couldn't see what was going on in front of you.  Fred said "Hey, in
most accidents, you'r hitting something in front of you, and since the
populace usually can't stomach seeing an accident, this seems like a
pretty keen idea."  About this time, Henry, representative of the auto
industry, came to Fred and said "Hey, these things, whatever they're
called, are gonna cost megabucks!"  Fred looked at airbags again, and
despite their less than 60% success rate and the fact that it allowed
drivers to see accidents that occurred other than in front of them,
decided it was time to blackmail Stan, the state gov't.  Fred told Stan
that if he didn't make sure 2/3 of his people were strapped in thier car
by law by 1989, Fred was going to require airbags be put in.  Now Henry
realized that you needed only 16 of Stan's 50 partitions to get 2/3 of
all the people.  Henry started pressuring Stan to get these laws passed.
Now, Stan realized that there are lots of gullible people out there.
They can be told that being strapped in a car will keep you safe from
drunk drivers, those terrible things that are like lethal gas or something
that just wipe out people.  So, "In the people's best interests", Stan
decides to make everybody wear seat belts.

Now, I hope this wasn't taken the wrong way.  I personally wouldn't
leave home without a seat belt.  I used to feel that that was my option,
and that I shouldn't force other people to do it.  This opinion changed
(somewhat) when I was in an accident in which all the people in my car
were wearing safety belts, and got out of the car, no problems.  The
girl I hit (yes, it was my fault) was taken to the hospital strapped to
a board.  She is presently suing me over this accident.  I often wonder
how hurt she would have been if she had been wearing her seat belt.

It's still something that I haven't entirely made up my mind about, but
I thought I'd mention why the seat belt laws are coming around and a
possible viewpoint to keep in mind.

Drive carefully.

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Andy Banta			{decvax!allegra!ihnp4}!pur-ee!pucc-k!agz
Dept. of Mental Instability, Purdue University --- "I'm OK, You're a CS Major"
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