Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mcgill-vision.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!cmcl2!philabs!micomvax!musocs!mcgill-vision!mouse
From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: air bags (originally "if you could save lives....")
Message-ID: <143@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Sep-85 03:18:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcgill-v.143
Posted: Sun Sep 15 03:18:56 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Sep-85 05:47:58 EDT
Organization: McGill University, Montreal
Lines: 34

>>I feel absolutely no responsibility to pay some joker for his injuries 
>>I caused because he didn't wear a seat belt nor do I want him to claim 
>>personal injury compensation from my insurance company under any 
>>circumstances.

     Hear hear.  If  he doesn't wear a seat belt he deserves whatever he
gets.   I'm  afraid  my principle of  "mercy  towards all"  gets  a  bit
strained when  it comes to jokers  who  don't wear  seat belts  and then
expect everyone  else to  pay for their medical  bills  (through  higher
insurance premiums).

>Perhaps we should require the insurance companies to pay only the
>accident victims who were wearing seat belts.

     No.  Please.   Not "require".    "Allow", fine.  "Encourage"  even.
But if some company wants to insure bad risks  like that,  who are *you*
to complain?  Who don't want  us telling  you you have to have an airbag
in  your car?  It makes them  charge  higher  premiums, fine,  buy  from
someone else.  That's what the free market system is all about.

     But  then, what  do I know, I  hold  extreme views  on the  side of
"regulation is [usually] bad" anyway.  For example, I think tobacco  and
alcohol should be  treated  just like the stronger drugs like marijuana,
hashish,  cocaine, etc.    Either ban  them all or  legalize them all (I
don't care which, I don't  use any of any of them).   (Just don't expect
me to stick around anyone using them :-)
-- 
					der Mouse

{ihnp4,decvax,akgua,etc}!utcsri!mcgill-vision!mouse
philabs!micomvax!musocs!mcgill-vision!mouse

Hacker: One responsible for destroying /
Wizard: One responsible for recovering it afterward