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From: sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: If you could save lives, would you?
Message-ID: <353@mecc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Sep-85 13:12:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: mecc.353
Posted: Wed Sep 11 13:12:33 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 11:44:34 EDT
References: <2778@harpo.UUCP>
Reply-To: sewilco@.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon)
Organization: MN Ed Comp Corp, St. Paul, MN
Lines: 26
Keywords: air bag seat belt psychology
Summary: Many people don't want to acknowledge their mortality

> power. On this day and at this moment, people are being smashed to death    
> inside their cars when their lives could be preserved by air bags. We are

Many responses have already been made to this.  This has started up
again the airbag/seatbelt/freedom arguments, so more responses will
undoubtedly be made.  (Made again, that is.  I've seen them go by for
over two years so far on usenet.  Try not to post anecdotal evidence,
as everyone has three stories about the topic.)

Something is being neglected by those trying to compare mechanical
characteristics of the two restraint methods.  Elementary psychology.
PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO THINK THAT BAD THINGS MIGHT HAPPEN TO THEM.
Deciding to use a seatbelt tends to involve an acknowledgement that
"I might get hurt in an accident".  It's easy to think "bad things
only happen to other people" or "I can brake or steer away from a
bad situation".  A passive restraint does not require people to
cross that psychological barrier.

I personally use seatbelts (in a car, they're part of my clothing),
and would prefer for passive seatbelt restraint systems.  But an
invisible passive restraint (ie airbag) is both psychologically and
physically more comfortable for people not used to belts.  Now,
will required passive restraints make my insurance rates go down?

Scot E. Wilcoxon	Minn. Ed. Comp. Corp.      circadia!mecc!sewilco
45 03 N / 93 15 W	(612)481-3507 {ihnp4,uwvax}!dicomed!mecc!sewilco