<VV> seats and car safety (no Corvair)

[Eric S. Eberhard]

Actually I think the insurance is a bit misleading.  Remember when ATM 
machines came out they paid us to use them?  Now they charge us!  In 
addition, they charge by statistics that include driver, equipment, and 
much more.

ABS was a discount because few cars had it.  Now few cars don't so they 
take the discount away.

But as Bill said, there are situation where ABS can make things worse.  I 
particularly like the one about "invulnerability" ...

Here in central AZ when it snows it is quite a revelation ... drive along 
the freeway and 95% of the cars on the side, spun out or stuck, are 4 x 4 
vehicles!!!  Nobody would argue that 4 x 4 has less traction or is worse in 
snow!  I have always had the theory (undocumented) that it is idiot drives 
that think that just because they have 4 x 4 they are invulnerable.  I 
often see them going way to fast (as if it helps braking) and otherwise 
driving like morons.

Insurance companies don't actually evaluate if the particular equipment 
works better or not -- they take statistics based on the entire situation 
which includes idiot drivers that think they are invulnerable ... so Bill's 
info on insurance makes sense to me!


At 12:12 PM 8/27/2004, Bill Elliott wrote:
>On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:54:39 -0700, Eric S. Eberhard wrote:
>
> >"However, it has been documented that ABS brakes increase stopping 
> distance."
>
> >That is VERY silly and irresponsible.  It is an urban legend based on a
> >long ago test with a professional race driver.
>
>
>While I agree with most of what Eric has posted, it's worth mentioning 
>that insurance companies, which once gave a discount for ABS, quickly
>stopped that because their data showed that ABS cars were involved in more 
>costly accidents than non-ABS cars?
>
>The reasoning in the studies I've seen?
>
>1. The sense of Invulnerability. Once people realized that their ABS would 
>let them stop quicker on wet pavement, they quit slowing down so much.
>And on dry pavement, they would drive more aggressively and brake later.
>
>2. The ability to steer! Since this is always given as a POSITIVE aspect 
>of ABS, how could this be a negative? Turns out that in many accident
>situations, the inability to steer kept the car on the road and hitting 
>only other moveable objects. Once people could steer under hard braking, 
>they ran
>off the road and into more solid objects.
>
>I have no idea if this is true, but it's thought-provoking!
>
>I actually like ABS, mainly for the reasons Eric listed... I can worry 
>about other variables instead of trying to regulate brake pressure. But 
>then again, the
>only time I've rear-ended someone was in an ABS car...
>
>Bill Elliott
>Urbana, MD
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Eric S. Eberhard
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