11-15-2013, 06:42 AM
An apples-to-apples comparison, then.
There was a time when seatbelts were not mandatory, so the lack of seatbelts is grandfathered, and you are not required to retrofit a "classic" car to include them, thereby increasing the chances of a fatality.
In theory, this is a personal risk taken by the owner/operator. In practice, the public shares some of the expense from this risk.
I find it somewhat ironic that the "nanny state" will intrude anywhere and everywhere it "feels the need", often with the flimsiest of pretense, and yet nothing is done about other issues which have actual life-and-limb costs.
Downtown Pahoa is termites-holding-hands ("grandfathered") but a recycled schoolbus is illegal ("noncompliant").
Should make for an interesting decade or two, though. Fire up the popcorn...
There was a time when seatbelts were not mandatory, so the lack of seatbelts is grandfathered, and you are not required to retrofit a "classic" car to include them, thereby increasing the chances of a fatality.
In theory, this is a personal risk taken by the owner/operator. In practice, the public shares some of the expense from this risk.
I find it somewhat ironic that the "nanny state" will intrude anywhere and everywhere it "feels the need", often with the flimsiest of pretense, and yet nothing is done about other issues which have actual life-and-limb costs.
Downtown Pahoa is termites-holding-hands ("grandfathered") but a recycled schoolbus is illegal ("noncompliant").
Should make for an interesting decade or two, though. Fire up the popcorn...