Duh  |   Home  |   What I do

Power Windows

I’ve seen this story a few times now, and I suspect that it will get some traction given the amount of media attention.  A group wants to force automobile manufacturers to add safety features to power windows because some kids have gotten killed by them.  Here’s the gist:

Now a group called Kids and Cars is taking a stand to help prevent such accidents.

“Approximately 500 children are treated in an emergency room for injuries from power windows every year.  And in the past decade American made cars have killed at least 58 children.”

Members of the organization believe a plan forcing all car makers to install power windows with added safety features will make a difference.

Let’s put this into perspective.  According to this site, Americans drive about 11,600 miles per year.  If we take that number multiplied by 250,000,000 people multiplied by 10 years, we get the number that American drove 29,000,000,000,000 miles during that period.  58 kids were killed by power windows (although I question where that number came from) during that time.  That’s 1 kid per 500,000,000,000 miles.

More kids are killed by their mothers than this.  Or in bathtubs.  Or in school shootings. 

This is hardly a crisis.

When will people learn that you can’t remove ALL risk from life?  At some point, you have to have some common sense to get through life.  For instance, check out this detail from the same story:

?I was at a garden center and got out of the car.  My daughter was standing on the arm rest.  The window was down and then it started up.?

What the hell is your daughter doing a) in the car alone and b) STANDING ON THE ARM REST!?!?

I contend that parental stupidity leads to more deaths of kids than all other sources COMBINED.  If only we could legislate that, eh?

Posted by Owen at 1247 hrs
Law

1. You’re right that we can’t eliminate all risks. You’re also right that parents need to be attentive so that their kids don’t get hurt doing the stupid stuff unattended kids often do. The question I would ask is - how much would the safety features cost? If they are relatively low-cost, maybe it would be a good idea. If you know something is potentially harmful and it isn’t that big a deal to put precautions in place, seems like car makers would be ok with it. If the cost is high, though, I can see that 500 injuries a year might not justify the additional cost.

   Posted by hope on August 20, 2003 at 1313 hrs
   
   
   

2. I can agree with that.  I just get sick and tired of the people like this who use rhetoric that is waaaaaay over the top.  They are saying things like “the auto industry could have used a safer window switch, but chose not to in order to save money EVEN THOUGH kids are dying!” 

   Give me a break.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2003 at 1429 hrs
   
   
   

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.