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Interior airbags are mandated by regulation, you don't actually have a choice about it oftentimes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag#Regulatory_specification

by nagrom 14y ago

Interior airbags are mandated by regulation, you don't actually have a choice about it oftentimes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag#Regulatory_specifications http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag#Regulatory_specification... Plenty of people value the lives of others very lowly - or, really, they just don't think about it. How often do you see people speed, run red lights, tailgate, etc? I don't think that I've ever taken a journey without seeing at least some of these behaviours. That doesn't make those drivers psychopaths! Just distracted, pressed for time or worrying about something else. In the same way, not fitting this system doesn't make you a bad person...maybe you just don't have the $500 (or however much it costs) to fit it as an optional extra. Just to be clear - I don't think this is a bad system. I'm curious how to go about marketing it to the average driver who is economically-minded. Does it have to be regulation, can it be insurance premiums, or is there some other mechanism to encourage uptake?

jules 14y ago
> or is there some other mechanism to encourage uptake? Yes, that's what I'm saying: empathy. There are plenty of ladies and gentlemen who do have it. I know a lot of people besides myself who would like an external airbag, if it is shown to be effective at reducing the severity of injuries and preventing death. If you really want to have a purely Randian viewpoint, consider this: empathy is something that people have evolved to have because it benefits them, and we're stuck with it even if not having it would be a benefit to themself in a particular situation, just like we're stuck with the tendency to become fat even though it may not be the best for you nowadays (not that I'm saying that empathy has become less evolutionarily useful over time -- just that humans do not make optimal selfish decisions all the time).

by nagrom 14y ago

jules 14y ago

> or is there some other mechanism to encourage uptake? Yes, that's what I'm saying: empathy. There are plenty of ladies and gentlemen who do have it. I know a lot of people besides myself who would like an external airbag, if it is shown to be effective at reducing the severity of injuries and preventing death. If you really want to have a purely Randian viewpoint, consider this: empathy is something that people have evolved to have because it benefits them, and we're stuck with it even if not having it would be a benefit to themself in a particular situation, just like we're stuck with the tendency to become fat even though it may not be the best for you nowadays (not that I'm saying that empathy has become less evolutionarily useful over time -- just that humans do not make optimal selfish decisions all the time).