[PKRWUD]

One thing you have to remember is cost. Consumers are now paying as much for a new car as they were for a house 30 years ago. And they're not very happy about it. If a defect kills 50 people, yet millions more are fine, that's an acceptable statistic. If a few hundred die, that's when things should be looked at further. Let's say they decide to install NASCAR fuel bladders in all mustangs. They cost teams $1700, but Ford could probably get them for $1500. Then you have to redesign the tank for placement. Figure by the time the design and machinery is completed, that's another $1000 per car. Then there's the money to train the workers to install and service the new fuel tanks. That would probably only add up to another $300 per car. That means adding another $3000 to the dealer cost, and who knows how much they will add to that. The general practice is 180%, so that would mean that Mustangs would go up another $5400 in cost, on top of any other price increases. All because 50 people died in what cannot be absolutely proven as Fords fault. The public would cry louder, and longer, at the thought of paying that kind of money versus taking their chances.

It reminds me of the lady that won millions from McDonalds because she spilled coffee in her lap.

As far as blowing a tire, let me set the record straight: If you have a blow out, you should hope it's the front tire and not the back. When it comes to where you put the two new tires, always choose the back. If you have a blowout in front, you still have some control, thanks to the steering wheel. It's not like driving a Cadillac, but you should be able to pull over safely. When a blow out occurs on a back tire, the driver has absolutely no control what so ever. They often will pitch the car sideways, which isn't a whole lot of fun.

I was taught this in a college alignment class, but lived through an experience that verified it.

I was driving in my '77 Trans Am (yes, I owned one of them, too) from Ventura up to Santa Barbara to see my girlfriend, who worked at the rock radio station up there. She worked from midnight to 6am, so I would usually hang out with my buddies, and when they went home to crash, I drove up to Santa Barbara. Well, one night I was in a hurry. I was doing at least 70 mph, and just after I left Ventura, I had a blow out in the right rear tire. This stretch of Highway 101 is where the mountains meet the ocean. To my right were shear rock faces, and to my left, beyond the oncoming traffic, was a 50 foot drop onto a beach front campsite.

I don't remember what I was doing beforehand, other than driving too fast, but the 10 seconds that occurred after the blow out seem to me like an hour. i heard the blow out, and thought someone had fired a gun. before I could finish that thought, I was staring straight into the rocky moutainside, but sliding sideways up the freeway. I tried to get control of the car, but the steering wheel was useless. Almost exactly like what happens to a car when the cops perform a PIT manuever. The car spun in circles, while still heading towards Santa Barbara, and suddenly was in the dirt on the side of the freeway, still out of control.

When I finally came to a stop, I got out of the car and looked around. There was a cloud of dust in the air for at least 50 yards back, and that was just where I had left the pavement. I truly believe I am only alive today because that car had such a low center of gravity.

For what it's worth, the damn tow truck driver stole my amp out of the car when he came and got it, too.

Take care,
-Chris