[Wizard1183]

Originally Posted by Number 3

You are correct and you notice I also made a similar comment that you didn't include.

However, even if Bluetooth connectivity is on $1 (and it is much more than that in your car) that is $1 more than you could have spent "back in the day". That is all the point I was trying to make.

And the example I gave on the door beams in the Japanese market must not have hit home.

But the question is, without government intervention would we have what we have today.

Remember the first airbags? GM introduced them long before they were required. No one bought them. Expensive, yes. But no sales.

It is likely that without regulations, all cars would have lights, turn signals, good brakes and accelerators that don't stick. Most of these regulations (if you understand the process, which I do) come from people complaining to the government. And all NPRMs are sent to the manufacturers for comment and it's a lengthy process.

The bigger issue seems to be emissions and fuel economy. Without regulation, would we be on the right path if left to our own devices?

Should the government play a role or any role for that matter in protecting us from ourselves? That's what most laws are intended to do. The ones that make it illegal for someone to break into your home and take your stuff we tend to like. The ones that influence what you can buy, not so much.

Well what about the laws of criminals that rob your home and die in the back yard and family gets to sue you and win? Too much regulation is NOT a good thing. It's like patches for software. You try to fix one problem and create another.