Hi,

I've been reading lately about more devices that will be required for 'safety's ' sake.

Here's the last couple

1. (Minnesota) Fire sprinklers in existing homes -- starts 2016
2. (National) Arc suppressant outlets whenever an outlet is replaced -- schedule not clear
3. Backup cams in All 'light' (under 10K I think) vehicles -- 2018

And there are the existing things like stability control that will be a big part of the vehicle population soon

My point is that the number of required safety gadgets keeps increasing, and I'm fairly sure that's not a great idea.
- more stuff to fail
- unforseen side effects -- you never find everything in lab tests
- expense that may not be justified. A lot of the discussion about these things is in pretty closed circles until they're suddenly mandatory. Often I wonder about the 'proof ' that they're needed or effective.

I'm all for safety, but like a lot of things, it's a balance. I'm not ready to be bubble wrapped quite yet.

hj

 

more money insurance companies will be making

 

household fire sprinkler systems is a very good idea, my father has been pushing for them to be mandatory on new construction or renovations since he was the president of the international association of fire chiefs back in 1976.

and as for the insurance angle, the cost for fire insurance on a house with sprinklers is almost non existent.
3 years ago a 2500 sq ft house with sprinklers valued at $475,000 was $150 per year
without the sprinklers was $2750 per year.
my sister and brother in law saved the cost of the sprinkler system install in the first year after he built the house.

 

i think backup cameras are also a good idea, if they save one person from running over a child behind them, it is well worth it.

we had an accident here last year where a 4 year old was killed when the driver did not see the child on her tricycle and backed out of the driveway.
she saw the mother on the sidewalk next door, but not the child on the bike.
a back up camera would have prevented that.
i am looking for systems to put in my vehicles after using a pickup that had a camera. you see everything behind you, with no blind spots.

 

The fire sprinkler thing can be a pita, especially for remodels. However, it not only stops your fire, it stops your fire from becoming your neighbors fire or a forest/wildland fire if you live in such an area.

Backup cams? I have one on my PU, & we have them at work on alot of trucks. There is really nothing better, not even the "Get Out And Look" thing, as even if you do get out and look, someone can walk behind your vehicle while you walk back to the front.

Stability control has already returned lower fatality rates.

Arc suppressing outlets? Everyone has seen an arc plugging something in, but I really question the cost benefit of those. Still, they should cost more than a GFI, and those will save your bacon...or rather save you from looking like cooked bacon.

Sure, it's more stuff to go wrong, but most of this stuff doesn't go wrong and is pretty easy to remedy when it does.

 

Thanks for the interesting feedback. As noted, I'm all for safety, but I'm not always sure that more stuff is the answer.

I don't want to get into any big debates about details of any system here, but I would like to offer a couple of comments.

Well, maybe.Traffic accidents are down and credit for that is being claimed by just about everybody. (Highway design, law enforcement, fewer drunks, ...)

The only studies that I personally know about for stability control measured the same vehicle models before and after they were equipped with stability control. So, they might compare the accident rate of a 1999 Belchnik (in 1999) to the rate of a 2005 Belchnik (with ESC) in 2005. At least that's how I read it.

I would argue that a better study would have been between similar model types in the same year.

So sorry,but I'm just somewhat not buying the ESC argument. I also think that things will get more interesting as vehicles with these highly complex systems age -- and especially as more lower priced models are equipped with ESC.

But, we'll see. Hopefully I'm wrong, because ESC is here to stay.

As for sprinklers, I'm also a little unsure. In my case, I'm on a well, so I don't know how long they'll work if the electric goes out. I also wonder how often the sprinkler has caused more problems because it was something like a grease fire.

hj

 

a sprinkler will only open once the thermocouple has reached a set temperature. so even if it was a grease fire that started the fire, the room would be involved before the sprinkler popped and put the fire out.
if i remember correctly most sprinklers have a 750 or 800 degree thermocouple.



as for ESC and other vehicle "safety features" you can keep them. including EDR's or "black boxes"
i don't even have working ABS in any of my vehicles.

 

"Hardcore" enthusiasts such as ourselves are never going to like the encroachment of technology into our lives, especially our vehicles.

But remember that we're in the significant minority.

For the majority of folks, those who cannot walk and chew bubble gum, tech only saves them from their own stupidity. You've seen the pic of the dozen-or-so kids walking down the sidewalk, all held in thrall by their phones, with the caption "The Zombie Apocalypse is upon us!"

Yeah, those are the ones who need all this crap.

(me, I'm having a hard time with all the screens in new vehicles these days... I want to drive a TRUCK, not a VIDEO GAME..... *sigh*)

(*get off my lawn!!!* )

-blaine

 

so this brings me back to the comments my mother always made,,,, the wooden ice boxes they use to have ,,,,the ice trucks delivering them there blocks of ice,,, cooking dinner on the pot belly stove that was used to heat the house,,,, as far as we came in the last 100 years wonder whats in store the next 100 years,,,,,may the new "get of my lawn" sign really read "get off my cloud" ?????

 

Technology can, also, make us pretty lazy.

While I am a strong proponent of Back up cameras they only tell part of the story. Yet, we become dependent on them and stop looking at our mirrors and/or over or shoulders.

When backing into a parking space, just yesterday, my 22 year old daughter asked me why I was using my mirrors instead of B.U. camera? I explained that the cameras are not there to replace the mirrors or your own visual inspection of the immediate area. Their purpose is to supplement and enhance.

My previous Lincoln (2010 MKT) had blind spot sensors. Pretty light illuminated in the side mirrors when an object was present. A good safety feature as long as you use it only as a supplement. My Navigator does not have this feature and I do miss it.

Features like these have a good purpose and save life and property but, it is very important that we retain our "eyes open" defensive driving skills.

 

Mandated retro-fit sprinklers in existing homes? Most folks could not afford it.

This is not a simple operation and the cost will be staggering. I have no issues with sprinklers for new construction. But, a retro could easily hit $ 10,000 for a 2,200 square foot existing home. Two story homes would be even more pricy. I just don't see that happening.

 

The thing that drives me crazy is that the US has a hard time exempting fringe cases from all these standards, especially when it comes to cars. I think it's fine to make some of this stuff mandatory for cars that meet certain volume thresholds and attract ordinary people that don't know any better, but let a small minority that can (and wants to) handle a "dangerous" item safely do so! It's rather insulting to not be given that opportunity, really.

 

I agree backup cameras are a good thing, but one needs to know how to use them... Just the fact that it is there does not guarantee people will look in them..

My sister in law has the backup camera on her Honda Odyssey van along with side warning system that beeps when you are close to something.. Plus 2 side mirrors and a rear view mirror.

Yet last summer she backed up into a car that was behind her and damaged the front fender...

You can't fix stupid no matter how many gadgets you install...

The government wont stop installing gadgets in the name of safety until they install a robotic driver to take the humans out of the equation

 

"I'm your vehicle, baby I'll take you anywhere you wanna go......."

 

Interesting. I'll have to press further. Sheryl insisted on the retrofit for the dogs but my insurance didn't drop all that much. (It may depend on carrier though.)