Is this airbag thing strictly a U.S. phenomenon?
One thing I was delighted to notice last fall when I visited the
U.K. was that the L-reg (i.e. brand new) Escort I rented--I mean
hired-- had no automatic belts or airbag, no "fasten belts"
indicator and/or screaming buzzer. This made me absurdly happy.
Is this lack of compulsory safety stuff the norm for the UK?
And does it reflect a lower accident rate? Does anyone know the
figures?
Is it possible that they've managed to keep their fatality
rate down by requiring drivers to be _competent_ before issuing
them licences? That would certainly be cheaper, let alone
safer...
Dan "the most important safety component is the driver" Parslow
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