wildyams

Here's a great article about the new way that cars are becoming more of a waste to everyone than before. It seems that with all the new technologies and safety features in cars, new cars are quite simply becoming too expensive to fix. As a result, with some newer cars, if they get into a minor accident, the car will be considered "totalled" simply because to replace all the airbags, high tech equipment and seatbelts (yes seatbelts, check this out: 'Seat belts, too, have "once-and-done" pretensioners that have to be replaced - even on unoccupied seats - after an accident.'). Because these new parts and gadgets are so high-tech and specific, they usually can only be replaced by the manufacturer; or if a regular shop wants to outfit itself to handle stuff like this is it prohibitively expensive. Also, the cost of "mechanics" these days is through the roof because they have to know more than Mr. Wizard to work on a car these days, so that also adds into the expense (and also requires more money in technical schooling for these guys to get to have those jobs).

The end result is that in our society, which is already hopelessly addicted to buying bigger and more expensive cars (even if we can't afford them), and which is prone to quickly dispose of them in pursuit of whatever the newest car fad is; is now going to be throwing away brand new cars and buying new ones faster than ever before. Not only is this a huge waste of resources (you'd be amazed to know how much scrap steel and rubber there is sitting in junkyards from thrown away cars), but this is also going to be a huge moneymaker for car companies and for insurance companies; and as we all should know, anything that is a big moneymaker for insurance companies means the rest of us are all gonna take it right in the ass with their raised rates.

Picture this: some guy leases a car that's realistically out of his price range because he scrapes by in all other areas of his life to be able to afford his new flash ride (which probably costs upwards of $30,000 or $40,000), and then he gets in an accident that sets off all his airbags. Since it's leased, he is required to have full coverage, so the insurance company comes out to look at it and decides that even with minor structural damage the amount needed to repair will cost more than it would to scrap it, so they consider it totalled and cut the guy a check so he can go start the cycle all over again. Ok, now think about that but multiply it by just about everyone, since our society is so obsessed with big, flashy, expensive cars. This kind of stuff just sickens me. Where is Seth Brundle with his telepods when you need him?