Troubled car maker Toyota has suspended sales of its Lexus GX 460 worldwide after the US consumer magazine Consumer Reports claimed that the vehicle could roll over."When pushed to its limits on our track's handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control," the magazine claims. "We believe that in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a roll-over accident, which could cause serious injury or death."
Let me get this straight. If you drive like an idiot, the vehicle is supposed to prevent you from suffering the consequences of your stupidity?
I think the nanny state safety obsession in the western world has got totally out of hand. I don't know how we put the genie back in the bottle (or even whether the population as a whole feels the same way and would want to) but any political party that would repeal the health and safety legislation, outlaw the compensation culture and put the emphasis back on common sense, personal responsibility and the need to prove criminal negligence in order to win a claim in the event of an accident would get my vote.
I totally agree with you sentiments but, as someone who has had to undertake H&S assessments, know that it is the inadequately trained or chinless assessors guarding their backsides that cause the problems – not the legislation. We only end up with silly OTT H&S rules when the assessor has not done his/her job correctly. Perhaps this magazine reporter should be retrained - as what I'm not sure HI
ReplyDeleteLooks like a knee-jerk reaction and Toyota are playng it 'safe' until they can ascertain whether there is an issue or not.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this compensation culture is costing us all money, I personally know people who have claimed for a personal injury in a car accident where there was no injury, who pays, we do ultimately.
Gone are the days of holding your hands up and admitting you did wrong, and just getting on with things, someone else always has to be at fault.
I was at a castle in Germany a few years back and you could walk right up to the edge of this wall that had about a 75 foot drop. No guard rails, no warning signs, nothing. So I said to my German friend that we'd never have something so open like this in the states. He looked at me and asked why not. I commented that someone could fall and get hurt. Without missing a beat he says "If you get so close that you fall off you're an idiot"
ReplyDeleteCould it be that we in the West need fewer Lawyers?
ReplyDeleteIn the recent U.K. ice-storms, if you cleaned your footpath of ice for saftety, and someone slipped, you were open to litigation.
ReplyDeleteIf you did nothing, left the ice, and someone slipped, you were safe!
WTF!
Nanny needs a spanking!