Nope, insurance works pretty much the same across the U.S.. Any teeth
insurance had focused around fault has been well diluted by both economics
and law.
Cars are NOT maintained beyond oil changes, tires, and the rare brake job.
I don't know if that's different anywhere else in the world. Most of the
stuff I saw in Italy last time I was there had never been washed, never
mind maintained. Most of the bits of modern cars are engineered to last a
relatively long time, and when something fails, it's generally a symptom
of the entire system reaching end of life.
There tend to be safety inspections on the east coast, where the salt the
heck out of roads and the cars dissolve. On the west coast it's just
emissions testing. In either case the inspections don't do much about
public safety. But accidents due to mechanical failure are extraordinarily
rare (though the statistics are suspect because no one really investigates
deeply). Partly because most accidents are painfully and obviously due to
poor driving and impaired drivers. Speeding is not even much of a factor.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Kipping [mailto:johnkipping@inet.net.nz]
Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2003 11:29 AM
To: Herald948@aol.com; fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: TR4/6 Master Cylinder
Let me just check we have some facts right, here we have two people in the
US on one yahoo group who have had rusted brake lines fail, and presumably
you both know about car maintenance and what to do in an emergency. How
many people are actually killed each year because you have no safety
inspections? - I'm changing my mind about driving in the US again. Isn't
your insurance invalid if the company can show you haven't maintained your
vehicle? John Kipping
----- Original Message -----
From: <Herald948@aol.com>
To: <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2003 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: TR4/6 Master Cylinder
> In a message dated 2/15/03 8:01:31 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> BillDentin
> writes:
>
> <<I agree with you! I, too, am not convinced it is safer. I had the
brakes
> fail on a 1980s Chevrolet 3/4 Ton Van, and it had a dual brake system.
> I
had
>
> no brakes. My salvation was STANDING on the emergency brake pedal. >>
>
> In a message dated 2/15/2003 6:27:24 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> WEmery7451@aol.com writes:
>
> > ... I lost all
> > brake with two different tow vehicles due to metal lines rusting
> > through and failing. While using a 1971 Chrysler Newport, I towed
> > home from the
Penn
> > Ohio Truck Stop to Pittsburgh after crimping shut the right rear
> > wheel brake line to correct a leak.
>
> Reminds me of last spring. Saturday noontime, in the mid-central part
> of Pennsylvania (ironically, near Mechanicsburg, as I recall), I blew
> out a rusted metal rear brake line on my Explorer, with my clunky old
> trailer
and a
> Standard Pennant saloon in tow.
>
> Not only was it difficult to find a mechanic in Mechanicsburg,
> apparently none of them actually works on a Saturday afternoon.
> Sigh....
>
> I gave up searching after about an hour, stocked up with several
> bottles
of
> STP's finest brake fluid, and managed to make it the last six hours
> home
on
> front brakes alone...planning my stops and slowdowns WELL AHEAD OF
> TIME.
>
> Dual circuit brakes do seem to have their place, but I would have to
> say
it
> wasn't outrageously better having only one of the two circuits than
> having nothing at all.
>
> Oh, the "emergency" brake on the Explorer never was worth much of
> anything
as
> far as I was concerned....
>
> --Andy Mace
>
> "There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand
> binary,
and
> those who don't."
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