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wHrIBYPmEEPRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1992, PAGE 13 by JiI Mclntosh Wrong -future By Marlo Boucher Bilan Charlton, Ministor of Financial Institutions and Acting Minister of Energy, was at Dur- hamn Colloge rocontly ta discusa his governmont's proposod changos ta auto nsurance. Those changos aro designed ta help mail businoss, s tdents andf the unemployed, saidCharl- ton. The. reforin package was unvoî- led in Decembor at Queen's Park, after postponement iSoptomber becauso about 6,000 permanent jobs would bo bast and 'we had ta considoýr the impact of borrowing $1.4 billion". during those diffi- cuit economic times, ho said.,, "Auto insurance has ta -bo affordabie and accossibleta any- bod y»he said. %h new NDP plan promises lower premiums and more stable rates. Eightoen insurers with about 50 per cent of ail Ontario drivers have appliod for, or impie- monted, premium reductions, ho said. '1 "With profits of almost'throe quartons of on. billion dollars i just the first yoar,,of the plan introducod b y:,ti. previous governrnent, the - industry can. well afford to ppso savings on ta consumers,' he said. Charlton said pbi u ser- vices aroeflot a9Ës'fetve in smal tawns as transit- systems *hi Toronto, so'the need for cars 1s SEE PAGE 14 At our meeting tii. other nigit, my car club agreed that al of us would clean out our- attics and hold a giant yard sale this summer. I inmediately wont home and satdsorting through the.cellar, confident that thus miglit bo tho year I-would fina]y get to fnd the. walls. Alas, my work came toaa grinding hait when I Ifound a box of oid car magazines dating from the 1960s.- I put on a pot of coffeo, and sat downta smejustwiat w. were thinking 30Oyears ago., Motor magazine, in Jan. 1966, predicted that compact car were on their wvay out, along with disc brakes. Since engineers were working so hard ta improve, drum brakos,- It wss onlylogaical that there would bo no switch over ta diss. Motor .aise reported that Ford was worldng on turbine engines and front, -whoel drive, but said that neithor idea would make «its way inta pa ssonger cars. Well, at ledst they were night about the. turbine. Another prodiction was for a windshieid that would go dark or light dopending on sunlight, that would appear i cars within two or three yoars. Were stili waiting. Road & Track in Feb. 1965, decided that, radial tires weren't sucli a good ides. Like Motor, Road & Track aiso bolieved that dise brakos were nover going ta, become popular items, mostly because of thoir cost. Ini March 1968, Rod & Custom warned its readers not ta buy 'fad-type' cars sinco they wouldn't bo. worth anything once there were ho longer 'hot! Tii. car shown with the. article, as an oxaniple ouf one ta avoid, wss a 1963 split-window Corvette, that is now on., of the.mst uought-after of ail. Motor Trend magazine of July 1965 reported on a Cnadian scientist who iiad a plan ta completoly elirninate the. problem 0uf smog. He wanted taller eziiaust pipes on trucks and busestiiat would disperse the. black carbon higiier 31P. In' Juno 1965 Motor Trend reported on a now ssfety program at Chryéier, that was plannig a Teple the steening wheel and Innor. n throughout the. ByOct' 1967, Motor Trend was P:Zodicting', that air. power would moon replace ý hydrauhics or olectrice, and air motors working off a central comprossor would run the windshield wipers, power sats and windows. Amid al 0f thepredictions, I also spotted an articlfe that made me long for the 'good oid day..' In Oct., 1967, Motor Trend told readors,' 'Don't waste the' coulant in your radiator. When yopur engin. lias beon running hot, roquest that the. service station attendant, remove -the -radiator cap only-after ho bas filled tii. tankZ cleaned the windshield rn hced the. oil and battery." What about today? I might bo out on a limb, but soin. of tii. things I think wo'llbo seoing somoday includo factoey-installed, itograbnd-fr. car phonos> with their buttons in thie steering wheel and microphone in the. dash, making them thieftprooP; oprdumetion of the experimetal backu warinsystem that lota SEE PAGE 15 DRI VINqra- SAFELYFi with RANDY RANDY McLEAN I8 A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIO SAFETY. Mr. MoLean has reviewed thousands of indlMduai motor vehicle accident reports and his close worklng relationshlps with police agencies.,goverrnents, safety assocations, industry and the public, have given him a true overview 'of trafflo safety' issues, problema and, solutions ln canada. Seat beits save lives Seat boita. save lives and reduce injuri'es. Period. That is the conclusion of every resaerh study I have read over the past 20 years. And, if I iiad more time to read old reportsý, I could probably say 30 or 40Oyosrs. Ontario passed the first mandatory'seat boit logisiation in Canada i 1976 based on the resuits a series of foderal, provincial and international studios. But like other seeniingly great scientific debates -- 'Io smoking harmful to your health? Does violence on television and in movies contributo ta violence in rosilihfe? Can bumble-, bees fly? -- the'answer always soems much more obvous ta we the simplo-minded public than ta well-oducated (Penbapa too well educatod) scientists and philoeophers. Common sens. is always a more roiable bass for decisi-jno than selected statistical sununaries., >Somo studios have indicatod that, seat boîta causeinuries. This is true. St boita are rostraining devices. In. a collision, et the instant of impact, your body will start to slide out of, control 'In the vohicle. lhe seat boît literally catches your body and holàs it in1 l. Tii las c pysicaý (and common sens.) require that, in ordor ta, stop youi.,,body. from sliding, a force must bo, applied. This for-ce can rosult in a bruise acrosyour hip (ap boit) and/or brest.bon. (shoudl0r strap). 1However, consider what might happen if you wore not wearing a seat boît. Rib. cage crssbing inta stoering whool, head inta windsheid, brokoni wrists tying ta restrain yoursei flaginasteenSing whei, etc., Anoowola.tidti ely popular thill sport of "bungie jumipingknows that tho bungie cord can bruise your log. But not evonaà sciontist woud uggstyou tyJumnping r tout it. Seat boîta can ais cause injunes if not worn properly. The. lap boit should fit s nugy across your hips. Put your boit on, and beantforard. You shouid bond eàay about your hips. Iii a'collision, tii. force. 'of ti. boit-should bo absrbed by your bon. structure' If the. iap boit àis worn',too high,'the sane force will bo exerted on thoe:o"t tissu. (and_ internaI organs):of.,your* abdomen. Worstý, i a violent collision instoad cf bonpding'at.tho hips, ýyou will bond about, your bower bocék, risking serious iw.ury ta -ou r spine. Tii. shouider ýboît s hould -bo worn 'fover tue shoulder .. not, under the.'>arm -- fr tii.sane, rossons. The boit as, desienedta-w'Ork ýwli your bon. structure and protoc t vuInerablo parts of your body. Bungie jumping wouldn't quite bo the sanie if the cord was attached ta your neck. Make sure your dêiIldron, understand the. importance'of proper se iat .boitpuiinig I' another gdreason toiel your è]cehuo asit u straight sdnt slouch in the. bock seat. Dospite any scientiflc or statistical -evidonce ta the contrary, smoki*ng is harnifui ta our hoalth, violence'on',toievision doos çotributtaviolence in rosl i f., bumblebeos can- fiy and seat boita do save livosUad provent.-injuries. Common sense says it' sos. Buckle up (propeiy). Drive'Safeiy., ,Ba4r wrwJ4 Brand1 Equipped With: New 1992 Jetta 4 Door Sedan - Power front diso brakes -.1.8 litre engin. - Power steering - AM/FM stereo cassette with 6 speaker sound - Tit wheei No charge automatic. mocldes air conditioning. SL On The ENDS Road Price * y 7MAC Price incudes: PST, GST, fmight. PDI, tire tax, gas tax, ioerSioe al tleroests. 31 ST. NueSheuon applies to in stodckvehicles o s. eaeur sel May select no duarge atiac or option value equivalent OWASCO VOLKSWAGEN INC. -5 O 1425 DUNDAS St EAST, WHITBY FO Expeience the Owasco Feeling. Pro yen to'serv <e y ou BESTsinoe 1972 FT An «I CARE" and O.M.L. 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