judgebill

Manufacturers have, for years, been reluctant to add safety features to equipment. In the 1950s, the auto makers stated flately "The American public doesn't want safety", when discussing whether auto makers should install seat belts. Well, now we have not only seat belts but 3-pt. harnesses, padded dashes, reinforced A-pillars, anti-lock brakes and a whole host of other safety equipment. Also, please note that most of these safety features came about as a result of lawsuits filed against the auto makers. This has significantly dropped the number of severe injuries from auto accidents. Look at the safety features on household appliances. True, if the operator is careful, most "accidents" can be avoided. But unfortunately, when untrained people can purchase potentially dangerous merchandise/equipment, people get hurt. And the marketplace won't introduce safety features until somehow forced to do so. Lawsuits forced auto makers to improve the safety of cars. Now it looks like the same thing is happening to woodworking equipment. Thank god for trial attorneys.

Here is my two cents worth. For years auto manufacturers refused to incorporate safety features in automobiles. Detroit's answer was always "the American people don't want safety features". The American public now gets in every car seat belts, shoulder harnesses, padded dashes, collapsible steering wheels, ABS brakes, roll-over protection and a whole host of other safety features, each one directly traceable to one or more lawsuits brought by these same bottom-feeding attorneys everybody is castigating. Your kitchen appliances are shock-proof because some attorney brought a lawsuit against a manufacturer who failed to adopt available safety technology. Everybody in this country has benefited from lawsuits brought against manufacturers who failed (or refused) to adopt available safety features on their products. Look at what's happening to Toyota right now. Toyota is accused of sticking their head in the sand and in pursuit of profits ignoring a safety defect in their electrical system. It's great to say the market place will require manufacturers to produce safer products but the reality is, proven time and time again, that many manufacturers will pursue profits at the expense of the buying public. We can stop the attorneys from pursuing their campaigns for a "safer" America and suffer the consequences. I am all for personal responsibility but I am also in favor of demanding that manufacturers present me with the safest choices...and adopt the state-of-the-art technology to provide me with both safe and efficient products. A balance is called for. As has been pointed out, we have to accept responsibility for our own conduct. Also remember, it was a jury that made this decision, not an attorney. If you want to blame the jury for having been deluded by some smooth-talking barrister, remember that our national elections demonstrate that about half the people are deluded by the person you didn't vote for.