Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

MTV's 'Pimp My Ride' shop fined by feds (Replacing air bags with video screens illegal)
Tallahassee.com ^ | 12/31/04 | Danny Hakim

Posted on 12/31/2004 9:47:28 AM PST by Libloather

'Pimp My Ride' shop fined by feds
Replacing air bags with video screens illegal
By Danny Hakim
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Posted on Fri, Dec. 31, 2004

DETROIT - Pimp the ride, pay the price.

In the first of what is expected to be a broader crackdown against auto customization shops, federal regulators this week levied a $16,000 fine on West Coast Customs, the celebrity auto body shop affiliated with MTV's "Pimp My Ride," a reality show that makes over rundown cars.

The shop, which has customized sport utility vehicles for celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal, was fined for removing front air bags in cars to install video screens on steering wheels.

Another celebrity shop, Unique Autosports in Uniondale, N.Y., was fined $5,000 for a similar offense. A reality show featuring the shop, to be called "Unique Whips," is set to appear on the Speed Channel, a cable automotive channel, in February.

Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the fines were the first of what was expected to be a larger crackdown on car customizers who were disabling safety equipment.

"We're actively pursuing several others," Tyson said, "It's not only a bad idea to disable the air bag, it's against the law. Air bags are there for a purpose, to protect you. If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash."

Calls to West Coast Customs, of Inglewood, Calif., were not returned. Will Castro, the proprietor of Unique Autosports, had no comment.

Most states have laws against watching televisions in the front seat, though many of the laws have not been updated to include DVD players and other new technologies.

"We know that all kinds of distractions can be a problem, but it would be hard to think of something more distracting than watching a video while you're driving. It's a really worrisome trend," said Anne McCartt, a vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a group financed by car insurers.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2shae; air; bags; feds; fined; hollatyaboybigdane; illegal; mtv; my; pimp; replacing; ride; screens; shop; themantookmyride; video; whips
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-76 next last
To: wolfpat

unsafe at every speed. chain steering wheel.


21 posted on 12/31/2004 10:14:11 AM PST by Rakkasan1 (Justice of the Piece: Hope IS on the way...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

Pimp My Ride sucks. I wouldn't want them touching my truck.

Foose is my hero. His group on Overhaulin could definitely work on my vehicle.


22 posted on 12/31/2004 10:14:29 AM PST by xusafflyer (Keep paying those taxes California. Mexico thanks you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
Does this mean the Feds will fine me for not investigating why the airbag light in my car is blinking?
23 posted on 12/31/2004 10:14:42 AM PST by CzarNicky (The problem with bad ideas is that they seemed like good ideas at the time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Oh, I get it. "Pimp" is supposed to be a good thing.

Is that like "ho" is now a term of endearment.

Something's been lowered since I was in high school.


24 posted on 12/31/2004 10:16:01 AM PST by D-fendr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: frog_jerk_2004

"Instead of the Feds getting involved, just don't let the car pass inspection at the state level."

Instead of the Feds getting involved, why not just let the owner of the car decide what equipment he wants? Airbags have no effect on safety except for the occupants of the vehicle. If you don't want to drive a car without exploding ballons, good for you. That should be your choice.

I have a car that was manufactured long before seat belts became mandatory, much less airbags. Should the Federales or the State Mounties force me to install belts and air bags in a 1951 Plymouth?


25 posted on 12/31/2004 10:19:28 AM PST by Luddite Patent Counsel ("No man's life, liberty or property is safe while the Legislature is in session.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Andy from Beaverton
Gezz... if they want to kill themselves, let them. That's the problem with America now keeping the stupid people in the gene pool. Time to remove the stickers from the hairdryers.


26 posted on 12/31/2004 10:20:08 AM PST by Slings and Arrows (Am Yisrael Chai!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Airbags are inherently dangerous and there should be no government regulations requiring them in vehicles, much less regulations prohibiting their removal.


27 posted on 12/31/2004 10:31:32 AM PST by GovernmentShrinker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Luddite Patent Counsel; Libloather

"Hit a deer, get a ballon in the face."

It happened to my husband and I, and it wasn't even a head on-the deer hit the side of the car-the soft tissue and muscle injuries caused by the airbags took months to heal, the exploding bag burned my face and I have a large scar on my upper arm and a smaller one on my neck where pieces of my airbag's plastic compartment embedded themselves and were removed in the emergency room. The roll bar in our car and the seat belt saved our lives-the F'ing airbags complicated it. One of my brother's co-workers suffered a broken arm when his airbag deployed for no reason while he was chasing a suspect, and a neighbor's adult daughter lost partial sight in one eye when her car was T-boned at a stoplight and her airbag deployed. If there is a need for class action suit, airbags is it-and I don't even like trial lawyers...


28 posted on 12/31/2004 10:32:58 AM PST by Texan5 (You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
I'm just wondering how many millions the lawsuit would be if the idiot who was driving while the thing was on ran a kid over. That jury decision would make the Fed's fines look like pocket change.
I could care less that they took the airbag out, but to be stupid enough to exchange it with something designed specifically to BE a eye distraction is beyond belief.
29 posted on 12/31/2004 10:34:52 AM PST by Abathar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

Anyone asking to have their car "pimped" shouldn't be allowed to have air bags.


30 posted on 12/31/2004 10:36:06 AM PST by DTogo (U.S. out of the U.N. & U.N out of the U.S.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texan5
"I have a large scar on my upper arm and a smaller one on my neck where pieces of my airbag's plastic compartment embedded themselves and were removed in the emergency room."

Pointed this out to manufacturers when airbags first started showing up in certain models with plastic composite dashboards. That material will only cause more problems as it ages and it is baked in the sun for a few years. Can you say 'shrapnel'?

31 posted on 12/31/2004 10:39:51 AM PST by SiVisPacemParaBellum (Peace through superior firepower!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: frog_jerk_2004; Pan_Yan

Then how do you drive it?


32 posted on 12/31/2004 10:40:50 AM PST by Pan_Yans Wife (" It is not true that life is one damn thing after another-it's one damn thing over and over." ESV)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash."

Yeah, but at least you'll die while being happily entertained watching re-runs of "Friends."

33 posted on 12/31/2004 10:42:50 AM PST by semaj ("....by their fruit you will know them.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

" was fined for removing front air bags in cars to install video screens on steering wheels. "

They ought to be fined for being stupid.


34 posted on 12/31/2004 10:43:12 AM PST by shellshocked
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Andy from Beaverton

"Time to remove the stickers from the hairdryers.
"

And the ladders!


35 posted on 12/31/2004 10:44:31 AM PST by shellshocked
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
That's easy to get around. Tint the windows really, really dark and install a projection tv on the airbag. You just need to have a nice white steering wheel.

;-)
36 posted on 12/31/2004 10:44:57 AM PST by Bon mots
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Abathar
I was surprised by the sidearms they chose to carry myself, most Ranger units who are allowed to carry anything they want choose something with more stopping power than the 9mm. One of the Rangers who was featured in the movie Black Hawk Down and was interviewed by the History Channel about what he went through was in my advanced CAD class in night school. He carried a 44 mag. when he was there, and he told us that most of the guys carried their own personal sidearms. He personally saw the difference between 1 well placed shot with a large caliber handgun vs. the rapid fire 9mm, he swore he would never rely on that caliber to stop a adrenaline hyped enemy at close range.
37 posted on 12/31/2004 10:49:23 AM PST by Abathar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

oops, that was suppose to be on another board, we started the party early today...


38 posted on 12/31/2004 10:50:37 AM PST by Abathar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Libloather
"If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash."

...not even if it's showing Chris Matthews? Huh?....... OH! DOH! It said AIRbags, not WINDbags..... My bad.

39 posted on 12/31/2004 10:52:41 AM PST by Hatteras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oztrich Boy

Because then children will once again be allowed to ride in the front seat and we just can't have any of that now can we ?????

:-)


40 posted on 12/31/2004 10:52:57 AM PST by festus (The constitution may be flawed but its a whole lot better than what we have now !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-76 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson