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.
unsafe at every speed. chain steering wheel.
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.
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.
"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?
Airbags are inherently dangerous and there should be no government regulations requiring them in vehicles, much less regulations prohibiting their removal.
"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...
Anyone asking to have their car "pimped" shouldn't be allowed to have air bags.
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'?
Then how do you drive it?
Yeah, but at least you'll die while being happily entertained watching re-runs of "Friends."
" was fined for removing front air bags in cars to install video screens on steering wheels. "
They ought to be fined for being stupid.
"Time to remove the stickers from the hairdryers.
"
And the ladders!
oops, that was suppose to be on another board, we started the party early today...
...not even if it's showing Chris Matthews? Huh?....... OH! DOH! It said AIRbags, not WINDbags..... My bad.
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 ?????
:-)
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