Hacker News Reader

Safety standards, or lack thereof. Which raises the question; is it OK to manufacture and sell a vehicle that you know doesn't meet critical safety standards that you would expect in the vehicle you drive, just because the country you're selling in doesn't care?

View on HN

Mostly yes? Safety systems aren't a binary thing. One of my vehicles is a 20 year old car that I'd be pretty sure doesn't have all the safety systems required in a new car being sold today. That doesn't mean it's unsafe.

But you're not mass producing that car and selling it to people knowing full well that statistically, a portion of your customers will be involved an a traffic incident that the vehicle is not capeable of withstanding, because you cheated out on the safety features.

This depends on what the alternative is. For people who can't afford an American sticker price for a car, the choice is between a less safe (but cheaper) car and the near-suicidal experience of riding a motorbike.

Selling "unsafe" cars may actually save lives.

hmmmm, good point. But if i was a car designer, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable compromising on safety features that I know are possible.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com