"Edward Dike, III" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
| On Sat, 25 Jan 2003 09:51:49 -0600, "Mark Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote:
|
| >> Right. That's what I said. [SUV's] bad for lots of other reasons.
| >Only in your narrow little mind.
|
| And in the narrow little minds of millions of others in the US and worldwide. Still, you have to
| admire the manufacturers: they can persuade people to part with ten grand more than a large,
| safe wagon for something with less interior space and substantially worse safety, then persuade
| the richest ones to part with another ten grand again to make it nearly as safe as the cheaper
| car. Brilliant! Takes us right back to the glory days of US automobile manufacture, when
| dual-circuit brakes, seat belt mounts and collapsible steering columns were deleted from the Mk
| 1 Mustang to save production cost.
|
| No wonder it took seventy years for anti-lock brakes to make it from standard fitment on
| aircraft to standard fitment on *most* cars.
|
| Guy
"...No wonder it took seventy years for anti-lock brakes to make it from standard fitment on
aircraft to standard fitment on *most* cars...."
IIRC, the anti-lock brake system for motor vehicles appeared on a Mercedes-Benz passenger bus in
the early '70s. Like their other safety developments, including the airbag, I believe, this big,
evil, manipulating, mind-controlling corporation didn't patent the devices, so that others might
benefit from the technology.
So I, for one am curious: What airplane was flying in 1900 with anti-lock brakes?
Facts can be inconvenient things sometimes, no matter how good it feels to rant.
Anti-lock brakes were first patented in 1938 to help aircraft land. They were introduced on a
passenger car by MB in 1978.
The statement isn't too far off. Anti-lock brakes are still in the process of becoming "standard
fitment on *most* cars". They are standard on all Volvo's and MB's, but look at GM.
"And in 2002, General Motors Corp. officials said they'd no longer put ABS as a standard feature on
most of its 58 vehicles, starting in the 2003 model year. ABS would be offered as an option,
instead. The company said the move was intended to keep it competitive in price with other
automakers' vehicles. GM added that its Cadillac, Saab and Corvette vehicles would continue with
standard ABS and would not be part of the change."
It's 65 years and counting. Maybe at 70 years they will be standard on most cars.
