Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
Drastic discounts like for air bags and ABS?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The Ford Model T sold for $850 in 1909. Adjusted for inflation, the real cost of the car was $22,000. Just look at the comfort, safety, reliability, speed, entertainment, performance, etc has increased by leveraging technology. Your $22,000 can buy a lot more of everything than in most any other time in the past.
The trend of technology is that the cost of operation becomes cheaper as time progresses. It might cost more in the short-term to have ABS and airbags, but in the long-term things such as insurance premiums and costs associated with repairing your vehicle or your face reduce.
Cars of the future will not have seat-belts or airbags; they won't be necessary expenses when collisions are so infrequent. Crumple zones will also be unnecessary, so the vehicle will have more freedom to take on an aerodynamic and utilitarian shape.
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I think Frank Lee was implying that the "drastic [insurance] discounts" for ABS and airbags...aren't that drastic (my discount for ABS amounts to 2.3% of total premium, and there is no discount available for airbags. I'm currently with one of the top three largest auto insurers); along with insinuating that future discounts for self-driving cars will be similarly, um, drastic.