Fittingly sufficient after writing an prolonged assessment a few ebook concerning the pitfalls of guidelines that don’t permit for exceptions, I got here throughout a latest information story a few recall issued for the latest ID.Buzz electrical van from Volkswagen.

Automobiles could be recalled for all types of causes, after all. A car I purchased a few years in the past not too long ago had a recall issued to deal with a software program bug that might make cruise management unexpectedly speed up to harmful ranges in uncommon instances. This was clearly a very good foundation for a recall and for a repair to be issued. So, what was the vital flaw afflicting the ID.Buzz?

Effectively, it seems Volkswagen had given passengers within the again row an excessive amount of house. In most three row autos, the seats within the final row are usually small and cramped, however Volkswagen designed their car to make the seats snug and spacious, permitting for a pleasing seating expertise. Regulators, nonetheless, would have none of this. You see, the again row consists of two seats, each huge sufficient to comfortably seat two full dimension adults. In actual fact, the seats have been so spacious that regulators argued individuals would possibly resolve to squeeze a 3rd individual within the again row, between the 2 designated seats. However that third individual wouldn’t have a seatbelt! Subsequently the one acceptable choice based on regulators is to guarantee that the seats can solely barely match two individuals. If you happen to let automobile manufactures present house to soundly and comfortably match two passengers, individuals would possibly take the chance to unsafely and uncomfortably squeeze in three passengers. So the foundations require you solely permit sufficient house to seat two individuals uncomfortably.

So as to carry issues in keeping with what The Guidelines Require™, Volkswagen will take within the recalled autos and set up a barrier in between the 2 seats within the again row, successfully shrinking the seating house obtainable to transform it into the type of cramped seating the legislation calls for. I think about loads of present ID.Buzz homeowners will decline to get their automobile “fastened” on this means and simply ignore the recall, however future homeowners is not going to be so fortunate.

In fact, it’s potential that some individuals will try to do one thing silly like squeeze three individuals right into a seating space designed for 2, leaving one individual and not using a seatbelt and putting themselves in danger. However, the listing of the way individuals could make equally silly and dangerous choices is roughly infinity pages lengthy. There actually does come a degree the place smart guidelines takes a flip into dwelling a life the place Mrs. Grundy is hovering over you at each second, consistently yelling “No cease it cease it cease it you would possibly damage your self!” at your each transfer.

And when the day-to-day lifetime of residents appears to be like much less like “give me liberty or give me dying!” and extra like “please regulate my seating house to cease me from hurting myself with unhealthy decisions,” I’d say we’ve lengthy since crossed that time.