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.
How about a laptop - so I can stay online while I drive? Sounds reasonable...
here comes the saftey patrol..
Little Ralphie Nader would hate my ride.
Inflatable video screens. What'll they think of next!
Instead of the Feds getting involved, just don't let the car pass inspection at the state level.
Why is it a bad idea to disarm explosive devices you find inside the passenger compartment?
They do a 40K or 50K pimp job ( 4 Gameboys, 10,000 watt sound system, 6 monitors) on someone's piece of junk, and leave them with a drivetrain that is still gonna crater in 6 months, and an electrical system that can't power what they install.
SO9
Dem chillens is off dah muscle! Yeah..check it out, man!
I swear, if the boobs on this show couldn't use the phrase "check it out, man" they'd be speechless.
Yup. Watched it once and as soon as it was over I could feel the IQ in my neighborhood go up.
"Air bags are there for a purpose, to protect you."
Whether you want them to or not. Hit a deer, get a ballon in the face. "Thank you Mommy, may I have another?"
What inspections?
And it is likely your insurance company will total your car, too.... just because the air bags went off.
How about, in keeping with the name of the show, replacing the air bag with an arm that pimp-slaps the driver every time he plays rap music so loudly that other drivers can hear the garbage. That would be a public service.
Yeah! Those air bags are great kid-killers! That's what the Traffic Safety Council wants!
Too many liberals running loose in this country. (grumble)
Not all states have inspections. Florida, for one, is one of the lucky ones that does not have them anymore.
Nuggets of wisdom like this make me wish that we could pay MORE in taxes.
Is your ride "Unsafe At Any Speed"?
I thought Inglewood went up in a tornado this week.
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