One problem with government diktats is that they replace the judgement of millions of individual consumers with the judgement of politicians and executive branch officials.
To wit: 13 percent of today’s new cars are sold without a spare tire.
One reason: federal fuel standards. Automakers are looking everyone they can to lop weight off cars, and the spare tire is one target.
I’ve been driving a car with a mini-spare tire for quite a while now, but some new cars don’t even have that. Instead, they have tire repair kits, or run-flat tires, which can in many instances–though not all–be driven after a puncture.
One driver quoted in a news story on the development said, “I like the security of having a spare.”
But as Washington, DC rules more and more of our lives, “I like it” is not a good enough reason for a consumer product to exist.
Now, it’s true that our political class isn’t outright banning the spare tire. But, hey, it’s good enough for government work.
First published by the Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=2566