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Comment by gnicholas | Hacker News Reader

> Two types of PBDEs were voluntarily removed from the US market in 2004. However, the US Environmental Protection Agency did not regulate decabromodiphenyl ether, or DecaBDE, a flame retardant linked to cancer used in textiles, televisions, computers, building and construction materials, and imported articles such as automotive parts, until January 2021.

Great, so you can have an older car without telemetry or a newer one without carcinogens.

> In some cases, the industry has replaced these chemicals with newer phosphorus-based flame retardants, Trasande said, adding that researchers are now concerned these chemicals may be linked to cancer as well.

Of course. So no point in ditching your old car, since the new car will just have upholstery stuffed with a new type of carcinogen.

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If you are really wondering whether you should keep your old car or get a new one for health safety reasons, more than the cancer risks you may want to watch a few crash test videos and compare. It’s very visual. You also have all the much better active safety systems.

I'd rather be crippled in a car wreck than succumb to telemetry! The companies running the telemetry can pay my disability in their taxes.

You could also disconnect the modem and never bring the car to the official dealership.

The effective date referenced is 2021, so not exactly pre-ABS.

ABS is only one of the active safety systems, and a pretty basic one. I'm not an expert but I want to my local ice track for a safety course this fall and the instructors said that the electronic stability controls improved greatly in the last few years.

I wonder how one can measure this. Has it been proved that safety systems lead to fewer accidents? Seriously, I'm asking.

Have the number of accidents with fatal outcome decreased? If so, how can it be linked to safety systems? Etc etc So many questions.

Newer cars also use more lightweight materials in pursuit of fuel efficiency. My 15 year old Volvo, on the other hand, is quite a bit heavier. That helps if you get hit, but of course makes it more difficult to maneuver out of a tricky situation if the need arises.

If lightweight is the answer, then let's go for motorcycles! :)

Yeah, when the two collide a tank trumps a racecar any day!

Yes, studies have been extensive and based on real world reported accidents.

Yes, studies seem to indicate so:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/parts-partnership-for-analytics-resear...

https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2143

Of course the systems are complex and make the car more expensive to repair, but that’s another topic.

There are still a few new vehicles on the market with disable-able telemetry. Now is the time to buy one, before it actually becomes impossible.

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