Phony protection act on vehicles
leaks oil, Isn't worth salvaging

Austin, Texas – What the people of this country really need is a truth-in-legislative-packaging law. Take the National Motor Vehicle Safety, Anti-Theft, Title Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Please take it. Away.

This is such a total Alice-in-Wonderland, turn-the-truth on its head law that it's enough to gag a maggot. It will do precisely the opposite of what it claims to do because it's more loophole than law, and it's a beautiful example of how special interests corrupt the political process.

About 2.25 million vehicles a year nationwide are declared 'salvage' after being wrecked and declared a total loss. According to Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, a million of those are put back together, resold and back on the road, even though many are structurally unsound.

Alas, Lott's bill, strongly supported by the National Automobile Dealers Association and the auto insurance industry, will only aggravate the problem."

– Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins, August 30, 1998