OUR FIRST thought on learning that
Consumers Reports
magazine retracted a report it did on child-safety seats because it may have been based on false data:
Does this mean we can drive our Pinto after all?
Our second reaction was the kind of shock you feel after learning that someone you thought was perfect actually has a flaw or two: a little disillusioned, a little wiser, but in the end, forgiving.
In its February issue, Consumer Reports tested child car seats, claiming that they didn't withstand impact in accidents at 35 pmh. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration questioned the tests, saying they had been based on speeds closer to 70 mph. The magazine immediately retracted its study and is retesting the seats.
The news was shocking, in part because Consumer Reports and its parent organization, Consumers Union, have a reputation for infallibility that few, with the exception of the pope, can claim.
Consumer Reports says it had retracted only one other study, one done on dog food 10 years ago.
Its credibility is based not just on the the product-testing it does, but its independence. It carries no advertising, and is among the few consumer advocates that are honest brokers.
Unfortunately, that includes our government.
Because consumer interests are often at odds with the interests of big corporations, the track record of governmental oversight and regulation of quality and safety is often compromised. This conflict is by no means limited to the Bush administration or a Republican Congress, though the recent track record is nothing from which to take comfort.
A recent report in the Los Angeles Times highlighted the actions of federal agencies that were helping to shield big industries from regulation and lawsuits. For example, the NHTSA backed auto industry efforts to erode emissions standards.
Even the Consumer Product Safety Commission has tried to shield industry from lawsuits. That commission has been without a director since Congress rejected Bush's nominee to lead the agency, has oversight over 15,000 consumer products, but has a budget of only $60 million. That's about what the city of Philadelphia spends on paper clips and copy machines each year.
Even with a flawed report, the work of the Consumers Union is worthy of support. In a world of conflicted and commercial interests, it has kept its hands clean. And that's worth a lot. *