Re: Owner's Manual mistake

Subject: Re: Owner's Manual mistake
From: "Peter Neilson" <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:58:48 -0400

On Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:27:38 -0400, Beth Najberg <BBEGIN -at- aol -dot- com> wrote:

Thanks, Yehoshua.
Which brings up another question: who reviewed the manual?
Technical or publications manager? Or no one?

I just looked at that section of the manual. It is all very confusing, and probably quite difficult to review correctly. There are several variables, all presented in charts. It appears to be important that the passenger sit up straight (and presumably not have any of various medical appliances, although that was not mentioned) and not be a bag of groceries. The review SHOULD HAVE included actual-use tests by selected naive readers. If it followed the usual methods I have observed over the years, it was reviewed by engineers who already understood the inner workings.

Back around 1974 there was a belt interlock that prevented the car from starting if the seat belts were not buckled properly. With a bag of groceries on the passenger seat the car would not start. You had to buckle the grocery belt. And you could not just leave it buckled, either. I think the situation was actually covered in the manual, but it referred to passengers, not to groceries. Tow truck operators didn't mind at all. They got to do the emergency "won't start" service call.

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References:
Re: Owner's Manual mistake: From: BBEGIN

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