Consumer Protection - Has it Gone Too Far?

I read a news article recently that talked about an RV manufacturer that is updating their owner's manual to include a statement that someone should be in the driver's seat at all times while the RV is in motion. Apparently, some new RV owner thought that cruise control would drive his RV completely without him, so he turned it on and went to take a little nap in the back area. Of course, he crashed.




And then he sued.




His claim was that the instructions weren't clear enough. So now, the RV maker has to warn every new RV purchaser, in writing, that cruise control is not the same as “auto pilot”. This reminds me of a character from Douglas Adams's writings who withdrew from society saying that “any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a packet of toothpicks” was no longer one in which he could live and stay sane. I can see his point.




I've been observing recently all the products around my home that have warnings or overly explicit instructions. It's scary what people have to be told. Diaper rash cream has a warning that it is to be used “externally only”. Were some people eating it?? Apparently some consumers have odd tastes, because my camera batteries and my shampoo are labeled as “not to be ingested”. On the other hand, my Elmer's Glue Stick is marked “Safe, Non-toxic”, which seems to only encourage would-be snackers.




What kind of world are we living in that every plastic shopping bag I bring home has a pictograph of a child with a bag over it's head and a circle-and-slash overlay to warn that this is a no-no? I'm sure this is to prevent lawsuits, but really, was there a time when someone thought “Hey, let's put this bag over the baby's head? It doesn't say not to...”