> This is a perfect example of a market failure where you need some government intervention because the general public is not great at assessing risk level, or even knowing about some risks.
No, it's a perfect example of how the government's standard response to a small number of people being stupid and irresponsible is to punish all of the not stupid, not irresponsible people. I don't need a CO detector and automatic shutoff on my portable generator because I have a clue and won't run it indoors. And, as other commenters have pointed out, a CO detector and automatic shutoff are now two more things that can break on my generator--probably right when I need it most, when the power is out. But if this regulation passes, I won't have a choice; I'll have to suffer the consequences of the cluelessness of others. How is that fair? How does it even make sense? Why penalize the actual mature adults just because a few people can't be bothered to be mature adults?
No, it's a perfect example of how the government's standard response to a small number of people being stupid and irresponsible is to punish all of the not stupid, not irresponsible people. I don't need a CO detector and automatic shutoff on my portable generator because I have a clue and won't run it indoors. And, as other commenters have pointed out, a CO detector and automatic shutoff are now two more things that can break on my generator--probably right when I need it most, when the power is out. But if this regulation passes, I won't have a choice; I'll have to suffer the consequences of the cluelessness of others. How is that fair? How does it even make sense? Why penalize the actual mature adults just because a few people can't be bothered to be mature adults?