A larger crackdown on car customizers who were disabling safety equipment can be expected, according to Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Front-seat video screens have become one offshoot of the car customization boom. Although regulators do not have a say over video screens being installed in cars or trucks after the manufacturing process, they do have the last say over safety features and safety equipment.
"It's not only a bad idea to disable the air bag, it's against the law. Air bags are there for a purpose, to protect you. If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash," said Mr. Tyson.
Over the last decade, annual spending on after-market car parts and accessories has doubled to $28.9 billion a year, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association.
'Pimp My Ride' is a feel-good show in which 18- to 22-year-olds submit their dilapidated cars or trucks for a major retrofit by West Coast Customs.
