automotive safety devices have often been tested and evaluated before they were mandated. Yes, there are always things that slip through the cracks, but that does not mean we don't go through this testing and evaluation period. Also, with social policy it is difficult to "lab" test it. But with technology it often is. So if there is no reason we can't test it before we mass produce it, what logical reason is there for not testing it? There is none

And just because we have had success in the past doing it your way does not mean it's the right way. For the successes you mentioned, what about all the failures? What about things like Thalidomide? What about all those SUV roll over deaths? Worked out real well in those cases didn't it? Sure we mitigated the problem, it just took a few hundred avoidable deaths.