EXTRACT FROM "NINFOMANIA", 1998-12-11:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<newz//1.2> PLAY THE FORD AIRBAG GAME

   And on to lighter note, Ford's new instant-win airbag 
   contest. The new airbags, which award fabulous prizes 
   upon violent, high-speed impact with another car or 
   stationary object, will become standard in all of the 
   company's 1999 cars. 

   "Car accidents have never been so exciting." said Ford 
   vice-president of marketing Roger Jenkins, who expects the 
   contest to boost 1999 sales significantly. "When you play 
   the new Ford Instant Win Airbag Game, your next fatal
   collision could mean a trip for two to England's opening Euro
   2000 match, or a year's worth of free Esso unleaded." Though 
   it did not begin until Oct 1, 1998, the airbag promotion has 
   already been tested in select cities, with the feedback 
   overwhelmingly positive.

   According to Ford's official contest rules, the odds of 
   winning the grand prize, a brand-new Scorpio Ultima, are 
   1 to 43,000,000. Statistical experts, however, say the
    real chances of winning are significantly worse. "If you 
   factor in the odds of getting into a serious car accident 
   in the first place, approximately 1 in 720,000, the actual 
   odds of winning a prize each time you step in your car 
   are more like 1 in 31 trillion."

   //mo' ninfo: http://www.ford.com/
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .