The real reason for the cable is panther covering its "rearside" They do not want to be held liable for mishaps like the kicker falling of the bracket or the bracket breaking when traveling at high speed on a bumpy road, or the kicker falling off the bracket while traveling at high speed on the water as in bass tournament racing. I'm not sure if it totally covers their rear. The idea of having a safety cable attached to boat and kicker is a good one, but it had better be a bit more robust than that funny little cable.