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WASHINGTON (AP) Ð To spur the new technology, federal officials proposed expanding the kinds of crash tests required for federal certification of air bags and the types of test dummies used to an entire ''family,'' not just the adult male dummy. Ricardo Martinez, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, predicted the more advanced technology could prevent most, if not all, deaths of children and short women caused by inflating air bags. The plan met with a mixed reaction from automakers already competing to install better air bag systems. Domestic automakers said they would fight bringing back a 30 mph crash test. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said that ''groundbreaking technology is just around the corner'' and predicted Americans will soon have ''the safest air bags in the world.'' The new air bag systems would be phased in over three years, starting in September 2002. Slater estimated it would add up to $162 to the cost of each vehicle. Although air bags have saved an estimated 3,448 lives, they have been blamed for killing at least 113 people since 1990 Ð mostly child passengers or short female drivers who were too close to air bags when they deployed in low-speed accidents, according to the NHTSA. Martinez said the new, advanced air bags could save an additional 400 lives a year. Nearly 42,000 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents last year. The safety agency wants tests with dummies the size of 6- and 3-year-old children, a 1-year-old in a rear-facing infant seat and a 4-foot-11 woman. Automakers would be allowed to use technology that either prevents an air bag from deploying or deploys it without harming those passengers. It would be up to manufacturers to pursue promising designs in air bag systems to meet the variety of new tests. Among the options automakers are developing are more sophisticated crash sensors that better detect the speed of a crash and sensors that determine the weight or position of a passenger and whether a seat belt is being worn. If a passenger is in danger of being injured by an air bag, the system would alter its rate of inflation or suppress deployment. Federal regulators have traditionally required an inflating air bag to protect an adult male dummy as a car crashes at 30 mph into a wall. That test was temporarily dropped last year when domestic automakers argued it prevented them from installing air bags inflating with up to 35 percent less force. Barry Felrice of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, the lobbying group for domestic automakers, said if the test were reimposed, ''we're positive we cannot have less powerful air bags.'' Automakers argue the less powerful air bags virtually eliminate the accidental deaths of adults caused by the devices. ''There was never any reason to have that level of energy the old bags had and therefore we see no reason to go back to it,'' said Felrice. ''It is bad for safety.'' However, the NHTSA's Martinez called the automaker's argument ''specious'' and said air bags could still be made less forceful or otherwise improved without dropping the test. The government believes the crash test can help in the design of air bags that can save the lives of more unbelted adults in serious crashes. Some consumer groups agree. ''You need to test for unbelted passengers; 50 percent of the people killed in crashes today are not wearing seat belts,'' said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. NHTSA officials also want a 25 mph crash test with a female dummy into a softer barrier to ensure that car sensors can detect less forceful crashes and deploy air bags without injuring smaller women who are belted but sit close to the steering wheel. Eleven drivers killed were wearing seat belts. The NHTSA has up to 18 months to receive public comment on the proposal before finalizing the regulations. Copyright 1998 Hannibal Courier-Post
The government will require more advanced air bags in new cars in an effort to save hundreds of lives in high-speed crashes and prevent deaths caused by inflating air bags, officials said Monday.
