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Air bag rules scrutinized

By Kenneth Cole / Detroit News Washington Bureau

    WASHINGTON -- The anguished testimony of Alan Greer typified that of the dozen or so parents who converged Monday to help petition federal regulators to impose tougher standards for air bag systems.
    In a voice flush with grief, the 23-year-old carpet salesman from Boise, Idaho, described how his 1-year-old daughter, Alexandria, was decapitated by an air bag in a 7 mph crash two days before Thanksgiving 1996.
    "It deployed with such a force that it sent her head through the (front) passenger window," Greer said.
    A coalition of auto safety groups contend the horrific nature of Alexandria's death proves existing air bag rules -- designed to safeguard an average-size male -- don't adequately protect dissimilar occupants. They petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday to rewrite air bag rules that protect children, short women and improperly seated passengers during deployments.
    "To protect all their passengers -- big, small, young and old -- manufacturers must test for the whole family, not just the large male," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen and former head of highway administration.
    The other petitioners are the Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Federation of America and Parents for Safer Air Bags.
    The groups argue the regulators must impose more rigorous standards because some car companies -- especially Detroit's Big Three -- refuse to test their air bags for crash conditions not required by law.
    "That's outrageous," said Barry Felrice, director of regulatory affairs for the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, which lobbies Congress on behalf of Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp. He noted that the association filed a similar petition with the highway administration two years ago.
    Government records show air bags have killed 96 people this decade; 54 of the victims were under age 11.