Press Release

NHTSA Announces Plan to Better Air Bag Technology and Reduce Air Bag Dangers

11/26/96

NHTSA Announces Comprehensive Plan to Improve Air Bag Technology And
Reduce Air Bag Dangers

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 -- The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced a comprehensive approach
to preserve the important safety benefit of air bags while minimizing
their danger to children and at-risk adults.

The agency announced its approach centers on accelerating the
development of "smart air bag" technology for future vehicles with the
intent of having the systems available in fall 1998 for 1999
models. More immediate measures include adoption of enhanced warning
labels, depowering of air bags and continuing to allow the use of
cut-off switches in vehicles without a rear seat to protect children.

NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D., said, "The safety of the
motoring public is our highest priority.  Air bags are working well,
but need to be improved to enhance the safety of children and small
stature adults.  These comprehensive measures will maintain the safety
benefits of air bags, decrease their potential hazard to children and
at-risk adults, and provide consumers with important safety
information."

Administrator Martinez added that while these steps will enhance the
safety of vehicle occupants in the interim, the effort can only be
fully completed with the development and use of "smart" air bag
technology.

-- "Smart" air bags. The agency will propose setting a phase-in
schedule for the next generation of air bags to begin in fall 1998 for
1999 models. With the growth of research and competition in air bag
technology, NHTSA believes that "smart bags" will provide
significantly greater safety in frontal crash protection, and wants to
encourage both their rapid development and design flexibility. Smart
bags will effectively "tailor" the deployment to the size of the
occupant and the crash circumstances.

The other intermediate safety measures are:

-- Improved warning labels. The agency announced the adoption of a
final rule requiring new, highly visible warning labels for all new
cars and light trucks beginning in 90 days and in effect until "smart"
air bags are available. The labels will be affixed to both sides of
the sun visors making them visible when the visors are either up or
down. In addition, new vehicles will be required to have a prominent
warning label affixed to the center of the dashboard as a strong,
clearly visible reminder at the time of delivery. This label may only
be removed by the vehicle owner.

A final rule also announced today requires a new, highly visible air
bag danger warning label on child safety seats.  The label will be
affixed where the child's head rests so that it can be seen readily by
parents or others who have child passengers in their vehicle.

-- Depowering for safety. NHTSA will propose that air bags be
depowered between 20-35 percent to reduce the deployment force for
added safety. Once adopted, depowered air bags would be permitted
until smart air bag technology is phased into new cars. NHTSA believes
that this level of depowering will reduce the incidence of injury and
improve the performance of air bags for belted occupants, including
children, individuals with acute medical conditions and small stature
adults, while still providing significant protection for unbelted
occupants. NHTSA will seek comments on its proposed changes to the
federal standards with the goal of modifying all new vehicles within
one year.

-- Cutoff switches for vehicles with no rear seat. NHTSA will issue a
final rule extending its existing policy of permitting manufacturers
to install manual cutoff switches in vehicles without a back seat, or
with a back seat that is too small to install a child safety seat. A
cutoff switch enables the driver of a pickup truck, for example, to
disable the air bag when a child is in the passenger seat, and turn it
back on for an adult passenger.

-- Option for owners of air bag-equipped vehicles. The agency will
propose allowing dealers to deactivate the air bags of any owner who
requests it. Currently, NHTSA permits deactivation on a case-by-case
basis.  The new policy would permit families who need to have children
in the front seat for medical monitoring purposes, car pools with
front-seated children, short-stature individuals, and others who have
reasonable concerns about a potential danger to turn the air bag
off. Automobile dealers will be asked to help their customers make
informed decisions by providing them with NHTSA guidance on the
benefits and dangers of deactivating the air bag system, and would be
required to install a label indicating that the air bag has been
disabled

-- Increased public awareness. NHTSA will increase its own air bag
public awareness activities and coordinate them with information
efforts underway by the national Air Bag Safety Campaign, the
coalition that it organized last year involving car companies,
insurers and safety groups. It also plans a national distribution of
copies of a warning label, using state motor vehicle offices, fast
food chains, convenience stores and other outlets, and is using its
popular public service characters, "Vince and Larry," to help convey
information about air bag dangers as part of their seat belt message.

-- Expanded research program. NHTSA is also announcing an expanded
research program to improve the testing of air bags and crash
protection for children and women. This program will lead to better
dummy and vehicle designs and improved safety standards. Last week,
NHTSA received the support of the international research community,
including government and industry representatives, to place a priority
on this needed research.

"The most important and immediate part of our strategy is that
children age 12 and under should always ride in the back seat, buckled
up. Regulatory actions will make tomorrow's air bags safer for
children, but too many are at risk in the interim if parents do not
insist their children ride in the back seat," Dr. Martinez said.

"Overall, air bags are working well and are responsible for an 11
percent reduction in driver fatalities in passenger cars, including a
30 percent reduction in fatalities in head-on crashes. They are
credited with saving more than 1,500 lives since 1986 when they began
appearing in the U.S. fleet," Dr. Martinez said.

"Regarding our proposal to allow air bags to be disconnected, we
expect that very few will need to take this extreme action, and those
who do will be made aware of the risks involved," Dr. Martinez
said. "You can greatly reduce the risk of air bag injury by being
buckled and back from the air bag."

NHTSA has aggressively issued consumer advisories and worked with the
news media, the highway safety community, auto and insurance
industries, and the medical community to increase public awareness of
both the problem and the immediate solution -- placing children in the
back seat, buckled up.

In August 1996, the agency proposed changes to the federal air bag
requirement to encourage the introduction of "smart" air bag systems
and to provide relief to owners of existing vehicles equipped with air
bags.

The Congress in 1991 directed NHTSA to amend the standard to require
air bags for all new cars manufactured after September 1997 and for
light trucks the following year. Responding to market demand,
manufacturers exceeded that timetable and today virtually all new cars
and trucks offer dual air bags.

Consumers who have questions or concerns about air bags should contact
the agency's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 800-424-9393. For
up-to-date information on air bag issues, contact NHTSA's World Wide
Web site at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Read the Big Three U.S. carmakers' responses to the new NHTSA air bag plan.

Read the Automotive Occupant Restraint Council's Response to the NHTSA plan.

Read the National Auto Dealers Association's Response to the new NHTSA plan.