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AAA Offers Advice For Safe Use Of Air-Bag On-Off Switches

16 January 1998

AAA Offers Advice For Safe Use Of Air-Bag On-Off Switches

    ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 16 -- The installation of air-bag on-off
switches begins next week for motorists meeting government criteria and AAA is
urging people to carefully consider all their options before setting their
switch in the "off" position.
    "Air bags are proven lifesavers and can mean the difference between living
and dying in a serious crash," said Mark L. Edwards, managing director of AAA
Traffic Safety.  "Switches should only be used to deactivate the air bags in
very limited situations."
    AAA supports the government's decision to allow motorists at risk from
air-bag deployment to install switches that temporarily disable air bags.
Before switches can be installed, motorists must complete an application and
receive written approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.  Jan. 19 is the first day switches can be installed.  NHSTA
reports that approximately 3,100 motorists have been approved for switch
installation.
    To get government approval for switch installation, motorists must pledge
that they:
    *  Can't avoid placing rear-facing infant seats in the front passenger
seat.
    *  Have a medical condition that places them at specific risk.
    *  Can't adjust their position to keep back approximately 10 inches from
the air bag.
    *  Can't avoid situations - such as a car pool - that require a child 12
or under to ride in the front seat.

    NHTSA also has allowed factory installation of passenger-side on-off
switches in new vehicles without back seats.  Approximately 2 million vehicles
-- mostly pickup trucks -- have been sold equipped with switches.
    AAA said motorists need to check the status of the air bag every time they
ride in a vehicle equipped with cut-off switches.  Those not at risk from air-
bag deployment should always make certain the switch is in the "on" position.
    AAA also reminds motorists that the safest place for children to ride is
in the back seat, even in vehicles not equipped with airbags.  Additionally,
because air bags are designed to provide protection in conjunction with seat
belts, occupants should always be properly secured in a seat belt or child
safety seat.
    Brochures explaining air-bag safety and cut-off switch authorization forms
are available at AAA offices.
    Air bags are credited with saving 2,700 lives.  They also have been
implicated in 87 deaths.  In most of the air-bag related fatalities, the
person killed was restrained improperly or positioned too close to the air
bag.
    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 97 clubs with more than 1,000
offices providing 40 million members in the U.S. and Canada with travel,
insurance, financial and auto-related services.

SOURCE  AAA