Airbags Still Under NHTSA Scrutiny

05/17/96

Federal car testing safety stories lately have been concerned with the REAL safety factor inherent in the use of passenger/driver air bags and especially the safety of a child on board. Mercedes Benz in 1997 will provide a sensor that detects the presence of a childs safety seat in the FRONT seat of the car and this will disable the passenger side airbag. Several infants have been fatality injured by the impact of the deploying airbag.

Ford on the other hand has a less expensive solution . A dashboard light will remind the driver that the right side airbag is on or off so that it can be switched to the off position when there's a child occupying the center seat.

Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel