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AORC President Says Industry Working on New Air Bag Test Procedures

18 October 1999

AORC President Says Industry Working on New Air Bag Test Procedures

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- Representatives of air bag makers,
motor vehicle manufacturers, insurance companies and safety researchers are
engaged in efforts to develop test procedures to maximize the safety and
effectiveness of automotive side impact air bags, according to the Automotive
Occupant Restraints Council (AORC).
    AORC President George Kirchoff said his organization has joined with
others at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) to form a working group with the expressed purpose of "defining a test
protocol and test procedures for automotive side impact air bags."  Kirchoff
expects the group's work product to be completed by the end of this year and
then submitted to the NHTSA.
    The challenge before the working group is to identify test procedures and
criteria that reduce the risk of injury to out-of-position occupants while
ensuring that side impact bags provide a high level of risk reduction for
normally seated occupants.
    In addition to AORC, the working group consists of Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the
Insurance Institute For Highway Safety and safety researchers having expertise
in vehicle crash testing.
    Side impact air bags are designed to inflate when the equipped motor
vehicle is struck on the side.
    According to Kirchoff, "From the data made available to AORC, to date,
there have been no serious injuries or deaths resulting from side air bag
deployments.  Side impact air bags can provide significant supplemental safety
benefits."  He added that safety belts should be properly worn in vehicles
equipped with air bags and that children 12 and under should always use
age-appropriate restraints.
    AORC is a non-profit organization representing domestic and foreign
manufacturers and suppliers of automotive air bags, safety belts, seating
systems and their components.