NHTSA Considers Airbag Bypass

10/02/96

The Associated Press reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering easing regulations so that auto mechanics could disconnect airbags. Safety concerns have been inflamed across the country by reports of airbags killing small children when they deploy. Reports also say short adults are at risk because they tend to sit closer to the front of the car.

NHTSA spokesman Tim Hurd said that various people have written to the federal agency requesting permission to have airbags disconnected. Hurd said the NHTSA has granted that permission on a case-by-case basis. Federal law permits car owners to disable their airbags, but currently prohibits auto mechanics from doing so.

Hurd said the agency trying to establish a policy that would outline standards for allowing bags to be disconnected by mechanics, as well. In the meantime, the NHTSA has permitted manufacturers to install passenger-side airbag on-off switches in vehicles where children have to ride in the front because there is no back seat, e.g., pickup trucks.

The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a study that explores whether airbags that triggered at higher crash speeds and inflate with less power would still save lives.

Federal statistics show that the passenger-side airbags found in many new cars have killed 26 children, so far. At the same time, airbags that inflate during crashes save hundreds of lives each year. Airbags pose no safety risk to children who are properly restrained and placed in the backseats of cars.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel