Safety Advocates Issue Statement in Response To New U.S. Government Rule on Air Bag On-Off Switches
18 November 1997
Safety Advocates Issue Statement in Response To New U.S. Government Rule on Air Bag On-Off Switches
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- In response to the U.S. government
today unveiling a new rule to allow some motorists to got air bag on-off
switches installed in cars, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety issued the
following statement from its president, Judith Lee Stone:
"The process that has brought us to this ruling has indeed been long, but
it's been very thoughtful and necessary. This has been a very emotionally-
charged issue, driven often by fear rather than by facts to the detriment of
complete consumer information.
"With due diligence, the Department of Transportation has issued a
sensible ruling that responsibly addresses some very specific problems with
air bags in today's cars. The Department of Transportation has appropriately
used a scalpel -- rather than a cleaver -- to address the problems that air
bags pose for children and some small statured adults.
"We add a word of caution to every consumer and motorist: this new ruling
is not a green light to shut off your airbag. Very very few motorists should
even consider having an on-off switch installed. Those most at risk tend to
be children riding in the front seat and small statured adults on the driver's
side. And most important to remember are two things: unbelted car occupants
increase the risk of injury from an air bag dramatically, and children 12 and
under are safest in the backseat and buckled up every ride.
"This new ruling is not a slap against air bags. The fact is, the
combination of an air bag and a seat belt is a tremendous lifesaver in a
frontal crash. The government says that air bags have prevented an estimated
2,600 deaths, and that air bags are preventing many paralyzing spinal cord and
permanent brain injuries every day. Air bags work best in conjunction with
seat belts to give motorists maximum protection.
"Now that the government has taken this step, we now must quickly take the
next steps to maximize air bag safety and occupant protection:
"First, we need to continue to wage a major nationwide education campaign
to assure that every child is in the back seat and buckled up every ride, air
bag or not.
"Second, we must increase safety belt use dramatically in our country.
One of the best and most effective ways to do that is to enact "primary
enforcement" seat belt laws in every state. Simply passing a primary belt law
can raise belt use rates by 15 percentage points, which will save many lives
every day. Unfortunately, only 13 states and the District of Columbia have
enacted primary enforcement seat belt laws.
"And, third, we need the auto manufacturers and our government to speed up
the implementation of advanced air bag technology. In the meantime, we need
to vigorously enforce our seat belt laws and educate the motoring public about
the lifesaving benefits of air bags and safety belts working together."
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is a broad-based alliance of
consumer, safety, health and law enforcement groups and insurance
organizations working together to promote effective highway safety legislation
and policies at both the state and federal levels.
SOURCE Advocates for Highway Auto Safety