Automakers Agree On Kinder, Gentler Air Bag

International automakers joined forces with domestic automakers Friday and agreed the government should change a testing requirement to allow them to install air bags that deploy with less force.

The consensus, reached during a two-day conference in Canada, puts more pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to change the test.

Air bags deploying at up to 200 mph have been blamed for the deaths of at least 19 adults and 30 children. The Big Three domestic automakers have been pushing to decrease air bag deployment force by 20 percent to 30 percent, arguing that less forceful air bags would mean fewer deaths and injuries.