Airbags Too Close For Comfort Short Women Worry Because They Must Sit So Near To Wheel

Carleen Ogg says she won’t drive a new car because she fears the air bag could kill her.

The Montrose, Colo., woman is 4 feet 11 inches tall and sits close to the steering wheel of her 1992 Ford Escort so she can reach the pedals.

Most of the 23 adults who have been killed by air bags were, like Ogg, short women.

“I am scared to death of driving a vehicle with a driver’s side air bag because I can’t figure out how to drive it from the back seat,” Ogg wrote the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently in support of its proposal to let consumers choose whether to disconnect an air bag.

The Clinton administration wants to make it easier for consumers to get air bags disabled in view of questions over air bag deployments in lower-speed accidents.

The safety devices, credited with saving an estimated 1,700 lives, also have been blamed for the deaths of 38 children and 23 adults in survivable accidents.

But automakers, dealers, repair shops and consumer organizations all have lined up in opposition to the administration’s proposal to allow mechanics to disconnect air bags for any consumer who wants it done.

The safety agency has received more than 500 responses to its proposal. Many of them were from women 5 feet tall or shorter.

“For the sake of all ‘small adults,’ please approve … this proposal as quickly as possible,” said Evelyn Vandiver, 70, of Charlotte, N.C.

“I am afraid of the air bags,” said Phyllis Vranich, 63, of Whitmore Lake, Mich., who is under 5 feet tall. “There are a lot of people who believe in personal choice, not Big Brother.”

The auto industry and consumer groups are concerned about reduced safety in cars without working air bags. Auto dealers and repair shops fear being sued for injuries or deaths the air bag might have prevented.

Most automakers support deactivating air bags only if a person has a medical need or other compelling reason not to have an air bag.

Four former chiefs of the highway safety agency recently joined in criticizing the Clinton proposal, saying it could erode public support for safety standards.

The industry is more supportive of the idea of cutoff switches for air bags in vehicles already on the road. That puts the responsibility for turning off the safety device on the occupants.

Nearly 100 people, including Ogg, wrote the agency in support of cutoff switches.

Ogg prefers a cutoff switch in her vehicle to turn the air bag on and off depending on who is driving.

“It’s frustrating,” said Ogg, 46. “I can make this decision for myself. I won’t drive a new car with an air bag.”

Agency officials are reviewing all the comments and expect to announce a decision in the next month.

“The bottom line is that all these groups have to be brought together in such a way as to serve the American public,” said Ricardo Martinez, NHTSA’s chief.

The NHTSA proposal would require consumers to read a safety brochure and sign a consent form before an air bag was disconnected. It would also require labels inside the car warning riders the air bag had been disconnected.

It is illegal now for anyone other than the car’s owner to disconnect an air bag - something few people know how to do.

Agency officials have granted hundreds of waivers for medical reasons, but say the rest must wait until the final policy is settled on disconnecting the devices.