Lower Speed Ok’d For Deploying Airbags Change Protects Children, But Puts Big Adults At Risk

The government gave auto companies permission on Friday to reduce the deployment speeds of air bags to protect children, even though it could put some large adults at greater risk.

Because of the rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automakers will begin installing slower bags late in the 1997 model year. Some auto companies said consumers may be able to retrofit existing cars, but could not estimate what it would cost.

The action comes in the wake of a public outcry over deaths caused by air bags, which inflate at speeds of up to 200 mph. The new rule will lower the top deployment speed to 160 mph, and many air bags will inflate at even lower speeds. Air bags have saved the lives of at least 1,750 drivers and passengers over the last decade, the NHTSA said. But the bags have been blamed for the death of 38 children, none older than 9, and 24 adults.

Nearly all of the victims were unbelted or out of position - improperly belted or sitting too close to the air bag - factors that federal and industry safety officials said contributed significantly to the deaths.

Most of the children who were killed also were in the front passenger seat. Safety officials say children under 12 years of age should never be allowed to sit in the front of a car.

The air bags now on the market deploy with so much force because they were designed to protect the “average unbelted adult,” which the NHTSA had defined as an adult male who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds. Smaller adults, especially women, and small children are more vulnerable to the impact.

Government and industry officials conceded Friday that the slower deploying air bags might put large unbelted adults at greater risk of death or serious injury in crashes.

“But we’re willing to accept that trade-off on an interim basis in the interest of protecting the lives of children” and smaller adults, said Philip Recht, deputy administrator of the NHTSA.

The government will attempt to limit the risk to adults by boosting its efforts to get more people to wear seat belts, Recht said.

The government and industry also will continue efforts to develop advanced air bags capable of inflating at a speed appropriate to the weight and position of passengers. These new “smart” air bags are supposed to come on the market late in 2001.

Earlier this year the NHTSA authorized car companies to install switches that allow vehicle owners to turn air bags on and off. The agency also ordered new warning labels on all cars and trucks equipped with air bags, alerting drivers and passengers about how to reduce the risk of injury or death.

The NHTSA said Friday it is continuing to study the idea of allowing owners of cars with the current generation of air bags to permanently disconnect the safety devices.