Safety administration reckless, automakers dither

 
Date: Sunday, 29. May 2011

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In its enthusiasm to push airbags as a safety device the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ignored problems with the technology, says a recent article in USA Today. The NHTSA mandated the device in all cars in the 1990s, even though automakers warned that they posed a risk to short drivers, children and the elderly. Now, says the newspaper, the NHTSA is doing it again by pushing "smart" airbag technology before it's ready.

The new technology uses sensors to determine whether a child is sitting in the front seat, or an adult is too close to the steering wheel. The force of the air bag's inflation adjusts accordingly. The agency has given companies until next summer to have the systems installed in 35% of their new cars. However, says USA Today, that poses a risk if car owners start putting children in the front seat before it's safe, or small passengers mistakenly believe they're protected.

In a counterpoint article, Joan Claybrook, a former head of NHTSA and now president of the safety advocacy group Public Citizen, accuses automakers of "dithering" and delaying development of the technology. "Automakers have petitioned relentlessly for delays and dilutions of the overall air-bag rule," she writes.

"Automakers have never designed cars to protect the lives of children," Claybrook argues. "They installed lousy air-bag systems despite having better technology and refused to release air-bag-performance data so that consumers could choose the design that's right for them."

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