|
|
Press Release |
Contact: |
WASHINGTON Turning off a vehicle's airbags may result in unnecessary injury or death, according to Consumers Union, which called the announcement on a rule making it easier for drivers to deactivate airbags "misguided."
"Consumers Union is strongly opposed to the new rule allowing an on-off switch for airbags. Seat belts and airbags save lives by protecting drivers and passengers from serious injury. This rule endangers many more passengers than it protects" said R. David Pittle, Technical Director and Vice President of Consumers Union. "Since airbags were introduced in the late 1980s more than 2,500 lives have been saved."
"Federal officials should rethink the wisdom of NHTSA's decision on airbags. We urge motorists to act with extreme caution before deactivating their airbags," said Sally Greenberg, Senior Product Safety Counsel for CU. "This is a matter of life or death. Consumers must examine the value of manual switches in a rational way, with clear information about the trade-offs between airbag-related risk in relatively low-speed collisions to unbelted passengers and the risks posed from no airbags at higher-impact collisions."
At issue is the new rule released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allowing certain motorists to deactivate their airbags. Under the rule, if the car owner can certify that he or she or their passengers fall into a one of four categories of individuals who could suffer harm from by the airbag that vehicle's airbags could be deactivated with a new manual switch. The opportunity to deactivate a vehicle's airbag is reserved for those with medical reasons, those who must sit closer than ten inches from the wheel, those who must put children in the front seat and those who must place an infant in the front in a rear-facing infant car seat. Safety information must also be provided to those considering deactivation.
Consumers Union believes that unbelted, adult-weight passengers should continue to be protected to the maximum extent that is consistent with measures taken to prevent harm by air bags to improperly belted or unbelted infants, children and small adult occupants in low speed collisions. The consumer organization is also concerned that manual switches will encourage adults to place child passengers in the right front seat under the false assumption that deactivation makes that seat safe. CU, which urged that any provision for manual switches include both visual and audible signals to warn that the airbag is "off" when the car is started, expressed disappointment that the final rule calls for only a visual signal.
"Consumers Union urges auto makers to put development of the so-called 'smart-bags' -- airbags that take into account the weight of the occupant and other factors -- on a fast track, with broad access and affordable price as their top design priorities. Early versions of this technology are already available in certain European models; upgraded versions should be made available in American models," said Pittle. "In addition, NHTSA should develop a standard for the lowest speed below which the airbags would not activate. Currently, there is no such standard and most deaths attributed to airbags have occurred from bags that have deployed in very low speeds accidents."
The agency's action was prompted by published reports on the deaths of more than 80 children and adults in airbag accidents, mostly at low speeds. While any death from an airbag is unacceptable, CU notes that the vast majority of those deaths attributed to airbags did not have their seat belts fastened. There are 63 million vehicles that now have airbags, more than half of which have passenger side air bags.
SAFETY TIPS FOR DRIVERS, from Consumers Union
