THAT REASONING IS LIKE CONDEMNING PENICILLIN... BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CURE CANCER. LETTER TO EDWARD T. THOMPSON OF READER'S DIGEST

The Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration responds to a Reader's Digest article on the questionable effectiveness of air bags. Injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes represent a leading U.S. public health problem, and safety belts have the potential to save lives and reduce risks. The problem is that only about 4.6% of all vehicle occupants wear lap and shoulder belts in cars involved in accidents. Automatic safety belts are similar to manual belts except that the car occupant does not have to remember to use them in order to obtain protection. As an alternative which eliminates the shoulder belt, air bags provide good frontal crash protection. Air bags have been tested more than any other safety system prior to widespread introduction as a consumer product. The 10,000 General Motors 1974-1976 cars with air bags sold to the public have traveled more than 600 million miles and have been involved in more than 230 crashes in which air bags deployed. In these crashes, fatality and serious injury rates were about half the rates in a similar fleet of cars equipped with manual belts. It is suggested that the Reader's Digest present an article that reflects the positive side of the automatic crash protection issue.

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00386637
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  • Report/Paper Numbers: HS-029 191
  • Files: HSL, USDOT
  • Created Date: Jun 28 1984 12:00AM