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Safety board to let some turn off air bags
October 1, 1997
Web posted at: 11:11 p.m. EDT (0311 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to issue a rule soon allowing some car owners to deactivate their air bags with on/off switches.
Sources say NHTSA will allow car owners to deactivate if they:
- Have no back seat and are forced to install a rear-facing infant seat in the front;
- Fall into a specific medical category, such as monocular vision or dwarfism;
- The passenger is 10 inches or less from the air bag canister;
- Are adults transporting numerous children and cannot accommodate all passengers under 12 in the back seat.
People who think they qualify will have to submit a petition to NHTSA. The NHTSA may allow those who own cars whose manufacturers have said they will not provide on/off switches for their vehicles, such as Mercedes, BMW and Toyota, to have their air bags deactivated by other means.
The long-awaited rule must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget before it becomes final.
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