Why were air bag cutoff switches approved?

The federal government has approved a measure allowing some drivers to deactivate their air bags with an on-off switch, after doing nearly a year of studying this issue.

The Transportation Secretary, Rodney Slater now allows repair shops and dealers to install the air bag cutoff switches for vehicle owners who get the go-ahead from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This law was first claimed by President Clinton in December 1996. He claimed that anyone who had air bags installed in the car could turn them off.

The NHTSA then recommended for air bag switches to be turned off only by mechanics, but both auto insurers and mechanics disagreed because they believed that they might be held liable.

Since 1990, 87 people have been killed by air bags, including 49 children, according to the federal statistics.

The majority of these deaths were the result from occupants who were improperly seated or restrained. Those who fall into at least one of four specific groups will be able to apply to the NHTSA to have their air bags deactivated:

• Passengers with medical conditions that need to be constantly monitored or people with medical conditions which might be aggravated by a deploying air bag.

• Drivers who can’t position themselves at least 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel.

• Drivers who need to place a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat either because the vehicle lacks a rear seat or the rear seat happens to be too small.

• The infant who sits in front of the car (for reasons above) needs constant monitoring.

• Because all of their seats were filled, those who need to place children under 13 in the front seat. (Or child under the age of 13 needs constant monitoring because of medical conditions).

• Air bag cutoff switches were approved for reasons like the ones listed above. If you need to know more information about airbag cutoff switches, look into the owner’s manual of your car and you should also contact your auto insurance agent and ask him about this issue.