Don't look now, but unless some thing is done immediately you are probably going to be paying an additional $200 for your fleet vehicle next year. Such is the word from DOT's Senator John Volpe who is pushing hard for a Federal Statute which would make the air bag mandatory equipment in all new cars after Jan. 1, 1972.
Just in case you haven't heard, the air bag is the passive safety restraint device which is to save the 80% of Americans who from either design or ignorance are riding around sitting on their seat-belts with their shoulder-belts tucked neatly in place overhead. It is reported to activate, inflate, and deflate within one-half second when a vehicle suffers a front-end collision equal to a barrier crash of eight mph or more. It is activated by either nitrogen or a dry smokeless powder. Like seat-belts and shoulder-belts before it, Washington assures us that it will save countless lives.
Aside from the fact that the biggest percentage of auto fatalities is caused by occupants being thrown from a car involved in a crash while the air bag is designed to reduce death and injuries from head-on collisions, there are a number of dangers in this passive restraint system. Its developers assure us that it is .99% foolproof, that the noise it generates on being activated will not effect the future hearing of an occupant of a car in which it is detonated, that the force of the bag hitting the head and chest will not injure the normal person, and that it will be fail-safe for years.
But the leading safety engineers for Detroit's big four have voiced serious doubts and reservations about the value and practicality of the device when interview by us recently. And they are worried about how vulnerable the air bag will make them from a products liability standpoint.
Moreover the public is justified in knowing what happens if it is activated accidently while traveling down a highway at 60 mph, what effect it will have on the hearing of those over 35 years old, what injuries it might cause for those with heart-trouble or other congenital chest-located diseases, what happens when a person smoking a pipe or cigar is struck by the bag (not to mention a person with glasses), how the tank of nitrogen (under 3,500 pounds-per-square-inch pressure) hidden from the easy reach of fun- loving American youths, and lastly, how breathing will be effected when four bags of non-life supporting nitrogen fill a closed car.
Fleet Managers will be interested in all these questions plus those surrounding the device's initial and later costs. Originally touted as an additional $50 item, it now appears that this is the cost of only one bag. So that means an additional $200 per car for the four bags now being pressed for by our Washington protectors. Furthermore, once the bags have been activated, they will have to be replaced entirely. So look forward to adding an additional $200 to every collision estimate, and watch the insurance rates soar. And who is going to be responsible for inspecting the devices from time to time to see that they are in order. Does the fleet manager add yet another figure to his "runnings costs?"
When confronted with these questions, the proponents ask, ''What are the alternatives?" And the only answer that makes sense is "Free dom." Those that want them despite their inherent dangers and short comings, should be allowed to buy them. But those who do not, and who feel that safety (like morality) cannot be legislated, should stand up now and be counted with yours truly.
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