Side-Impact Air Bags Studied

Cars may get a little safer soon.

Federal officials are reviewing whether more protection is needed for passengers involved in side-impact crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it has granted a petition filed by a consumer group, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "The current federal standard for side-impact protection is too weak and is long overdue for strengthening," said Judith Stone, the group's president.

The head of the group, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, says more than one-third of serious to severe injuries suffered last year resulted from side-impact crashes.

Judith Stone says big, heavy sport utility vehicles, full-size vans, and so-called light trucks are causing more deaths in side-impact accidents with smaller, lighter cars.

Gerald Donaldson, senior research director for Advocates, said the agency should introduce an optional stricter test for automakers that would promote the use of side air bags in cars to protect the chest and pelvis. Even though compliance with such a test would be voluntary, Donaldson believes automakers would compete to do well on it, prompting better side impact protection.

However, some safety experts say NHTSA already has a side-impact test in its consumer information crash program that rewards automakers for using side air bags.

Although normally found in expensive European cars, side air bags are increasingly installed in other cars. General Motors has side bags in six of its models and will add them to 15 more models by the end of next year. Ford Motors expects to have them as standard or optional equipment in all vehicles in the next three years.

Automakers also favor tightening side-impact standards, but there have been disputes about the best way to do it.