2-STAGE AIR BAGS NEW FOR FALL.Byline: Catherine Strong Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. At car dealers this fall: new, more sophisticated air bags that adjust their force of inflation to the severity of a crash to protect passengers better. It's no longer just a high-tech concept. So-called dual-stage air bags are on the 2000 models of some luxury cars and several of the nation's most popular family cars - the Ford Taurus Not to be confused with Ford Taunus. The Ford Taurus is currently a full-size, front-wheel drive or all wheel drive automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in North America. and Honda Accord The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. . Safety experts say the new technology will reduce deaths and injuries from air bags that inflate inflate - deflate explosively, which prompted a public outcry. In serious crashes, when passengers need the devices' full power to cushion them, the new bags inflate with about the same force as those in 1999 model cars. But in lower speed crashes, the air bags pop open with at least 20 percent less force. A sensor in the front of the car detects the severity of a crash by calculating the change of velocity that occurs when another object, such as a car, crashes into it. Another sensor registers whether a front seat belt is buckled. If a belt is being used, the full force of the air bag is delayed until a higher speed when it is needed. ``Today in cars we have a one-bag-fits-all mentality men·tal·i·ty n. The sum of a person's intellectual capabilities or endowment. . This changes all that,'' says Stephen Kozak, a Ford engineer who oversaw o·ver·saw v. Past tense of oversee. the Taurus system's development. Government officials, auto makers, insurers and safety advocacy groups agree the new technology will reduce air bag deaths and injuries - particularly of young children and shorter adults - in low-speed crashes. ``It reduces the risk (of deaths and injuries) dramatically in better tailoring the air bag inflation to the crash,'' said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, part of the Department of Transportation. . Air bags have been blamed for at least 145 deaths - mostly children and shorter women - in low-speed crashes the victims otherwise should have survived, federal safety regulators say. Air bags also have saved an estimated 4,600 lives in higher-speed crashes. CAPTION(S): drawing DRAWING: Dual-stage air bags |
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