Word: airbag
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...device is the airbag, a hidden cushion that inflates upon impact to dampen the shock of an automobile collision. Unlike seat belts, airbags require no active effort by riders, and cause no inconvenience. Because airbags work automatically, they provide constant protection: seat belts, by comparison, protect only those ten percent of all riders who bother to strap themselves in. The airbag has proven its effectiveness in millions of miles of road tests, and even a foe of government regulation like Yale economist William Nordhaus estimates that an airbag law would save, in addition to thousands of invaluable lives. $30 billion...
...automakers' chief objection to airbags is that they cost too much, adding $500 to $800 to the price of a new car. But former Transportation Secretary William T. Coleman, Jr., an airbag opponent, disclosed in 1977 that industry cost estimates--because of accounting manipulation and outright falsification--were vastly inflated. According to a 1981 New York Times story. confidential industry documents revealed that airbags would cost only $100 to $300 per car. But the automakers see even this expense as prohibitive and have used their economic and political clout or lobby successfully against air bag standards since Congress first proposed...