AIR BAGS ARE STILL IMPORTANT IN SAVING LIVES

New rules announced last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding air bags should not be taken as a license to ignore the overwhelming evidence that the auto safety devices are an important factor in saving lives.

The new rules will allow certain car owners to have on-off switches installed for their air bags. The list of those eligible doesn't include drivers who just don't like air bags or those who fear they might be injured or killed if an air bag deployed. Instead, the rules are intended to benefit those who are, even by industry standards, imperiled in some way by air bags, particularly children who for medical or other reasons must sit in the front seat.

Statistically, air bags have proven to be life-saving devices far more often than they have figured in the deaths of motorists or their passengers. In the first 10 months of this year, some 1.8 million air bags were deployed and credited with saving 2,620 lives. By comparison, air bags were responsible for the deaths of 49 children and 38 adults, although there were other circumstances, such as improper use of seat belts, involved in many of those cases.

While there appear to be legitimate reasons for some motorists to turn off the air bags in their cars, millions of other motorists will continue to be safer by relying on a combination of properly used seat belts and air bags.