NHTSA SIGNS AIR BAG JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT WITH TRANSPORT CANADA |
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
January 7, 1997
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Tuesday, January 7, 1997
NHTSA 02-97
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550
The U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada today announced a program of research cooperation on motor vehicle crashworthiness, improved test dummy design, and "smart" air bags.
"It is clear that the purpose of safety standards is to protect vehicle occupants -- and it is equally clear that human beings in one nation need the same protection as those in another. Motor vehicles are a leading cause of death world-wide, and we all need the benefit of the very best research available," said Ricardo Martinez, M.D., administrator of the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"The government of Canada is committed to promoting improvements to air bag technologies currently in use in North American vehicles," said Transport Minister David Anderson. "This joint research program will help accelerate the development of the more effective air bags of the future. It will also complement ongoing Transport Canada research on the effects of air bag deployment on in-position and out-of-position occupants of different sizes."
The Joint Research Agreement names project coordinators in NHTSA and Transport Canada's Road Safety Directorate to develop improved and effective means of protecting adults of short stature, older adults and children who are involved in air bag crashes.
The memorandum notes that Canada has developed a high level of safety belt use and the United States is placing great emphasis on measures to increase safety belt usage. The use of air bags as supplements to manual safety belts has increased the level of occupant protection in more severe crashes. However, serious injuries, even fatalities, have resulted from air bag deployment in low severity collisions. Air bags are an evolving technology and advanced systems will address these issues.
NHTSA and Transport Canada wish to further the development of systems that adjust the air bag's performance according to factors such as occupant presence, safety belt use, occupant size, proximity to the air bag module, and the nature of the collision.
The first task under the joint agreement will be to focus on the development, performance and monitoring of "smart" air bag systems that modify the deployment threshold based on occupant's safety belt use, and tailor or suppress air bag deployment based on crash variables and an occupant's weight, size or proximity to the air bag.
Task two is to conduct research to develop an advanced 5th percentile female dummy, an older adult dummy, and a child dummy, as well as associated injury criteria that can be used to evaluate air bag deployment, both for normally seated and out-of-position occupants.