Carmakers offer voluntary safety standards for side air bag tests

Tuesday, August 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Detroit-AP) -- The auto industry has unveiled voluntary standards for side air bag safety tests, including impact studies on dummies representing three- and six-year-old children, and a small adult.

Starting with the 2004 model year, the dummies would be tested in 12 positions, including leaning against a door and lying across the seat.

Consumer groups are critical of the proposal. They say the government -- not industry -- should oversee such standards.

Currently, the government requires front air bags on all vehicles and has standards for testing them. But there are no government tests for side air bags.

A panel of industry experts has been meeting for the last year to develop the voluntary standards.

%AP Links

On the Net:Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:http://www.highwaysafety.org.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test results: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.