Air bags that expand at up to 200 miles per hour have been blamed for the deaths of at least 60 people. Last month the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved bags that inflate with 35 percent less force. Ford was quick to shift into gear, announcing it will install the new bags in all of next year's models. Lew Camp is director of safety at the automaker. They say occupants in small and stiff-framed sports cars are still well protected with the current bags.
All automakers adamantly oppose that option, partly because of liability concerns.
In New York, this is Richard Carruthers for Marketplace. Now the Federal Communications Commission is the last regulatory hurdle for Nynex and Bell Atlantic, although the FCC is expected to allow the companies to transfer Nynex's cellular phone licenses. Supporters of the last year's telecommunications act argue that deregulation is also prompting more competition, as local, long distance, wireless, and cable companies get into each others business. A group of community development experts released a report today that says the glass is half-full and getting fuller. Marketplace's Washington editor John Dimsdale reports.