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December 5, 2009

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Editorial: Side air bags and American vehicles

Friday, April 10, 1998 | 10:54 a.m.

So that's why it's so refreshing to see the Ford Motor Co. announce Wednesday that it is planning to offer side impact air bags on all of its cars within three years. Ford will become the first major U.S. automaker to make this feature widely available. Right now, side air bags are found typically in expensive European cars.

Although some American cars offer air bags on a few models, none has matched Ford's vow. There seems to be a need for these side air bags. Sport utility vehicles, trucks and mini-vans constitute only a third of vehicles, but they are hitting vehicles in almost 60 percent of all fatal side impact collisions, according to the New York Times.

Ford has taken an important step, and one day soon side air bags may be seen as just as vital as those in the steering wheel and dash.

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