NHTSA rules could inflate airbag sales

Upholstery Journal | February 2008

New crash test regulations adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are expected to be a boon for airbag manufacturers, likely doubling the volume of airbag sales over the next several years. NHTSA announced that all cars and light trucks must meet a new “dynamic pole” test by September 2012. The test replicates the damage to a car crashing sideways into a fixed object, such as a telephone pole.

The regulations require automakers to meet greater head and chest safety standards, which the agency says will lead to the installation of both side curtain and torso airbags.

According to NHTSA, side-impact crashes account for 28 percent of all fatalities. NHTSA estimates that the new requirements will save more than 300 lives, and prevent 400 serious injuries a year.

Currently, only about half of all new cars and light trucks are equipped with side airbags, according to Ray Pekar, director of investor relations and business development for Stockholm-based Autoliv Inc.

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