new air bags bring a change in safety rules

By MATTHEW L.
WALDJULY 31,1998, a car manufacturer has offered a new roof
To prevent head injuries, the Department of Transport is changing the standards that will come into effect on September, which will prevent new airbags.
The new airbag is small, sausage-
Like a inflatable tube about 5 inch in diameter, it drops from the space above the window to the level of the driver\'s ear in case of an accident and buffers the occupant\'s skull.
Looks a bit like a float that divides lanes in the pool and the unit is in three one-
A few percent of a second, and keep inflation for a few seconds in case the accident involves a repeat impact, such as a rollover.
Other versions are more like inflatable curtains.
In a rule written three years ago, the department asked for padding on the roof
To reduce head injuries, the area around the support Post and the windshield.
Advertising, but because these devices only swell in the event of an accident, the car with this airbag may fail in the department\'s tests, these include pushing the head of the collision dummy into the pillar at a speed of 15 miles per hour.
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Under this change, the test of using the collision dummy head to hit the post at 12 mp. h.
, Even if the airbag does not inflate, the column provides enough protection to prevent the speed of damage.
Transportation Minister Rodney Slater said the ad \"we don\'t really have a grasp of the technological advances that are going on,\" and he announced the last --
Minor changes to the rules to accommodate new devices that are used in some of the new BMW and will appear in Mercedes-
Benzze and Volvo later this year.
Government experts say part of the reason for this change is that the new airbag cannot be covered with padding because it interferes with inflation.
It is predicted that the rules for protecting the head of the occupier will save the lives of about 1,200 people each year;
The National Highway Transport Safety Administration says it will save about £ 250 to keep new equipment legal.
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A version of this article was printed on page A00016 of the National edition on July 31, 1998 with the title: The new airbag changed the safety rules.