ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 3, 1997 TAG: 9702030083
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
Consumers backing off air bags
ATLANTA - Fewer people considered air bags and other safety equipment important when choosing a car last year, according to a survey released Sunday.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents considered air bags an important factor in their decision, the Dohring Co. said in its annual survey. A year ago, the number was 82 percent. The number who said air bags were not important at all increased to 24 percent from 6 percent.
The survey also said 88 percent of respondents were at least somewhat influenced by news reports about vehicle safety. Nearly everyone who was asked - 96 percent - said they had heard such reports about the potential dangers of air bags.
Air bags, which inflate at speeds up to 200 mph, are credited with saving 1,700 lives in high-speed crashes. But they are also blamed for the deaths of 35 children and 20 adults in low-speed accidents where the victims otherwise would have survived.
The survey questioned people looking to buy a new or used car from a new car dealership.
This was the first time since the survey began in 1993 that the importance of safety equipment declined for consumers, Kinney said. And it was not just air bags - the importance of anti-lock brakes and traction control also declined, though the drop was less dramatic.
The telephone survey of 1,253 randomly selected adults was conducted in January. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
- Associated Press
Atheist's son quits battle for her estate
AUSTIN, Texas - Faced with the possibility of having to pay for the investigation into his mother's disappearance, the Christian son of atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair is giving up an attempt to become guardian of her estate.
``It is financially too costly and emotionally too costly,'' William Murray said Friday.
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