On September 1, 1998, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 finally went into effect. The law required that all cars and light trucks
sold in the United States have air bags on both sides of the front seat. While
Ford and GM began to install air bags in some vehicles during the 1970s,
some experts began to wonder if they caused more problems than they
solved. When air bags inflated, they could hit people of smaller stature-and
children in particular-so hard that they could be seriously hurt or even killed. A
1973 study suggested that three-point (lap and shoulder) seat belts were
more effective and less risky than air bags anyway. But as air-bag technology
improved, automakers began to install them in more and more vehicles, and
by the time the 1991 law was passed, they were a fairly common feature in
many cars. Still, the law gave carmakers time to overhaul their factories if
necessary: It did not require passenger cars to have air bags until after
September 1, 1997. (Truck manufacturers got an extra year to comply with the
law).
Question: Discuss the importance of the airbag and why it wasn't made
government policy until 1998. Be sure to use complete sentences