"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
And how many people die because they think the airbag is a substitute for
a
seat belt?

My WAG is that people who think an airbag is a substitute for a seat belt
wouldn't be wearing the seat belt even if the airbag was not present.

And if it's such a good idea then why couldn't the airbag
manufacturers sell it to the FAA or the various racing organizations?

Maybe there's a difference between a 60mph crash and a 160mph crash that
changes the usefulness of the airbag.

Has
there been a reduction in highway fatalities since airbags were mandated?

Well, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was at a
historic low of 1.51 in 2002. I don't know when airbags went into
widespread use, but the fatality rate has dropped or stayed the same every
year since at least 1994, which was the earliest table I could find in the
60 seconds I searched for it. From 1994 to 2002, the fatality rate has
dropped 13%. Is all of the decrease due to airbags? I doubt it. I'm sure
you can factor in safer vehicles and increased seat belt use (it's gone up
from 61% in '97 to 79% now), plus a few other effects.

todd