Autos: Battle of the Belts and Bags

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Governor Toney Anaya of New Mexico is expected to sign a bill within two weeks requiring his state's drivers to buckle up or face a minimum fine of $15. New Mexico will thus join New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri in mandating the use of seat belts, and at least 30 other states are considering a similar move. The rush toward seat-belt legislation stems from a regulation issued last year by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole. She decreed that by 1990 all new cars must be equipped with so-called passive restraints, either protective air bags or seat belts that wrap automatically around riders. But Dole said that the regulation would be rescinded if states representing two-thirds of the U.S. population pass mandatory seat-belt laws by 1989.

Auto companies, which oppose air bags because they cost about $800, are lobbying furiously to promote the seat-belt legislation. Insurance firms, though, say air bags save lives, and have sued the Transportation Department in federal court. Their argument: Dole cannot delegate the setting of national auto-safety regulations to the states.